Cycling in Asia forum

Mallet

I read your post earlier, and thought I'd like to help, but I can't.

Well, blow me down with a feather, there I was sitting back enjoying the winter sunshine this afternoon, reading the local Sunday paper when out pops an article answering your request.

The article spoke of cycling tours to/in Khao Yai National Park - some 2 hours from Bangkok. The 'ride' is on well graded dirt roads, and includes the capacity to visit a couple of wineries.

They take you and the bikes there and back in a minivan. Doesn't say how much. They say don't go on weekends or National Holiday days 9as everyone goes then).

The company being promoted is Spice Roads:

www.spiceroads.com

The wineries are:

www.khaoyaiwinery.com
www.granmonte.com

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Thanks very much for these 2 valuable replies. Both companies offer exactly what we wanted and we now plan to do a bit of homework on the best options.

We are both keen cyclists in the uk and in our late 60s. We planned to travel by overnight train form Bangkok to Laos but the prospect of a 9 day cycle run from Chaig Mai to Luang Prabang with Spice Roads is tempting.

Thanks again Bruce Moon and somtam2000. It was very kind of you.

For a day trip out of Bangkok we used http://www.absoluteexplorer.com/ and had a great time. We met up with our guide at the railway station and jumped on a train for the 1 hour trip out into teh countryside and visited a farming co-op, prawn farm, fruit farm plus a local market.

The Grasshopper's Bangkok Countryside Tour sounds like it could be interesting and doesnt seem to have the market stops like other tours - I could be wrong. Not sure if the price is a good one or not, but US$44 for 6 hours seems reasonable?

Thanks again everyone.

We are attracted to the Grasshopper Countryside Tour because it covers a reasonable distance and doesn't seem too involved in many market stops etc which are always a bore. There always appears to be some financial motivation in these 'attractions'. Their night trip also looks interesting.

The idea of doing one or two independent cycle trips is also very appealing and we plan to follow up goo_stewart's (#9) suggestions.

We also hope to do a couple of day cycle trips from Luang Prabang in Laos and Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, where we will spend the final 7 days of our tour. I'll ask for info on Luang Prbang on the Laos section of Travelfish. Meanwhile, if any of you kind people can help, we would be very grateful. The phrase 'The Kindness of Strangers' comes to mind!

Thanks again.

Mallet, Hua Hin and surrounding areas are excellent for cycling. I would suggest a ride to Pranburi and the beaches there. The ride is only about 50km but is an excellent day trip. The beaches at Pranburi are excellent and quiet. There is a couple of national parks and a beach in one of them (the name escapes me at the moment) but it is just deserted and beautiful. Take your bike around Cha Am, Pranburi or Hua Hin and you will have a wonderful few days. Maps are available in the local Gh and hotels.

Thanks again for the mine of good information on cycling in Bangkok and Hua Hin . To our delight, we are going to spend more time on bikes than we imagined. It's such a fantastic way to see the country and meet people.

Goo_stewart - thanks very much for the info on cycling in the Hua Hin area.
Are there cycle hire shops in the town?
I assume that there are quiet roads on the coast or do you have to travel on the main roads?
Will cycle hire shops have some routes to suggest?
You say that maps are available in hotels and local Gh. What is Gh?
Finally, can you cycle in the Khao Sam Roi National Park?

Thanks also Tilapia. We plan to extend our stay in Bangkok to cycle from Mahachai to Thonburi one day. All good stuff!!

My grateful thanks.

We eventually joined 2 tours with Grasshopper, based in Bangkok and other parts os South east Asia. Their day tour of old Bangkok was very good. They took us over the river and well away from the chaos of Bangkok to a facinating maze of streets, villages, temples and canals. It's well worth it and the trip gets rave reviews. We also too their 'Bridge Over the River Kwai' 3 day trip which was excellent. They have a good website. We were so imressed that we are joining their 2 week cycle trip through Myanamar (Burma) in December.

Hey Mallet what is the right time to visit Bangkok?