Ride to the Andaman: Chiang Mai to Phuket

This is Bike Tour Asia's classic transit of Thailand, north to south, from the mountains around Chiang Mai to the beaches of the Andaman Sea. It is ten days long with eight riding days, covers roughly 2,150 kilometres, and the operator states the route is one hundred percent paved, which makes it a road tour rather than an adventure ride despite the bikes on offer. The first half of the trip is about Thai history. Sukhothai and Kamphaeng Phet cover the first kingdom and its satellite cities, and Kanchanaburi, where the group stays two nights, covers the Second World War: the Allied War Cemetery, the JEATH Museum, the Bridge over the River Kwai, Krasae Cave and the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, with the Erawan waterfall as relief on the same loop day. The second half is a coastal run. Hua Hin, Chumphon and Khao Lak break up the descent of the peninsula, with the daily distances rising to 300 and then 330 kilometres as the route straightens out. Phraya Nakhon Cave near Hua Hin and the stilt village of Koh Panyee in Phang Nga Bay are the set piece stops, and the final short leg crosses onto Phuket and finishes at Patong. Riders choose from the Honda NX500, Triumph Tiger Sport 660, Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro, BMW F900 GS, BMW R1250 GS, BMW R1300 GS and Yamaha MT-07. A tour leader rides with the group, an English speaking licensed guide travels with the tour, and a support vehicle carries the luggage. Bike Tour Asia is based at Saraphi outside Chiang Mai and puts average group size at eight to ten motorcycles, with a minimum of five riders needed to confirm a departure. Nine nights with breakfast, eight lunches, nine dinners, fuel, unlimited mileage, panniers and crash bars and all museum and park entrance fees are included. Flights, alcohol, riding gear hire, motorcycle damage cover and personal travel insurance, which the operator requires, are not. The tour does not carry a published difficulty grade.

Bike Tour Asia's point to point run down the length of Thailand covers around 2,150 kilometres in ten days, of which eight are riding days on entirely sealed road. The tour leaves Chiang Mai for Sukhothai and the old capital's ruins, continues through Kamphaeng Phet and the hidden limestone valley of Hub Pa Tad to Uthai Thani, then drops into Kanchanaburi for two nights and the wartime sites along the Thailand to Burma railway. From there the route follows the Gulf coast through Hua Hin and Chumphon before crossing the isthmus to the Andaman side at Khao Lak and finishing on Phuket. Daily legs run between 180 and 330 kilometres, so there is time built in for the Hellfire Pass memorial, the Erawan waterfall, Phraya Nakhon Cave and the floating village of Koh Panyee along the way.