Our Cycling Holidays In SE Asia, China, & Mongolia

Mongolia Altai

Mongolia's Alti Mountains

Dates: June 2020

Total Days: 15 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 8/10 | Daily Average: 55km | See more information, dates & prices »

Thailand Gravel Roads

1000 kilometres on the road less travelled - a multi surface adventure tour

Dates: January 2022

Gravel bikes, All Road bikes, Adventure bikes - whatever you wish to call them these bikes are fantastic, and, allowing a brisk pace on road whilst still being supremely capable off-road they open up a wonderful array of possibilities for the adventure-seeking to explore the path less travelled. 

A little know secret of Thailand is its astonishing network of unsealed roads. Gravel, grit, dust, and dirt trails spread out across the entire nation like vines, but generally, remain unknown and untraveled by all but the local farmer.

Slowly these roads are being sealed, meaning that quiet rural blacktop byways and concrete lanes link these unsealed gems and provide those with time to explore the opportunity to enjoy a unique adventure and see a Thailand a world away from the tourist land that 99% of tourists experience.

Drawing on a long-held passion for exploring the roads, tracks, and trails less travelled, we have woven a route from Chiang Rai in the country’s far north, to Ayuthaya, the ancient capital less that one hundred kilometres north of the nation’s present capital, Bangkok. 

If you enjoy adventure cycling, gravel roads, byways light of traffic, and seeing the side of a country seldom experienced by the vast majority of visitors then this really could be just your sort of tour.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 105km | See more information, dates & prices »

Mongolia Khangai Mountains

Cycling with nomads on the Mongolian steppe

Dates: June 2021

After an incredible day of cycling imagine relaxing outside your tent beside a babbling stream when a herd of yak appear over the hill and wander down the valley to drink close to our camp. Two riders approach on horseback, one wears a drab brown robe, the other a vivid blue gown tied around the waist with a sash, and we watch as the two youngsters corral the herd to the safety of their nomadic camp for the night. 

To visit Mongolia on our fully supported cycling holiday is not just to visit a far-off land in distance, it also feels like travelling to a different place in time. Mongolia is a land of ger dwelling nomads who spend the year tending their herds and moving on to fresh pastures. And for nine wonderful days, we live amongst this wilderness, cycling through the vastness of the Mongolian Steppe, and spending our nights' camping in the valleys of friendly and ever hospitable nomadic herders, whose way of life has changed little over the centuries.

Join us in Mongolia for a truly memorable cycling adventure.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 8/10 | Daily Average: 40km | See more information, dates & prices »

LabRat Run '21 - Bhutan

The Bhutan Rats

Dates: October 2021

For 2021, by invitation only.

LabRat Runs have quickly become a PaintedRoads tradition. A group of easygoing and adventurous regulars, The LabRats annually sate their appetite for adventure by joining the inaugural running of a PaintedRoads adventure tour. for 2020 we head for the Himalayas, and the little-visited Buddhist Shangri-La, Bhutan.

Bhutan is a special and unique Himalayan Kingdom where success is measured in Gross National Happiness, not Gross National Product. In order to keep tourism at a controlled level, a minimum fee per day is levied on all tourists. Not only does this famously make Bhutan one of the most costly nations in the region to visit, but it is also, quite genuinely, probably the happiest, most peaceful, and safest.

PaintedRoads cycling adventure through Bhutan offers a very special view of an already exclusive country. As we cycle through the Himalayas, enjoying some of Asia's most spectacular views and exhilarating cycling terrain we pass beautiful monasteries, wonderful wildlife - hunting is illegal, and meet fascinating people. 

Bhutan really is the ride of a lifetime.

Total Days: 11 | Cycling Days: 7 | Difficulty: 8/10 | Daily Average: 97km | See more information, dates & prices »

Tibet

Lhasa to Kathmandu - Across the Himalayas

Dates: No dates available at this time.

Perhaps the ultimate challenge for the adventurous cyclist, this epic high altitude expedition takes us from the fabled Tibetan city of Lhasa, across the roof of the world to the exotic Kathmandu.

Cycling between 4000 and 5200 metres the rarified air is an omnipresent reminder that we are riding through the Himalayas, the highest mountain range on Earth. The terrain we ride through is dramatically barren and breathtakingly beautiful in equal measure. And the backdrop of the majestic white wall of the World’s mightiest peaks is as breathtaking as the altitude.

With two weeks of wilderness camping, long climbs, thin air, harsh sun, and chilly nights beneath canvas, this is not a tour for everyone - but for the adventure seeking hardened cyclist eager to experience a different culture and prepared for the unexpected, this is an adventure of a lifetime.

Total Days: 26 | Cycling Days: 17 | Difficulty: 10/10 | Daily Average: 73km | See more information, dates & prices »

Cambodia Gravel Roads

Exploring Rural Kampuchea

Dates: November 2020

With a predominantly agricultural population, and an economy still faltering following a tragic recent history, Cambodia’s road infrastructure remains predominantly unsealed and rural. Whilst this may not be an ideal situation for many people, foreign and Khmer alike, for those amongst us who like to explore a country on traffic-free gravel roads, Cambodia offers an increasingly rare opportunity.
Cambodia’s relatively diminutive size also means that, despite being able to explore the land and meet the people far from the tourist hordes, we are never far from a town boasting accommodation usually exceeding the comfort one may expect of a nation lacking in the material luxury of the West.
And as we cycle through the beautiful flatlands of Kampuchea, meeting Khmer people, it is the cheery nature, ever-present smiles, waves, and shouted greetings that will likely leave an even more profound impression that the dramatic Angkorian era architecture. It is, however, this architecture that is, with good reason, Cambodia’s number one tourist draw and is the starting point of our adventure. And as if all of this is not enough, the French colonial legacy of fine dining and drinking, along with the local cuisine, make Cambodia perhaps the best nation in the region for hungry cyclists.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 77km | See more information, dates & prices »

Thailand - North: Lanna

Exploring The Ancient Kingdom of Thailand’s Beautiful North

Dates: No dates available at this time.

Join us for a cycling adventure in a region of mountains and broad fertile valleys, populated by laid-back, friendly people wholly deserving the nation's tourist brochure tagline, "the land of smiles". 

Following rural byways, gravel roads and dirt lanes, our journey will take us between two modern cities, via hill-tribe villages, along the banks of the mighty Mekong river, past tea plantations and via a village of Chinese warrior descendants as we explore the ancient Lanna Kingdom. 

Total Days: 12 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 73km | See more information, dates & prices »

Thailand Bespoke. QQ22/2

Coastal Southern Thailand. Phuket to Bangkok.

Dates: March 2022

If you are looking to see the Thailand your friends visit on holiday, if you want the same experience as 99% of Westerners in Thailand, then this cycling holiday is not for you. If however, you are looking to see a Thailand that is still the land of smiles, where Thai people are friendly and interested in why you are travelling through their country, a Thailand of fishermen and farmers and small seaside towns revolving around the laid-back local people, then it is difficult to think of a better way to see the country than cycling south Thailand.

If you wish to truly experience Thailand then this tour could well be for you.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 5/10 | Daily Average: 70km | See more information, dates & prices »

Thailand Bespoke. QQ22/1

Private Tour

Dates: March 2022

Please be aware that this is a private tour for the Queensbury Queens of the Mountain Cycling Club, and is open to club members only.

For our regular South Thailand tour please click here.

If you are looking to see the Thailand your friends visit on holiday, if you want the same experience as 99% of Westerners in Thailand, then this cycling holiday is not for you. If however, you are looking to see a Thailand that is still the land of smiles, where Thai people are friendly and interested in why you are travelling through their country, a Thailand of fishermen and farmers and small seaside towns revolving around the laid-back local people, then it is difficult to think of a better way to see the country than cycling south Thailand.

If you wish to truly experience Thailand then this tour could well be for you.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 5/10 | Daily Average: 70km | See more information, dates & prices »

Thailand South

Coastal Southern Thailand, Bangkok to Phuket

Dates: April 2021 | October 2021 | January 2022

If you are looking to see the Thailand your friends visit on holiday, if you want the same experience as 99% of Westerners in Thailand, then this cycling holiday is absolutely not for you. If however you are looking to see a Thailand that is still the land of smiles, where Thai people are friendly and interested in why you are travelling through their country, a Thailand of fishermen and farmers and small seaside towns revolving around the laid-back local people, then it is difficult to think of a better way to see the country than cycling south Thailand.

If you wish to truly experience Thailand then this tour could well be for you.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 5/10 | Daily Average: 70km | See more information, dates & prices »

Thailand - North

Exploring The Golden Triangle

Dates: No dates available at this time.

Mountains high and valleys wide, steep climbs and sweeping descents - perfect sealed roads, gravel tracks, red clay rural trails and deserted byways - a modern city, small riverside villages, mountain communities of hill tribe folk and a Chinese hill town.

With all of this set amidst vast expanses of emerald green rice fields, vegetable farms, orange groves, tea plantations and eucalyptus forests our Northern Thailand tour offers a wonderful diversity of culture, scenery, flora, fauna, roads and trails that come together to provide a superb adventure cycling experience.

Total Days: 12 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 70km | See more information, dates & prices »

Tri Nations. Vietnam-Laos-Thailand

A Bicycle Exploration of Indochina

Dates: December 2020

Three neighbouring nations, three written scripts, two and a half languages, two political systems, one major religion.

Not only is this tour a cycling odyssey through fascinating regions along a path less trodden, it is a journey of discovery through three lands that for all the world should be so alike, but in actuality are so very different. History, colonial powers, war, religion, extreme political struggles - all have left deep marks on these lands and their people. Even now these same forces are morphing and changing these countries as we cycle through, and it is passing through at a human pace, by bicycle, that allows us to meet the people, sample the food, smell the aromas, and hear the daily life exchanges that are what travels and exploration are all about.

Total Days: 16 | Cycling Days: 11 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 94km | See more information, dates & prices »

Taiwan Bespoke. RH21

Private Tour

Dates: October 2021

Please be aware that this is a private tour open to invited guests only. For our regular Taiwan tour please click here.

Taiwan, off of the east coast of the People’s Republic of China, is perhaps Asia’s best-kept cycling secret. Only 400 kilometres in length the island formerly known as Isla Formosa - The Beautiful Isle, packs in a huge amount. The central area is a range of mountains reaching up to four-thousand metres above sea level. The west coast, from Taipei to Kaohsiung is the industrial heartland where most of the nations twenty-four million inhabitants dwell, whilst the rugged east coast offers stunning views and wonderful cycling on dedicated cycleways and deserted byways. 

This tour combines the beautiful east-coast route with the epic KOM climb through Taroko Gorge, from sea level to the midst of the hill country.

Taiwan, an undiscovered cyclists paradise.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 78km | See more information, dates & prices »

Taiwan - North to South

Formosa - Cycling The Beautiful Island

Dates: No dates available at this time.

Taiwan, off of the east coast of the People’s Republic of China, is perhaps Asia’s best-kept cycling secret. Only 400 kilometres in length the island formerly known as Isla Formosa - The Beautiful Isle, packs in a huge amount. The central area is a range of mountains reaching up to four-thousand metres above sea level. The west coast, from Taipei to Kaohsiung is the industrial heartland where most of the nations twenty-four million inhabitants dwell, whilst the rugged east coast where this tour runs offers stunning views and wonderful cycling on dedicated cycleways and deserted byways. 

Taiwan, an undiscovered cyclists paradise.

Total Days: 11 | Cycling Days: 8 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 75km | See more information, dates & prices »

Sri Lanka Bespoke. JJ21

Private Tour

Dates: February 2021

Please be aware that this is a private tour open to invited guests only. For our regular Sri Lanka tour please click here.

For those interested in visiting the Indian Subcontinent, laidback Sri Lanka with its relaxed culture, beautiful scenery, abundance of wildlife, friendly courteous inquisitive people, and magnificent lost in time colonial architecture could well be the ideal destination.

PaintedRoads bicycle adventure takes us from the tranquil fishing communities of Sri Lanka’s west coast, through the ancient architecture of the North Central region, and onwards, via the stunningly beautiful central hill country, to the southern beaches and the wonderful town of Galle.

But for we cyclists, perhaps the greatest attraction is Sri Lanka's abundance of wonderful cycling roads, tracks and trails that make this a riding destination par excellence. Yes, Sri Lanka packs a huge amount into a compact island, and then there’s the food...

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 74km | See more information, dates & prices »

Sri Lanka

Cycling Ceylon

Dates: July 2023

For those interested in visiting the Indian Subcontinent, laidback Sri Lanka with its relaxed culture, beautiful scenery, abundance of wildlife, friendly courteous inquisitive people, and magnificent lost in time colonial architecture could well be the ideal destination.

PaintedRoads bicycle adventure takes us from the tranquil fishing communities of Sri Lanka’s west coast, through the ancient architecture of the North Central region, and onwards, via the stunningly beautiful central hill country, to the southern beaches and the wonderful town of Galle.

But for we cyclists, perhaps the greatest attraction is Sri Lanka's abundance of wonderful cycling roads, tracks and trails that make this a riding destination par excellence. Yes, Sri Lanka packs a huge amount into a compact island, and then there’s the food...

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 88km | See more information, dates & prices »

Lab Rat Run Laos

An Exploration of Northern Lao

Dates: December 2020

Despite pockets of the country seeing much economic development over the last two decades, Laos remains a country somewhat lost in time. It is a mountainous and tranquil land, where for much of the time the only sound heard by travellers is that of bird song. 
This cycling tour is an adventurous loop through the north of the nation, passing through ancient jungle where tigers roam, agricultural land that is home to minority groups, past mysterious prehistoric archaeological sites, and the craters and bombshells of a more modern era that bring home the stark horrors of war. 
The byways on which we ride are quiet, winding, hilly, and tranquil, and the towns at which we stay vary from the back of beyond to tourist comfort. 

Total Days: 15 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 8/10 | Daily Average: 95km | See more information, dates & prices »

Trans-Vietnam: Northwest to Northeast

Route 279 - Dien Bien Phu to Halong Bay

Dates: November 2020 | November 2021

The Vietnamese had, by the 1970s, suffered more than their fair share of bother with the unwanted interference of other nations. So when the Chinese crossed their northern border without invitation in 1979, the war-weary nation wasted no time defending its newfound sovereignty. The North Vietnamese Army was arguably more aware than any other military on Earth of the importance of keeping military supply lines open, and so, in February '79 military engineers set about building a supply road tracing their northernmost border - a road that was aptly named 2/79.
And like the wonderful Ho Chi Minh Trail road that follows the border with Lao, QL279 is a mountain road, little used by motorised traffic but kept in good condition due to its strategic importance. 

A well maintained rural road through stunning mountain scenery, bereft of traffic and leading from one side of a nation to the other - what is there for a cyclist not to like?

We begin our ride in Dien Bien Phu, the site of the battle that finally bought French colonial power to an end in Indo-China, and saw the rise of Communism in Southeast Asia. Our journey ends an unforgettable 900 kilometres later with a relaxing cruise on the UNESCO World Heritage Ha Long Bay.

Total Days: 16 | Cycling Days: 10 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 92km | See more information, dates & prices »

Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh Trail

Cycling Central Vietnam

Dates: February 2021

Extending south of Hanoi is the Annamite Mountain Range, known in Vietnamese as Truong Son. During the Vietnam War, a series of supply routes through the dense jungle of these mountains were used to move troops and supplies to support the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong in their war against South Vietnam and the United States. This series of trails ran not only through Vietnam, but also through neighbouring Laos, and soon became known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Some thirty years after the war came to an end a series of roads following the route of these trails were finally linked together and sealed and, rather appropriately dubbed, The Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Named after the leader who led the nation to liberty from colonial rule, this relatively new and oft times amazingly deserted route provides a wonderful conduit for the adventurous cyclist to explore a beautiful and regularly deserted region of Vietnam seldom visited by Western travellers. A highly recommended tour if you're keen to enjoy a cycling holiday off the beaten track.

Note that this tour includes an optional extension to include a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay. See below for details.

Total Days: 14 | Cycling Days: 11 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 92km | See more information, dates & prices »

Vietnam - Mekong Delta Region

Cycling Southern Vietnam

Dates: July 2020

This is a fascinating ride through the labyrinthine network of waterways and accompanying tracks, trails, and paths that cover an area from Cambodia to the South China Sea, offering fine relaxed cycling and insight into lives not normally seen.

When we set out to explore the Mekong Delta Region we were looking for a cycling tour with a laid back attitude, little climbing, and comfortable accommodation. We had little idea as we left behind the teeming traffic of Saigon that we would find all of these attributes and so much more in a unique maze of inland waterways the size of Belgium. Inaccessible to those not prepared to put a little effort into their exploration this is a region that can only properly be explored by boat, by foot, or upon two wheels. If you are looking for a cycling holiday light of hills and full of the excitement of exploring a region seldom visited this could be just the adventure for you

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 6/10 | Daily Average: 65km | See more information, dates & prices »

Vietnam - Northeast

Cycling An Enchanted Landscape

Dates: November 2020 | March 2021

Tiers of rice terraces fading seemingly to infinity as they drop away through a vast valley, karst pinnacles like those from a Chinese water painting, minority people whose way of life and dress is little touched by the outside influences of the global village most of us inhabit; North East Vietnam as such is possibly the most stunning destination in South East Asia for a cycling holiday, and this tour is all about adventure. From Hanoi in the north of Vietnam, we first transfer to within a few kilometres of the Chinese border from where we set out by bicycle to explore a region overwhelmed with natural splendour. The cycling is on small, quiet roads with challenging climbs and breathtaking descents. Our exploration of this part of Vietnam follows valley floors, climbs through karst hills and past rice fields, crosses spectacular mountain passes and explores wonderful plateaus. If you desire a bicycle touring adventure through a Vietnam little visited by outsiders then The Painted Roads North East Vietnam cycle tour could well be for you.

Note that this holiday includes an optional extension to include a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay. See below for details.

Total Days: 13 | Cycling Days: 8 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 80km | See more information, dates & prices »

China - Yunnan

Cycling From Shangri La

Dates: May 2021

From the Tibetan town of Shangri-La, across a 3700-metre pass, through one of the world's deepest gorges to an unspoilt town from the ancient tea trading route. Onwards across a mountain range leading to one of China's biggest freshwater lakes. And hence to the capital of the Bai minority people, Dali Old Town. This cycling epic offers more of China in two weeks of pedalling that many people would ever imagine existing. Featuring epic landscapes and a real sense of adventure this tour has become, quite rightly, our most popular.

Total Days: 12 | Cycling Days: 9 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 71km | See more information, dates & prices »

China - Sichuan Tibet

A Journey Through The Mountains of Eastern Tibet

Dates: No dates available at this time.

Tibet is an almost fabled land that many long to visit but few do. For most people when thinking of Tibet it is of Lhasa, the Potala Palace, and Everest, the Tibet of the classic Lhasa to Kathmandu ride. This is the Tibet of The Autonomous Region which unfortunately suffers travel restrictions and the need for foreign travel permits, permits that are all too frequently not issued or withheld.

The Tibetan region of Kham in Sichuan Province fortunately suffers no such restrictions and is open for anyone holding a Chinese visa. Having explored the area several times by bike during the first decade of this century it has long been David’s desire to run a tour in Kham. This is a truly Tibetan experience with soaring mountains, hight passes, open pastures and narrow valleys. There are monasteries and monks, yaks and barley, and cowboys on motorbikes. The tour also boasts lower sleeping altitudes, comfortable hotels, and the absolutely wonderful cuisine of Sichuan - Kham offers an excellent opportunity for a cycling adventure in a most exotic land.

Total Days: 16 | Cycling Days: 11 | Difficulty: 9/10 | Daily Average: 86km | See more information, dates & prices »

Mongolia Grand Odyssey

Bulgan, Khangai & Gobi Desert cycling adventure

Dates: No dates available at this time.

By invitation only.

LabRat Runs have quickly become a PaintedRoads tradition. A group of easygoing and adventurous regulars, The LabRats annually sate their appetite for adventure by joining the inaugural running of a PaintedRoads adventure tour.

The third and final in the trilogy of PaintedRoads Mongolia LabRat Runs, this journey will take us on our most eclectic Mongolian odyssey yet. 

We begin with a classic train trip across the Mongolian Steppe, before mounting or bicycles and heading south across the Bulgan hills, the beautiful green Khangai mountains and onwards to the fabled Gobi Desert. 

Total Days: 20 | Cycling Days: 15 | Difficulty: 7/10 | Daily Average: 56km | See more information, dates & prices »