BICYCLE TOUR SERVICE PROVIDER

Check out the Bangkok Bicycle Tours conducted by the Bangkok Tourist Bureau at a list of bicycle expeditions within the capital and its surrounding areas. The best guide to bicycle expeditions in Thailand is probably where the operator has received numerous awards and accolades for their unique expeitions. Other worthy websites are www.spiceroads.com/ , www.biketoursthailand.com and www.realasian.net/. The Thailand Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) is also a good reference website for bicycle tours. As usual the Tourism Authority of Thailand website at www.tourismthailand.org/ and the Thailand Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) at www.teata.org/ ane good starting points for research to get a generic idea on the options available.

BEST TIME TO GO BIKING

Bicycle Tours: Conducting any physical sport in Thailand is best during the cool season during November to January. The period that needs to be avoided is the rainy season during June to early October where heavy rains are expected. The Thai summer during March to July, in particular April, is the country’s hottest period making cyclists not used to the local weather susceptible to sun stroke and dehydration. However, the Bangkok Bicycle Tours can be conducted all year round as they run during the evenings. Some trips are conducted during the day time, however these trips are pretty easy-going and designed to be enjoyed in a more leisurely manner than the cross country expedition.

HOW TO SIGN-UP FOR BICYCLE TOURS?

Thailand’s traffic is heavy and driving styles are rather erratic. It is not advisable to conduct a bicycle trip on your own. Guidance and accompaniment by trained specialists are best to ensure safety and that you arrive at your destination through the safest and most scenic routes.

When planning and bicycle tour, please consult the travel company you are using very carefully and state the physical exertion your group will be able to endure. With the hot and humid Thai weather even the fittest cyclist will find this trying. Sunstroke and dehydration are very common for those unfamiliar with the tropics. In light of this, travel companies almost always intersperse cycling with a pleasant boat ride, some sea kayaking, elephant back riding or some other form of relaxing activity for cyclists to cool down

ABOUT MOUNTAIN BIKING

Mountain biking is a more rigorous type of cycling on off-track terrains and is a relatively new sport in Thailand, found mostly in the steeper terrain of the north. Thailand’s mountain biking routes are mainly located in national parks however, more and more new routes have been opened-up by specialists, some of which have not been officially mapped out, making for formidable challengers.

ABOUT BICYCLE TOURS

Going on a tour by bicycle is probably one of the best ways to visit some of Thailand’s important sites whether in the capital, Bangkok, or neighboring provinces close to the capital such as Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phetchaburi, Kanchaburi, Chon Buri and Rayong. Depending on your preference, the BEST bicycle experience is probably right here in Bangkok where easy-going bicycle trips through areas surrounding the Grand Palace are available.

TIME TRAVELING ON A BICYCLE

Sukhothai, which means “Dawn of Happiness,” also marked the dawning of the first Siamese Kingdom and the birth of the Thai language. Once an outpost of the Khmer empire, they were driven out by the Siamese who established their first Kingdom here in 1238. It was a golden age for classical art, architecture and Buddhism. To traverse these magnificent ruins in the Sukhothai Historical Park – Thailand’s equivalent of Angkor Wat-rent a mountain bike for a pittance. You can also cycle leisurely past dozens of remnants from the next Siamese empire, Ayutthaya, in its “Ancient City,” or scattered around the town, and hugging the banks of the rivers, which form a natural moat around what was once considered the most glorious town and trading port in Asia. And well-appointed museums in the city give me an overview of the Kingdom’s 400 year-plus reign. There are not many towns in the world where you can drive by the ruins of a 15th century pagoda, just down the street from a modern convenience store, but that’s the magic of Ayutthaya for you.