Bangkok to the East Coast Explorer

We ride a total of 378 km over 6 cycling days. The cycling is fairly mild with no major climbs or overly long distances. The route is divided into two distinct chapters. Chapter 1 is focused on the countryside surrounding Khao Yai National Park, where we have a 53 km afternoon ride on day 1, a 44 km morning ride on day 2, and a longer 70 km ride on Day 3 before transitioning to Chapter 2 on the Gulf of Thailand coast. Here we ride a 58 km loop around the rural hinterland of Rayong Province (day 4) before cycling 73 km further east to Chao Lao Beach (day 5). Our final ride on day 6 covers 78 km as we head to Chanthaburi City where the adventure concludes. Four of the six cycling days are point-to-point, with the remaining two requiring post-ride transfers to the hotel.

Beyond fabulous cycling, a standout highlight of the tour is a visit to Khao Yai National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its wildlife-rich jungles. Hosted by a team of local experts, we hike into the rainforest and drive around the park in a vehicle for a hopeful chance to see elephants, gibbons, hornbills and many other animals. Wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed - we encourage you to come with an open mind and let the whims of nature surprise us! Another off-saddle highlight is on day 4 when we enjoy an electric boat cruise through an expansive area of wetlands and mangroves on the Rayong coast. Throughout the tour we visit Buddhist temples, vintage riverside communities, and learn about local agricultural practices at fruit orchards, rubber tree plantations, and shrimp farms. For many, the most memorable moments are encounters with Thailand’s incredibly welcoming locals, always eager to wave hello and cheer us on!

The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This is a moderately difficult trip that anyone with a reasonable level of fitness will enjoy. The terrain is consistently flat or mildly undulating, with no ride exceeding 500 meters of elevation gain, though there are enough hills that some experience with climbing is an asset. Daily distances range between 50 - 78 km, with one shorter morning ride (day 2) to allow time for our exploration of Khao Yai National Park. Navigating narrow village lanes, bumpy country roads, and stretches of hard-packed dirt or gravel requires some handling skills but does not involve technical manoeuvring. The main challenge of the tour is keeping up stamina over back-to-back riding days and cycling in the tropical heat. The pace is leisurely and with plenty of refreshment stops so riders with less experience are more than welcome to join. The support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.

Biking Conditions: On this tour, riders can expect around 80% of the route to be on paved surfaces, consisting of good-quality asphalt or concrete as well as broken, bumpy, and cratered roads. The remaining 20% is made up of vehicle-width gravel and dirt roads. While much of the route is on quiet countryside roads with minimal traffic, we will regularly share the road with cars, motorbikes, and buses. There are a few unavoidable sections along busier main roads, though there is almost always a wide shoulder to ride on. While we don’t schedule our tours during the wettest time of the year, rainfall is not uncommon in Thailand. We generally ride rain or shine, but based on the guide’s discretion or your comfort level, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Hotels: Accommodations on this tour are character-filled, well-regarded hotels at the 3 to 4 star level. Expect clean, spacious rooms with air-conditioning, professional service, and swimming pools. The first two nights are spent at Thai-style rural retreats in the countryside. Days 3-5 are at lovely seaside resorts on the Gulf of Thailand, while on our final night we sleep at an elegant hotel on the outskirts of Chanthaburi. Our chosen hotels also feature hygienic restaurants offering Thai and, occasionally, Western options. Please be aware that some older properties, while charming, may show signs of wear and tear, and the service pace in Thailand can generally be more relaxed than you might be accustomed to. Don’t expect all hotel staff to speak English. For larger groups, we may need to use more than one accommodation and, in case of limited availability, switch to an alternative property from the one listed in the itinerary.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. We provide high-quality hybrid bikes from well-known brands. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain, gravel, or hybrid bike in good mechanical order. We also have E-Bikes available for hire, but they are limited in number & size - please send an email to us to check on availability.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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