Okinawa by Road Bike

We ride a total of 387 km over six cycling days. This is a true point-to-point journey from hotel to hotel with no required vehicle transfers, culminating in a complete clockwise loop of Okinawa Island. This tour has been designed for road cyclists looking for a mildly challenging route complemented by comfortable resorts, leisurely meals, and ample time to relax. You will be fully immersed in the coastal landscapes and fusion culture of Okinawa, with a key highlight being the time spent in Yanbaru National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its subtropical rainforests and rare wildlife. For racing enthusiasts, you will appreciate riding on the same legendary tarmac used for the UCI Tour de Okinawa.

Suitability: This tour is ideal for experienced road cyclists comfortable with back-to-back riding days. Daily distances range between 46 km and 80 km with consistently undulating terrain. Days 4 and 5 are the most demanding as we climb across the forested hills of the north, with daily elevation gains of between +950 m and +1,500 m. Riders with less experience are very welcome; this is a fantastic intermediate-level tour to help push your boundaries — just be sure to prepare by building stamina for a week of cycling without a rest day and strength for the climbs. As Okinawa does not have dedicated bicycle paths, you should be comfortable cycling in urban traffic and sharing the road with other vehicles. Our support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.

Biking Conditions: The roads in Okinawa are mostly in excellent condition. The south of the island, home to sprawling and densely populated urban zones, features busier traffic and more frequent intersections, especially around Naha and Okinawa City. In the north, the environment shifts to quieter, more rural and forested landscapes. While the majority of the tour follows high-quality asphalt, the secondary roads and narrower country lanes in these more remote areas can occasionally feature crushed coral, limestone debris, or patches of gravel. While we have scheduled our departures to avoid the wettest months of the year, subtropical showers can occur at any time. We generally ride rain or shine; however, based on the guide’s discretion or your level of comfort, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Accommodations: Okinawa is a prime Japanese holiday destination and is home to many resorts and hotels. On this tour, we have curated a selection of stays that transition with the landscape of the island. You will experience everything from sleek, modern hotels in or near the vibrant cities to expansive seaside resorts offering panoramic ocean views and soothing spa facilities. As we venture into the remote north, we retreat to a tranquil, nature-focused lodge nestled within the UNESCO-listed rainforest. Throughout, you can expect clean rooms, hot showers, professional service and, depending on the particularities of each property, extras such as inviting pools, gorgeous views, and delectable cuisine. Do not 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. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a road bike in good mechanical order.

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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