Phang Nga Day Trip Loop - 2 day itinerary

If you've got two days and you want to do something really special, this two-day mountain biking tour in Phang Nga Province offers a nice taste of cycling through rural Southern Thailand.

The trip starts just across the Sarasin Bridge (the bridge to Phuket) and travels through rubber plantations, secondary jungle, scrub, small traditional villages and secondary roads.

Day 1

Starting at a small local school, you’ll immediately enter the shade of some rubber plantations. Single track trails abound. It is very easy to get lost, but your mountain biking guide knows the way by heart.

There are a couple of smallish hills that you can walk up if you don’t want to try giving it a go on the bike. One of the best descents is about an hour into the ride. You’d have been gradually gaining elevation, so gentle that you wouldn’t notice it. Then, there is a short hill that’s in the shade.

Your reward for making it up the hill (pushing or riding) is a splendid, earthy downhill single track. You end up in a small farm.

Riding out on their driveway, you’ll come to a secondary road. There is a continual easy uphill here. Screaming down the other side, you’ll soon tuck back into the shade of some rubber plantations.

Eventually you’ll come out on a small secondary road. Cycling through modest villages, you’ll come to a slightly bigger road. Lunch is just a couple miles away.

One of the many joys of being in Thailand is eating or should I say dining as the variety and flood of flavors is more than just a necessary recharge. Vegetarian food is available as is seafood and chicken.

After lunch, you’ll hobble back down a road and cut onto a dirt and gravel way. This turns to pavement a bit further on. By now you’re back into riding having worked lunch into your system a bit.

Taking a right turn, you’ll be on a dirt road that is full of undulations. Most of them are rideable, but a couple are rather challenging. A few former cyclists have made it, so it is doable. You’ll gradually be climbing too. The pay-off is a very enjoyable downhill section. Then, there’s some perfect single track until you reach a secondary road.

You’ll be on back roads and a couple of dirt stretches for most of the rest of the afternoon. “Most” means that if you’re really into riding long and hard, you’ll have the opportunity to do so. [See day 2 for description of this section]

Accommodations for the night are in Phang Nga Town at either the Phang Nga Inn or the Phang Nga Guesthouse, both of which are three star quality. Dinner is at a very nice small restaurant on a river on the edge of town.

Day 2

You’ll travel by truck/bus to where you left of on the previous day. If you stopped just before the next offroad section, you’ll start off with a bit of a warm-up on gentle paved tracks. Once through a small village, you’ll hit dirt and you’ll be on dirt for the next hour or so.

The highlight of this section is an awesome downhill run. It can be as challenging as you want to make it. It is recommended that you ere on the slower side. [If you did this on the previous day, this is where you’ll start your day two]

The truck/bus will transfer you over the secondary roads and take you to the next area where there is a nice mixture of on road and off road portions.

After a nice warm-up on pavement, you’ll turn into a farm and eventually into more shady rubber. You’ll come out is a quaint village and travel by road until you reach the “Fruit Loop”.

This name is derived from the fact that you’ll cycle past various fruit trees. A small cool creek parallels the single track trail. About halfway through this section of the ride, you’ll have the opportunity to take a refreshing dip in the cool water.

For cyclist who don’t want to over-do it, you’ll finish your day at a small, friendly restaurant where you’ll be treated to a cold drink.

For those who simply can’t get enough, you can carry on a ride on paved roads towards Phang Nga Town.

Synopsis

Who can participate? Anyone who can fit on a bike between 16” to 22” and who is fit enough to handle a few hours per day of moderate to mildly strenuous riding. Age is not the deciding factor.

How strenuous is this route? Specific mountain biking skills are really necessary. If you’re comfortable on a mountain bike and used to some bumpy roads, you can do this. If you’re an experienced mountain biker, you can push yourself on this route as there are plenty of opportunities to go fast and climb hills.

What about safety and injury? If you do fall, the support truck/bus is never far away. There are small village hospital facilities along the way and the Phang Nga Town Hospital is available if the injury requires further care. Your guide/s are trained in first aid and CPR.

What is included? This mountain biking trip includes all transfers from nearest local airport, bus station or train station (airfare not included), equipment (see note), accommodations once on the trip, all meals, all snacks, coffee and tea, and insurance. Plus, you'll get a complimentary ThaiCycle T shirt.

Note: ThaiCycle supplies bikes, helmets, water bottles. You need to supply your own riding shorts, top, gloves, riding glasses, sun protection and any necessary personal medication . A supplementary hydration system (Camelback ® or equivalent) is also a nice addition. You will be supplied with ice for your hydration system, but not your waterbottle. If you wish to bring your own pedals and shoes, that’s fine.

Click here to see the tour prices.

Our fleet of bikes includes Jamis XC, Trek 4500, Trek 4300 and Trek 3900 bikes. All bikes have front suspension.

Click on the button to see a list of some of the scheduled mountain biking trips that we offer. You can join a multi-day expedition, a day trip or if you're experienced, a wild night ride. We don't just do scheduled trips. We can run any trip that we offer with as few as two guests. Note: these cycling trips are listed on our PaddleAsia site.

For those who are interested in a truly unique itinerary, check out our coast to coast expedition. This route starts at the Andaman Sea and courses its way to the Gulf of Thailand... mostly off road!

"The secret to mountain biking is pretty simple. The slower you go the more likely it is you'll crash." - Julie Furtado