Motorcycle trip

Thailand

Our Northern Thailand Getaway is the classic loop of the north, and a good model if you are planning two weeks in northern Thailand. Day by day:

• Day 1, Chiang Mai. Airport pickup and a free day among the temples of the old city.
• Day 2, Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son, 143 miles. Through Doi Inthanon National Park, home of Thailand’s highest peak, then west along the ridges.
• Day 3, Mae Hong Son to Pai, 106 miles. The heart of the Mae Hong Son loop, with the Tham Lod cave and a bamboo raft ride.
• Day 4, Pai to Tha Ton, 155 miles. Two mountain ranges, then north to within a few miles of the Myanmar border.
• Day 5, Tha Ton to the Golden Triangle, 93 miles. By the tea village of Doi Mae Salong, then along the Mekong.
• Day 6, Golden Triangle to Chiang Rai, 68 miles. A morning where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.
• Day 7, Chiang Rai. The White Temple, the Blue Temple, the hot springs and the night market.
• Day 8, Chiang Rai to Chiang Kham, 93 miles. Up the switchbacks of Phu Chi Fa, with Laos below.
• Day 9, Chiang Kham to Nan, 162 miles. The longest day, through Doi Phu Kha National Park.
• Day 10, Nan to Lampang, 130 miles. Mountain roads, then the carved Lanna temple of Wat Phra That Lampang Luang.
• Day 11, Lampang to Chiang Mai, 87 miles. With a last view over the city from Doi Suthep.
• Day 12, Chiang Mai. Transfer to the airport.

Only have a week? The Best of Northern Thailand rides Chiang Dao, Tha Ton, Doi Mae Salong, the Golden Triangle and Chiang Rai in 7 days and about 510 miles.

Ask riders for the most famous motorcycle road in Thailand and most will name the Mae Hong Son loop: a mountain circuit said to count 1,864 curves, along the Myanmar border through Pai and Mae Hong Son. Our guide to the Mae Hong Son loop rides it section by section. The north has more than one great road:

• Doi Inthanon: the road climbs into the national park around Thailand’s highest peak, 8,415 ft.
• Doi Mae Salong and Doi Angkhang: tea and coffee country near the Myanmar border, on ridge roads climbing to about 6,500 ft.
• Phu Chi Fa: tight switchbacks up to a viewpoint over Laos.
• Doi Phu Kha and Nan: long, empty mountain roads to one of the quietest provinces of the north.
• The Mekong at the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.

In between, you ride small paved back roads through rice fields, tea plantations and hill villages, with a little gravel now and then.

Chiang Mai is full of rental shops, and many riders explore the north on their own. Here is what a guided tour changes:

• Your papers. In Thailand you ride on your US license with a motorcycle endorsement and an International Driving Permit; we check your papers before departure, so you ride legally from day one.
• Traffic on the left. On your first morning you follow a tour leader on quiet roads instead of finding your way out of Chiang Mai alone.
• The route. The best roads of the north are small mountain roads that are easy to miss. Ours are scouted, timed, and end at a booked hotel.
• Breakdowns and bags. A mechanic and a support van follow the group, with your luggage on board.
• The group. 10 motorcycles at most, with an English-speaking tour leader.

If you have ridden in Asia before and want total freedom, renting can work. If you have two weeks of vacation and want to spend them riding, a guided tour takes the logistics off your hands.

Riding days run from about 70 to 160 miles. After breakfast, the tour leader briefs the group on the route and rides in front; the support van, with the mechanic and your luggage, follows at the back. You stop for coffee, for lunch in a local restaurant, and at the temples and viewpoints along the way, and reach the hotel in the afternoon. Some days are lighter, like the day in Chiang Rai for its temples and night market. The longest, from Chiang Kham to Nan, is 162 miles of mountain road.

The best season is the cool, dry season, from October to March. From November to January, skies are clear, afternoons warm and mornings cool in the mountains: bring a warm layer for the early starts. February stays dry and gets warmer. Our two Thailand tours depart from October to February, and Thailand & Laos: Along the Mekong runs until April, when the heat rises noticeably. The rainy season runs roughly from June to September.

After the tour, fly from Chiang Mai to the islands of the south, such as Koh Samui, Phuket or Koh Lanta, for a few days on the beach. For more riding in the region, discover our Laos motorcycle tours and all our Asia motorcycle tours.