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Mountain Bike

Chiang Mai highlight

Code : COE200

This Chiang Mai half-day tour takes you on a memorable and informative tour of the city’s most interesting sights and beyond the city walls to see temples, markets and an ancient city. Some of these sights are well off the tourist track so you’ll get to see and experience a different Chiang Mai from most visitors.

With our SpiceRoads private air-con van, we’ll pick you up from your Chiang Mai hotel and have you fitted to a quality bike and helmet. Suited for all riders, including families, our Chiang Mai half-day tour takes you on a memorable and informative tour of the city’s most interesting sights and beyond the city walls to see temples, markets and an ancient city.

This cycle tour is suited for all riders, including families.

We ride approximately 20 km on good quality flat tarmac roads. An air-con support vehicle will follow and provide water and fresh fruit. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for taking photos and just taking in the wonderful scenery.

To make sure we don’t miss an important cultural event, this itinerary may be adjusted if there is a festival or other special activity nearby that will give you a unique insight into Thai culture.

This package is for two persons

Price: 2,700B

 

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PRICE : ฿2,700.00

Details

We’ll have a leisurely start along the banks of the Ping River so you can get used to your bike. This tour will be an introduction to Thai culture and that can best be done by doing as the locals do and go to temples and markets. As we visit some temples, your guide will explain the importance of Buddhism in Thai culture. As we continue our ride we’ll pass through a former leprosarium that is now a home for the elderly and a rehabilitation center for the disabled. Set in manicured, quiet grounds next to the river you can admire the colonial style white and cream buildings that include a church and hospital.

Heading through shady quiet country lanes we pass beautiful traditional teak houses and can say hello to the Thai men fishing in the Ping River. We enter some spacious grassy parkland and stop for a rest, some fruit and a cool drink under the shade of 100-year-old trees.

From there we will explore the ancient city of Wiang Khum Kham which dates back to the 13th Century. Just excavated in the 1980s after being buried under mud from the river, most of the sites are ruined chedis, however, there are two working temples we can visit -- one of which has a spirit house where a former king’s spirit is said to reside.

We re-enter Chiang Mai's old city through Tha Pae Gate and stop at Somphet market have a look at the local fresh herbs that make northern Thai food so special. As you mingle with locals buying their dinner ingredients, your guide will tell you the names of the fruits, herbs and vegetables, and of course let you taste some of them. This will be a great photo opportunity as well.

Meet at SpiceRoads office at 8 am where we are fitted for bikes and then we start our discovery of Chiang Mai city, or you can have a private pick you up at your hotel in Chiang Mai.

Cancellations and Refunds (This will be in Pickaboo Credit to customers account)

- <24 hours or no-show : no refund

 - 1-2 days : 50% of the net rate (Refunds for short tours where the trip has been pre-paid will be in the form of credit)

  - 3-4 days : 25% of the net rate (Refunds for short tours where the trip has been pre-paid will be in the form of credit)

 - >4 days : full refund (Refunds for short tours where the trip has been pre-paid will be in the form of credit)
 

Additional Information

Other Info

About Spiceroads Trip

A SpiceRoads tour is an expert-led bicycle journey in Asia. We strive to make our tours as good as they can possibly be and constantly fine-tune our services and itineraries. On all our tours we maintain a high standard of service and attention to detail. Through meticulous itinerary planning, careful preparation, thorough staff training and attention to our client's needs, we deliver a comfortable, safe, fun and enriching travel experience every time!

Thoughtful Planning

We design all our own itineraries, carefully researching each new route. We constantly review our tours to ensure that we offer the optimum experience. SpiceRoads is one of very few specialist cycle tour operators in Asia. If you surf the Internet you will see that our itineraries sometimes appear on other websites. In some cases these are websites selling spaces on our tours, but in many cases it is other operators copying our tours. Cheap imitations are a part of life in Asia but please be careful; a lot more goes into a successful bicycle tour than a copied itinerary.

The Way We Go

The route is the core feature of a successful cycle tour. Many high-end operators based outside the region offer all the frills with their service but miss the point when it comes to the routes they take. Take Vietnam for example. Everyone wants to visit Hoi An, but most operators take their clients straight up Highway One or, if they know how dangerous and unpleasant cycling on Highway One really is, they may just fly their clients into town and only take them on a ride around the area.

At SpiceRoads we make the effort to weave together enjoyable cycle routes with favourite destinations. As much as we can, we ride point-to-point and make sure we avoid the worst traffic. We linger in the worthwhile places and always take the scenic route.

Keeping Our Balance

All cyclists need a good sense of balance and we try to strike the right balance between price and service for our tours. We want to provide the very best services and accommodation for our clients without being overly exclusive or expensive.

In terms of where we fit in the hierarchy of international bicycle tour providers we try to follow the middle way. We are not expensive, but we are certainly not a cut-price operation. Our tours are fully supported with vehicles, well-trained staff and a full range of top-end equipment. We take very good care of our clients.

Our staff to client ratio is generally one to three. We do not make you fix your own flat tires or clean your own bikes and we certainly don't assign chores. We provide more comfortable services and accommodation than most operations, but at a similar price!

What is Included

We offer a wide range of tours from day trips to two-week journeys across multiple countries, but all of our tours cover the essentials.

Our service begins long before the tour departs. To help you make your decision, we email you a detailed fact sheet for each tour with information on what you will see, what's included, what visas you need, what the weather is like and what to expect. When you book a space we send you a pre-departure information sheet telling you what you need to bring, how to pack and what paperwork you require.

As our clients usually come from many different directions at different times, our tours have a designated starting point so do not always include pick up at the airport. (Though we are happy to arrange transfers if you need one).

On arrival we give you a SpiceRoads goody bag that includes a water bottle and a SpiceRoads T-shirt. Of course, you are also matched up with your bike, unless you decide to bring your own. 

You will meet your cycle guide plus local staff and assistants who are responsible for taking care of you and your bike (staff numbers vary with the size of the tour). They ensure that everything runs smoothly so you can enjoy a trouble-free journey with no worries about logistics or timetables. As well as showing you the way, our local English speaking guides share local information, inside knowledge and their unique cultural perspective with you.

The tour price includes all accommodation, all meals apart from the occasional lunch on some non-cycling days and maybe a dinner or two in big cities, so you can make some of your own culinary discoveries. Our support vehicles carry your luggage and provide a place for you to rest if you get tired. Our staff will make any running repairs on your bike - and you as well, if necessary. During the rides, we keep you topped up with water, fruit, soft drinks and snacks and we make sure you get a nice cold drink - and usually a cold towel as well - at the end of each ride.

At the end of the day, we make sure you get a good meal and we clean and prepare your bike for the next day's riding. If you are interested in taking in the nightlife, we are happy to direct you to the best venues - that is in the towns where there is nightlife. SpiceRoads clients never go hungry and never miss out on anything!

Accommodation

Ideally, every night we would stay in three- or four-star lodges that compliment the local culture, perfectly in tune with the surrounding environment. Of course the logistical realities of designing a cycling itinerary mean that it is not always possible to find our ideal jungle lodge or beach bungalow in each location.

In fact, the logistics have forced us to become more creative than that! We offer a good mix of accommodation on all of our tours. Always aiming for local charm, we use the best of what is available.

Sometimes we find a great cycle route runs through an area where there isn't any accommodation, so we find a local family that is happy to work with us (North Thailand and North Laos) or we approach the local Buddhist monastery and arrange to stay as guests of the monks (Burma).

In isolated or newly developing areas, we are sometimes forced to compromise and stay somewhere more basic than we would like but it is only for one night at most and then we move on. In these cases we send our support team out a day in advance to make everything is clean and comfortable. And these places are certainly authentic, and often form some of the better memories of your tour.

Singles

Solo travelers are always welcome and those who would like their own room have the option of paying a single supplement. Otherwise we will arrange for a shared room with another solo traveler (of the same sex) at no extra cost. If there is no roommate available, SpiceRoads will cover the additional cost of a single room.

Children

Children are welcome on our short tours in Thailand. However, on our longer tours the minimum age is 18 years. This is for a number of reasons and more to do with group dynamics than the difficulty of the journey. Please check the FACTS & FIGURES section to see whether children can join a given tour.

The Rice Bowl

Food is a very serious business in Asia. In Thailand and Vietnam food is practically a religion and at SpiceRoads we approach our choice of restaurants and menus with due reverence.

Nutrition is important when cycling. There is always enough food to satisfy the heartiest appetite and we provide lots of fruits and vegetables if possible (Mongolia is a challenge!). Drinking water, fruit and snacks are always available in our escort vehicle. Other drinks are not included when not riding, but are widely available at local restaurants and shops along the way.

Most meals are included and since so many meals we serve feature local cuisines, we do our best to deliver the real thing. A spread of spring rolls, curries, grills, dumplings, hot and sour soups, stir-fries and delicious salads at the end of the day is an important ingredient in a great cycle tour in Asia. Rice is the staple at every meal, although you will also try many noodle dishes. Breakfasts are usually Western, with such fare as eggs, ham and toast, though local alternatives are nearly always available if you prefer.

Lunch is usually rice or noodles or in Indochina (Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam), where baguettes are part of the French legacy, sandwiches with lots of fruit and snack foods.

We eat dinner together family style, which means sharing a number of delicious dishes, making sure it is an authentic feast worthy of hardworking and hungry cyclists. Beer and other alcoholic beverages are available but are not included in the tour price.

Group Dynamics

Statistically speaking, an average SpiceRoads Tour consists of 10 clients, a tour leader, a local guide, a driver and an assistant. The group of 10 will be comprised of four different nationalities (two of which will be the UK and US), speak at least two languages, contain slightly more males than females and have an average age of 42.

Of the 10, two will return the following year to take another SpiceRoads tour, five will join another SpiceRoads tour within three years and nine will at least contact us to show an interest in joining another tour. We sometimes wonder what happens to the other one!

All 10 will contact each other at least once after the tour. Around half will remain in contact, many will become good friends, and on more than one occasion we have been invited to a wedding!

Our exceptionally good rate of return clients tells us we must be doing something right. It also tells us something about the people who join our tours. SpiceRoads cyclists are fun and part of the attraction of our tours is meeting likeminded people with a passion for traveling by bicycle.

A Numbers Game

Although an average tour departs with 10 people, on the occasional scheduled tour we don't always receive the minimum number of two bookings (four for Japan). In cases where we don't have the minimum bookings, we will offer you the opportunity to travel for a small surcharge, so you can rest assured the tour will depart as scheduled no matter what. This gives you the security to purchase flights, book time off work and make all the necessary plans you need in full confidence that your cycle holiday will go on as planned. If the minimum number is reached before the tour sets off, the surcharge will be refunded in full.

The Bottom Line

Our tours cost an average of just over USD100 a day. For some people that's cheap, while for others it is expensive. But one thing written many times over in our guest book is "amazing value". This is something we are very proud of and have worked hard to achieve. SpiceRoads offers exceptional personal service and high quality accommodation at prices well below our competitors and a higher standard of service and accommodation than any other tour companies in our price range. We are confident that we offer the best value and high quality cycling adventures in Asia.

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