On the back of your road bike, this tour of central Thailand takes in the historical and natural sights of Kanchanaburi before taking you around the beautiful Sri Nakarin reservoir, to caves and waterfalls and ending at a colorful floating market.
Excellent guide and team led us through an interesting part of Thailand. The tour was a good mix of distance cycling, great food, and interesting history of the Kanchanaburi area.
As per my past experience with SpiceRoads, great trip, excellent guides, well-organized and supported.
Tours in: ThailandThailand - Bangkok
DestinationsThailand
Tour MeetsBangkok
Fly in toSuvarnnabhumi Airport (BKK)
Group Size2-16 riders
SpiceRoads jerseyWater bottleSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)AccommodationSnacks and drinks
International flightsDomestic flightsAirport pick upAirport drop offVisa feesAlcoholTips
We ride 655 km in seven cycling days. There are long 120-km days, and some hills to take on in the middle of this tour. We not only cover quite a lot of ground and take in some of Thailand's major sites, but we also visit some lesser known caves and waterfalls. Our days will be quite full and action-packed.
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 cold drinks and fresh fruit.
Suitability: This ride is for those who have some biking experience and a reasonable level of fitness. The first two days are relatively easy, but there will be hills, and there are some long distances to cover. Never underestimate the heat and humidity of Thailand, as it will likely ensure things feel hot.
Biking Conditions: The road surfaces are good-quality asphalt roads. There is nothing technical involved on this tour, but there are lots of gradual climbs. Fitness will be an asset on this tour, and we suggest some training before joining. A support truck is always available to help.
Starting in Bangkok, we drive three hours to Kanchanaburi. We visit the local sites, including the war museum and cemetery and the famous Bridge Over the River Kwai, before checking into our hotel located on the banks of the River Khwae Yai. After a bike fitting and a warm-up ride, we meet up for dinner where we'll go over the itinerary for the upcoming days of riding.
Royal River Kwai Resort
Lunch, Dinner
Ride 40km
+279m
-279mAfter enjoying breakfast and the tranquil view of the Khwae Yai River, we head off to discover Kanchanaburi's countryside. The distance we cover today may be long, but we ride on mostly flat terrain with some hills. Following the Khwae Yai River, we pass farms, local schools, and temples. Kanchanaburi is known for its sugar cane, rice, and tapioca. We will see some of these plantations along the way. We pedal along Khwae Noi River as it undulates and arrive back at the resort. Your afternoon is free to rest your legs and enjoy the riverside.
Royal River Kwai ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 120km+669m-668mWe spend most of the day riding our bike as we cycle leisurely along the Khwae River for 65 km before we climb from the foot of Sri Nakarin Dam to the top. This is a steep climb to above the dam, and we soon have the lake in our sights as we begin to descend. We will be staying at a lakeside resort, so bring along your swimming suit and enjoy dipping in the lake or kayaking for your day’s reward.
Raya Buri ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 80km+834m-690mThis morning, we enjoy our peaceful breakfast on the lakeside before our ride. We head north on a smooth and shady road that twists left and right up a hill as we ride upstream to cross by ferry. Soon we reach the other side of the reservoir where we stop for lunch. Back on the pedal with re-strengthened legs, we head over to Erawan National Park and stop to enjoy the waterfall cooling us down before we transfer to our overnight resort.
Mida ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 120km+1819m-1872mToday is free for you to discover surrounding sites on your own. Enjoy bamboo river rafting at the resort, relax in the pool, or go for a massage. (Bamboo rafting is available at 14.00 and 16.00 daily. Please book your preferred time upon check-in. This service is complementary for the first trip only).
Mida ResortBreakfastAfter breakfast, we ride up to Hellfire Pass for a visit. The museum is located above the infamous Death Railway built by POWs (Prisoners of War) during WWII. They were forced to cut the rail track through the mountain, and the exhibits detail their many struggles to survive under terrible conditions. The name “Hellfire Pass” originates from the prisoners' shadows working at night with lanterns, resembling a scene from hell. We backtrack to cross the river, and then we continue our cycle along very quiet roads to our resort.
River Kwai ResotelBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 90km+831m-813mFrom Kanchanaburi, we cycle to Ratchaburi province. Our journey starts with taking backroads on mostly flat terrain, cutting through farmlands. We ride parallel to the Thai-Burmese border with views of rolling hills in the distance. In the last 30 km, the trail will be slightly uphill as we pedal our way into Ratchaburi.
Phu Pha Phung ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 115km+1062m-1000mAfter breakfast, we cycle southeast to where the Mae Klong River runs through Ratchaburi and enters the Gulf of Thailand, creating a sprawling delta. Here, the land is rich, and the Thais created a network of canals to aid irrigation and navigation. We visit a floating market to see how the locals go about their shopping from paddle boats selling local delicacies. On our saddles, we can appreciate the countryside and see the local pace of life. Depending on the season, feast your eyes on various tropical fruits as they ripen. We get cleaned up and energised with lunch at a riverside restaurant and get ready to transfer back to Bangkok.
Breakfast, Lunch
Ride 90km+587m-689mDisclaimer: 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.
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. The bikes are Trek 2.1 C, Domane 2.0 and carbon Émonda S5 road bikes, with Shimano components and seat posts. If you have your own saddle that you are comfortable with. you are welcome to bring it, and we'll fit it. We can provide strap-style toe cages if requested, but you might like to consider bringing SPD clip pedals if you use them, and please make sure to bring your shoes and cleats. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a road bike in good mechanical order.
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.
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.
The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary
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SpiceRoads delivers the best cycling experience trip after trip. Love these guys.