Golden Triangle Grand Tour

This is the longest tour Motorbike Madness runs, fifteen days and around 2,700 kilometres, graded advanced and built around three published themes: the Mae Hong Son Loop, cultural encounters and national parks. It is worth being clear about the name, because the itinerary the operator publishes centres on Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang and does not include Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen, Mae Sai or the river confluence that is the Golden Triangle proper. The first three days are transit, working north from Pattaya to Chiang Mai by way of Wat Kiriwong and its four tiered pagoda at Nakhon Sawan, the Phra Ruang hot springs and the Bhumibol Dam on the Ping river at Tak. Chiang Mai then becomes the gateway to the mountains, with a driver assisted tour of Doi Inthanon that deliberately gives riders a day off the bike. The core of the trip is the loop. The 127 kilometre Chiang Mai to Pai road comes first, then a day exploring Pai with a northern Karen village and the Pai Canyon viewpoint, then the run to Mae Hong Son with viewpoints above 2,000 metres and the subterranean riverboat through Lod Cave. A day among the Shan community follows, with trekking, a Burmese style temple and Shan food, before Mae Sariang and a cultural visit to the Mae La refugee camp. The loop is completed on the way south to Kamphaeng Phet, where riders are given a completion certificate. The last four days work back east. Khlong Lan waterfall and the Sukhothai kingdom ruins fill the Kamphaeng Phet day, then a long 380 kilometre leg reaches Khao Yai National Park for wildlife and forest accommodation, followed by a full off road day of progressive difficulty through boggy sand, rocky creek crossings and steep inclines. The final day returns to Pattaya via Bangkok and Chonburi. Private hotel rooms, breakfasts and lunches on every day, fuel, park and historic site entrance fees, helmets, transfers and third party liability cover are included. Evening meals, alcohol and a refundable 20,000 baht damage deposit are not.

Fifteen days and 2,700 kilometres take this Motorbike Madness tour from Pattaya to the far northwest and back, and despite its name the published itinerary is built around the Mae Hong Son Loop rather than the Golden Triangle confluence. The route runs north through Nakhon Sawan and the Bhumibol Dam to Chiang Mai, then spends the middle of the trip in the mountains: Doi Inthanon by vehicle, the legendary Chiang Mai to Pai road, the Karen villages and Pai Canyon, the caves and high viewpoints above Mae Hong Son, the Shan communities near the Myanmar border, and Mae Sariang. Riders receive a Mae Hong Son Loop completion certificate on the way south to Kamphaeng Phet, and the trip ends with the Sukhothai ruins, two days in Khao Yai including a dedicated off road day, and the run home.