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Thailand

A cycling paradise

A land the size of Germany, with a population of seventy million people there is no better way to get to know Thailand than from the seat of a bicycle. Away for the foreigner beaches and hedonistic hotspots is a beautiful and diverse land, populated by friendly and kind people.
The mountainous north of the country is a cyclist's paradise, with perfect winter weather, wonderful roads, beautiful scenery, and a stunning network of trails.
The South, universally known for its beaches palms and sunshine, is flatter and generally hotter than the north. It boasts hundreds, if not thousands of kilometres of deserted beaches and wonderful byways and backroads, perfect for the touring cyclist to skirt the ocean, dart inland through coconut groves and rubber plantation, and return seaside through little fishing villages. 
Between the north and south are the vast plains, where ancient capitals are linked by roads of red gravel, wonderful car-free cycling trails for those who wish to explore far from where the tourist usually treads (or wheels).

Thailand has so much to offer the adventurous cyclist, and riding your bike for a fortnight through this tropical paradise will reveal a land far more beautiful and friendly than most tourists ever know exists - oh, and the food's pretty good!

Our Tours in category "Thailand"

  • Thailand South

    Coastal Southern Thailand, Bangkok to Phuket

    Dates: February 2024

    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 Gravel Roads.

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

    Dates: December 2024

    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 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 »

  • Thailand - North: Lanna

    Exploring The Ancient Kingdom of Thailand’s Beautiful North

    Dates: December 2024

    This is a much-revised version of our original North Thailand tour. This new, improved tour runs in the opposite direction to the original route, over-nights in 4-new destinations and boasts a much-improved route, with even more minor byways and tracks. Many of the resorts and hotels we use are upgraded, and the rest-day location has changed. 

    North Thailand is a region for which we have a strong passion, to say the very least. This tour is one of PaintedRoads' original's, and during the time of Covid, it has been juggled and improved to the point of verging on new. The sections repeated from the initial trip are revised to make the climbing less challenging and the route even more enjoyable, whilst the latter part of the route is all new. 

    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 »