3 Day Guided Enduro Tour

Chiang Mai Endurotours does not sell a single three-day tour. It publishes six of them and lets riders choose, which is a more honest way of handling terrain that changes with the season and a group whose ability it has not yet seen. The options share a shape. All six leave Chiang Mai and work north into the Phrao valley, and all six finish back in the city. Beyond that they diverge. OT.3A runs Chiang Mai, Phrao, Chiang Dao, Mueang Khong, Mae Ngat Dam and the Buatong waterfall over 330 kilometres at 60 per cent off-road, with a second day mostly on paved backroads and a steep winding pass. OT.3B adds the Doi Samuen mountain loop and pushes to 350 kilometres at 70 per cent. OT.3C stays in the Phrao valley for 330 kilometres at 70 per cent with a river crossing, unseen temples and hot springs, and carries a warning about steep sections with deep ruts. OT.3D, Smugglers Trails to Little China, crosses the Khun Tan range to Huai Nam Khun and back through teak forest at 350 kilometres and 80 per cent off-road, and is marked for experienced riders only. OT.3E is the longest at 380 kilometres, taking in Doi Mon Lan as well as Chiang Dao. OT.3F combines Doi Mon Lan with Lahu villages, mango orchards and the sticky waterfall over 330 kilometres at 70 per cent. Most options run October to August; OT.3D starts in November. In practice nothing runs before the rains clear, and the operator says so plainly on its own booking page. Bikes are the company's own upgraded dual sports, a Honda CRF250L or a Kawasaki KLX250, with a KLX150 available for shorter riders on an 83 centimetre seat. All carry the same modifications: handguards, alloy bars and pegs, upgraded clutches and brakes, skid plates, frame protection, motocross tyres on rimlocks and reworked suspension. What is included is unusually complete for an off-road operator: bike, insurance, fuel, a technical support rider, full motocross gear with protectors, drinks and snacks, every meal, accommodation in small hotels or resorts, a tour leader working in English, German and Thai, a Thai and English speaking guide, and hotel transfers at both ends. Bikes have no racks, so riders carry their own daypacks; luggage transport can be arranged on demand for an extra charge, and anything left behind can be stored at the base.

Three days of guided enduro north of Chiang Mai, sold as a choice of six published routes rather than one fixed itinerary. Distances run from 330 to 380 kilometres with off-road content between 60 and 80 per cent, and every option is graded for advanced and experienced riders. The routes work the Phrao valley, Chiang Dao, Mueang Khong, Doi Mon Lan, the Khun Tan range and the Buatong sticky waterfall in different combinations; the hardest of them, Smugglers Trails to Little China, is 80 per cent off-road and flagged for experienced riders only. The price is 24,000 baht in a single room and is genuinely all-inclusive, covering the upgraded bike, insurance, fuel, full motocross gear, every meal, accommodation, a technical support rider and hotel transfers at each end.