Following a morning pickup from your Bangkok hotel, we transfer about two hours south to Samut Songkhram Province. While this is Thailand’s smallest province, it packs a strong punch with endless coconut groves, rustic markets, and historic temples. Upon arrival near the Mae Klong River, we'll saddle up for our first ride. Highlights include quiet, flat roads through tranquil coconut plantations, a tree-entwined ancient temple, and a canalside community of traditional wooden houses. These are quintessential scenes of Old World Thailand, becoming increasingly rare in our modernizing world. Along the way we stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Our ride concludes at today’s riverside hotel in Amphawa, a small but lively town renowned for its weekend-only floating market. Dinner is not included, giving you a chance to stroll the canalside walkways and sample from the abundance of delicious food available.
Amphawa Riverfront Hotel
Lunch
Ride 35km
+165m
-164mIn the morning we transfer north around two hours from Thailand’s smallest province to one of its biggest: Kanchanaburi. Our first stop is the provincial capital, where we find the iconic Bridge over the River Kwai. This steel railway bridge remains Thailand’s most powerful symbol of the WW2 era, when the occupying Japanese army forced Allied prisoners of war to construct the Thai-Burma railway, infamously known as the “Death Railway”. The bridge is still operational today. Nearby, we also visit the War Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of Allied prisoners of war who perished during the railway's brutal construction. We then drive further to see a particularly dramatic section of the railway clinging to a cliff above the river. After lunch nearby, we jump in the saddle for a pleasant ride in the plains of the Khwae Noi River, passing farmlands and forest reserves surrounded by jungle-clad hills to reach the 13th-century temple ruins of Prasat Muang Singh, once the westernmost outpost of the mighty Khmer Empire. The serene grounds offer a perfect spot to soak in the history before we load up the bikes and transfer around 30 minutes to tonight’s hotel along the Khwae Noi River.
Royal River Khwae ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 25km+135m-142mWe give our bikes a day off and spend the day at a nature conservation centre and elephant sanctuary. After breakfast we drive a short distance to OurLand, a project initiated by passionate conservationists aimed at providing a wildlife corridor linking a national park to the river. Here, we’ll learn about how wild elephants and farming communities co-exist in Kanchanaburi and go on a short hike into the jungle. Mid-morning we then head to a nearby elephant sanctuary for a personal encounter with these gentle giants. There is no riding – simply observing Thailand’s national animal up close and getting to know the herd of retired working elephants living on site. In the mid-afternoon we bid farewell to our hosts and get comfortable in the support vehicle for a three hour drive to Ayutthaya, Siam’s once-glorious capital just north of Bangkok. We’ll stop for dinner before checking in at a well-appointed riverside hotel in the city for the night.
Krungsri River HotelBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerThis morning, we uncover the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya, exploring the ruins of Siam’s former capital. Nearly destroyed during a war with the Burmese in the late 18th century, Ayutthaya captivates with its faded remnants of former glory. We begin with a short transfer to Wat Mahathat, famous for a stone Buddha head entwined in tree roots. From here we weave through the city by bike, stopping to admire the trio of stupas at Wat Si Sanphet and the grand Hindu temple of Wat Chaiwatthanaram. We then head further south, making our way along backroads through diverse riverside villages where Buddhist and Muslim communities live side-by-side. Around 30 km in, we take a short ferry across the Chao Phraya River and end our ride at Bang Pa-In Palace, once a summer retreat for Siam’s globalising monarchs, blending traditional Thai architecture with Chinese and European influences. After a farewell lunch nearby we transfer around one hour back to Bangkok where our adventure ends. We can drop you off at your hotel in the city. If you need assistance with post-tour hotel bookings or airport transfers, please let us know.
Breakfast, Lunch
Ride 29km+88m-92mDisclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.
DestinationsThailand
Tour MeetsBangkok
Fly in toSuvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
Group Size2-16 riders
SpiceRoads jerseyWater bottleSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)Hotel pick upHotel drop offAccommodationBike and helmetSnacks and drinksEntrance fees
International flightsDomestic flightsVisa feesAlcoholTips
This tour is a combination of sightseeing and mild cycling, culminating in an action-packed 4 days in the river valleys of Central Thailand. Day 1 is dedicated to the Mae Klong Delta where we cycle through coconut groves and spend the night in the vintage town of Amphawa, renowned for its floating market. Day 2 brings us to Kanchanaburi Province, where we discover WW2-era memorial sites, including the famous bridge over the River Kwai, and cycle though an agrarian world surrounded by lush hills. Day 3 is off the bikes as we spend the day at a nature conservation centre and elephant sanctuary ro learn about human-elephant conflict and see Thailand’s national animal up close. Day 4 takes us through the ancient landscape of Ayutthaya, exploring beautiful temple ruins before cycling along the Chao Phraya, the “River of Kings”, back towards Bangkok.
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 trip is suitable for anyone who enjoys leisurely cycling to spice up their holiday in Thailand. The 3 rides on this tour are between 25-35 km and predominantly flat, with just a few mild inclines on Day 2 in Kanchanaburi. There is no technical manoeuvring, though some experience navigating the occasional rough patch or some busier traffic is recommended. The support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.
Biking Conditions: Our rides include a mix of paved roads in varying conditions. You can expect mostly smooth tarmac interspersed with narrow village roads and country lanes which can contain potholes, road debris, and gravel. Although much of the route is on quiet countryside roads with minimal traffic, we will regularly share the roads with cars, motorbikes, and buses. There are a few unavoidable sections along the main roads, especially coming in and out of cities and near popular attractions. 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 a selection of character-rich and cosy riverside hotels. Expect clean, spacious rooms with air-conditioning, and professional service. Swimming pools are available on days 2 (Kanchanaburi) and 3 (Ayutthaya). 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.
Following a morning pickup from your Bangkok hotel, we transfer about two hours south to Samut Songkhram Province. While this is Thailand’s smallest province, it packs a strong punch with endless coconut groves, rustic markets, and historic temples. Upon arrival near the Mae Klong River, we'll saddle up for our first ride. Highlights include quiet, flat roads through tranquil coconut plantations, a tree-entwined ancient temple, and a canalside community of traditional wooden houses. These are quintessential scenes of Old World Thailand, becoming increasingly rare in our modernizing world. Along the way we stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Our ride concludes at today’s riverside hotel in Amphawa, a small but lively town renowned for its weekend-only floating market. Dinner is not included, giving you a chance to stroll the canalside walkways and sample from the abundance of delicious food available.
Amphawa Riverfront HotelLunchRide 35km+165m-164mIn the morning we transfer north around two hours from Thailand’s smallest province to one of its biggest: Kanchanaburi. Our first stop is the provincial capital, where we find the iconic Bridge over the River Kwai. This steel railway bridge remains Thailand’s most powerful symbol of the WW2 era, when the occupying Japanese army forced Allied prisoners of war to construct the Thai-Burma railway, infamously known as the “Death Railway”. The bridge is still operational today. Nearby, we also visit the War Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of Allied prisoners of war who perished during the railway's brutal construction. We then drive further to see a particularly dramatic section of the railway clinging to a cliff above the river. After lunch nearby, we jump in the saddle for a pleasant ride in the plains of the Khwae Noi River, passing farmlands and forest reserves surrounded by jungle-clad hills to reach the 13th-century temple ruins of Prasat Muang Singh, once the westernmost outpost of the mighty Khmer Empire. The serene grounds offer a perfect spot to soak in the history before we load up the bikes and transfer around 30 minutes to tonight’s hotel along the Khwae Noi River.
Royal River Khwae ResortBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 25km+135m-142mWe give our bikes a day off and spend the day at a nature conservation centre and elephant sanctuary. After breakfast we drive a short distance to OurLand, a project initiated by passionate conservationists aimed at providing a wildlife corridor linking a national park to the river. Here, we’ll learn about how wild elephants and farming communities co-exist in Kanchanaburi and go on a short hike into the jungle. Mid-morning we then head to a nearby elephant sanctuary for a personal encounter with these gentle giants. There is no riding – simply observing Thailand’s national animal up close and getting to know the herd of retired working elephants living on site. In the mid-afternoon we bid farewell to our hosts and get comfortable in the support vehicle for a three hour drive to Ayutthaya, Siam’s once-glorious capital just north of Bangkok. We’ll stop for dinner before checking in at a well-appointed riverside hotel in the city for the night.
Krungsri River HotelBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerThis morning, we uncover the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya, exploring the ruins of Siam’s former capital. Nearly destroyed during a war with the Burmese in the late 18th century, Ayutthaya captivates with its faded remnants of former glory. We begin with a short transfer to Wat Mahathat, famous for a stone Buddha head entwined in tree roots. From here we weave through the city by bike, stopping to admire the trio of stupas at Wat Si Sanphet and the grand Hindu temple of Wat Chaiwatthanaram. We then head further south, making our way along backroads through diverse riverside villages where Buddhist and Muslim communities live side-by-side. Around 30 km in, we take a short ferry across the Chao Phraya River and end our ride at Bang Pa-In Palace, once a summer retreat for Siam’s globalising monarchs, blending traditional Thai architecture with Chinese and European influences. After a farewell lunch nearby we transfer around one hour back to Bangkok where our adventure ends. We can drop you off at your hotel in the city. If you need assistance with post-tour hotel bookings or airport transfers, please let us know.
Breakfast, LunchRide 29km+88m-92mDisclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.
Bike hire is included in the tour. The bikes are high quality hybrid bikes (Trek or similar). E-bikes are also available for hire at additional cost.
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.
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.
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.
Important Update: As of May 01, 2025 all non-Thai nationals entering Thailand by air, land, or sea must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before arrival. Please fill out the details on the official website here within three (3) days before your arrival in Thailand. This is a free process - beware of fake websites that charge a fee. If you are already travelling within the three days before your planned arrival in Thailand, then we suggest completing the form while you are at a hotel with reliable Wi-Fi. It only takes a few minutes.
We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days.
Thailand generally has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. The North and Central region have a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. Northeast Thailand has a humid hot and dry weather alternatively with medium rain while the coastal areas of the east is humid and hot with intermittent rain. The South of Thailand has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity.
There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27˚C/80 F and 40˚C/104 F, with night temperatures in the 20s. The rainy season is from July to October, but temperatures are slightly lower, because of the effect of the rain. During this time it will not rain continuously, but in sharp bursts, and the sun can come out quickly. The cooler season is from October to February, with average temperatures between 20˚C/68 F and 30˚C/86 F.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are local and feature noodles, rice, curries, and soups. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere but is NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we cannot match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20 per day, for incidentals.
The Thai currency is the baht. ATMs, which are abundant, are the easiest ways to get Thai baht. Have a supply of US dollars in cash on hand, just in case your card doesn’t work. Banks or the rarer private moneychangers offer the best foreign-exchange rates. Credit cards are accepted in big cities and resort hotels but you’ll need baht for family-run guesthouses or restaurants.
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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