Thailand's Royal Road South - Bangkok to Phuket

This Ride has been Cancelled

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW:  Thailand is Southeast Asia’s most accessible and modern country and this 16-day/15-night tour will make use of the excellent roads that connect cosmopolitan Bangkok (Airport Code BKK) and the island resort of Phuket (Airport Code HKT). In between, we will cycle a total distance of 590 miles across the rich alluvial plains south of Bangkok, the gorgeous seacoast along the Gulf of Thailand, and over the verdant inland mountains en route to Phuket and the Andaman Sea. The roads are 100% tarmac and January/February is the ideal time weather-wise to cycle Thailand’s southern paradise.  Our overnights will include beachside resorts with refreshing swimming pools, another night on a private island and two nights on a remote raft nestled between limestone cliffs on a pristine lake.  Included off-bike activities are snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, and the various boat trips. Our support company is the highly experienced SpiceRoads (www.spiceroads.com), and support will be exceptional. Along the way, we will enjoy fabulous Thai cuisine and exquisite beaches and royal palaces and temples and National Parks. 

The tour begins at Happy Hour at 5 PM on Saturday, Jan. 29th at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi International Airport Hotel (BKK) (www.novotelairportbkk.com) with introductions and a tour briefing, followed by dinner. 

See the daily itinerary below at the end of the ride description.

RIDE RATING:  2C.  There are eleven (11) mandatory cycling days in which the average distance is 49 miles/day and the average elevation gain is 1,525 feet/day.  Day 9 exceeds the "C" rating of 65 miles. The option ride day in Phuket is rated as a 3B, and is not included in the averages along with day #2.

Cycling and driving in Thailand are on the left-hand side of the road. Most routes are lightly trafficked and have been scouted. The ride coordinator rode this ride in January 2016.

As with most BAC tours, this is a tour for independent experienced cyclists.  For those riders, who have not experienced a Commercially Assisted Tour (CAT) with Spice Roads, we do not ride together but we do ride within a “Bubble”, which amounts to all the riders plus 2-3 Spice Roads riders riding along with their support vans following and leading the group.  The vans are primarily luggage transport vehicles but will be available, as needed, for those with injuries or illnesses.  Riders should arrive for the tour in sufficient physical condition to ride the distance and elevation set for each day. 

Spice Roads provides GPS tracks for all routes, but it is up to you to know how to use your GPS device before the trip begins.  Ride with GPS links will also be provided for all routes, which can be downloaded to smartphones and bike computers.

Bringing your bike: For riders bringing their bicycles, your bikes boxes will be transferred to the last hotel. If you bring your bike, equip it with 28cc tires or larger and please make sure your bike is in good mechanical order with all parts necessary to maintain it throughout the ride. Hybrid bikes work well, and tandems are welcome. The cycle guides are trained in basic- bike mechanics and first aid. 

Rental Bikes: SpiceRoads Cycling offers Trek X Caliber Mountain bike or similar available for $ 295 rental charge. Trek Domane Road bike rentals in the south and Giant Any road in the north, available for $ 450 rental charge. E-Bike upon request at $590.  E-Bikes are pedal assist and the assist can be adjusted on the fly, the speed is limited to a max of 20 mph. You should also consider bringing your clipless pedals, shoes, cleats and helmet.

You will deal directly with Spice Roads for your bike rental by emailing Spice Roads at suwalee@spiceroads.com. For bikes see -https://www.spiceroads.com/tour_info/bikes

WEATHER:  Southern Thailand has a tropical climate but January and February is the cooler season with average temperatures between 68 F and 85 F.  – However, do not forget the humidity 60% - 64%!  Any weather conditions are possible and as always, riders should bring layers and rain gear. 

LODGING & MEALS:  The tour provides 15 nights lodging - Accommodations are included from Saturday, January 29th, 2022 (Day 1) through Saturday night, February 12th, 2022, (Day 15). The tour concludes after breakfast on Friday, February 13th, 2022 (Day 16) with a group transport to the Phuket Airport (HKT).  

The tour also provides 15 breakfasts, 14 dinners, and 13 lunches. For dinners on your own, you are free to eat at the hotel, or if convenient, at a nearby restaurant. Drinks and snacks will be provided during the riding day. We will have 14 happy hours (Each Happy Hour based on ½ bottle of wine or 2 bottles of beers, or 2 premium fruit juice, or 1 cocktail per person). Any additional drinks with dinner are on your own.  Happy hour will include information provided by our guides about the next day’s route, historical and cultural information, and points of interest along the route, in addition to socializing opportunities.

LOGISTICS:  Use an airline search engine to find the flights for Bangkok, Thailand (BKK).  Riders living on the east coast may want to look at options of flying east thru Dubai on Emirates Airlines versus flying west.  From the Bangkok airport, catch the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Hotel shuttle, which is located within the airport complex. You should arrive early enough to be ready for our 5:00pm happy hour on January 29, 2022 followed by our reception dinner.  Our tour ends after breakfast on February 13, 2022. Spice Roads will provide transportation to the Phuket airport (HKT) on the last day of the tour.  If you wish to spend an extra night in Bangkok or Phuket, the hotel costs are $150 or $75 respectively.

COST & ADMINSTRATION:  The tour cost is $3,750.  The budget in the Ride Leader Docs outlines the following per-person expenses:  (1) $3,500 for the Spice Road's fee; (2) $50 for tips, which provide a base amount allowing you to augment this to recognize good service and support at the end of the tour; (3) $82 for contingencies; (4) $6 administrative fees; (5) $115.50 for credit card fees; (6) ride leadership fees are included in the $3,750 ride fee.

At the end of the tour, riders will receive a refund of any remaining unexpended money in the budget. The price does not include airfare, bike or helmet, alcoholic drinks except with Happy Hour, other beverages during meals, tips for hotel porters or boat crew, visa fees, or travel insurance.

REGISTRATION:
  The estimated cost of this bike tour is $3,750 plus the $100 BAC registration fee.  Register by clicking on the Sign Up link above the Ride Description.  After the Ride Director has accepted your application, you will be moved from the Wait List to the Pending List.  At this time you will receive an email notification to login to the BAC website to sign the ROL Release of Liability form and pay the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee $100 and the initial tour deposit of $2,000.00 by credit card.  As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List.  To contact the Ride Leader, "click" the name at the top of this Ride Description. Warner’s phone number is 775-843-3960.  Final payment of $1,750 is due no later than August 1, 2021.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY:  We welcome singles and will make every effort to help them find a roommate. If space allows, a limited number of solo rooms may be available. It is recommended that singles that want a roommate try to find their own. A single who desires their own room must pay the single supplement of $1,200, which is payable directly to BAC by check with the ride name noted on the check. The BAC office address is: P.O. Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193.  If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary.  The Ride Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride.

BAC and Spice Roads strongly recommend that members have trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage or insurance. BAC provides insurance for accidents and illness, which you should carefully read to determine its coverage and limitations. 

CANCELLATION POLICY:
  The BAC ride registration fee $100 and the credit card payment processing fee (3%) is not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled due to participation below stated minimum requirements.  Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped.  The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations.  If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the canceling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed.  If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped the canceling roommate may also be liable for the solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour.  

In addition, the following cancellation policy of Spice Roads, which outlines the time period and the percentages which is non-refundable, applies:  (1) February 28, 2021 – October 1, 2021 - administrative expenses*; October 2, 2021 – October 29, 2021 – 30% of tour costs ($1,050): October 30, 2021 – December 13, 2021 – 70% of tour costs ($2,450); After December 14, 2021 100% of tour costs ($3,500).  The tour cost is the charge per participant by Spice Roads, which is $3,500.  These percentages will be applied to the tour costs, not the total cost of $3,750.  *Bank fees and any tour costs incurred by the company a result of the cancellation.

RIDE PARTICIPATION RESPONSIBILITY: If you’re new to BAC bike tours, you should know that we expect our participants to be competent cyclists who can provide much of their own support while on the tour.  Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles.  All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour.  Please be sure to read the ride description carefully, respond promptly to calls for payments and emails from the ride leader.   Please remember Ride Leaders are volunteers, and we ask that participants respect their decisions.  Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you might have and respect the Ride Leader's decisions.

Before participating in any BAC tour, members should review their medical coverage and assess whether what you have is sufficient. If it isn’t, you should purchase additional travel medical coverage. BAC maintains a policy that provides coverage for expenses related to medical emergencies and repatriation when members are on tours outside the US and their home country. The policy ceases to be applicable if a member makes a personal deviation (e.g., makes a side trip not related to the planned BAC tour), has limits on expenses covered for family members and only applies for 45 days following departure from home. The policy maintained by BAC DOES NOT COVER costs  associated with self-quarantines that may be government mandated. Members should also ensure that vaccinations are up to date (e.g., annual influenza, tetanus, etc.). If travelling outside your home country you may wish to consult with a travel physician or nurse to ensure that the appropriate vaccinations are up to date.

Money:  The official national currency is the Thailand Baht, but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centres. The Baht is relatively stable against the dollar, with US$1 worth roughly 29-30 Baht. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Traveller’s cheques can be exchanged at major banks, though some charge a commission of up to 2.5 per cent. In large cities, it is possible to pay for most luxury items with a credit card.

DAY TO DAY ITINERARY

B=Breakfast   L=Lunch    D =Dinner

DAY 1(Sat 29thJan)            BANGKOK ARRIVAL

Meet up for happy hour at 5.00 pm then have dinner and tour briefing at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Hotel.

Ride: - km

Lodging:Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel (Superior Room)

Meals:(-/-/D)

DAY 2(Sun 30th Jan)          BANGKOK - WARM UP RIDE            

Today we'll spend the morning building our bikes up with the assistance of your guides and a mechanic. At 7.30 am, we are all ready to go we'll head out for a spin on a nearby 23.5 km track, also known as the green loop, that circumvents the airport. It is a perfect way to make sure that all is working smoothly before we start our true riding. Do as many loops as you like, as the afternoon and evening are on your own to relax and recover from jet lag. Enjoy the pool at the hotel, have a massage or take the airport link into the city.

Ride: 23.5 km or 14 miles

Lodging:Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel (Superior Room)

Meals:(B/-/-)

DAY 3(Mon 31st Jan)          BANGKOK - PETCHABURI - HUA HIN         

We meet at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel at 07.30 am before we transfer to the start of our ride in Petchaburi (approximately 2 hours). This ride is a gentle start to the trip as we head out of Petchaburi and into rural Thailand, along roads flanked by paddy fields and palm trees. We then ride along the beach into Cha-am and on to the beach resort town of Hua Hin. The town is closely tied to Thai royalty and the king currently resides at the summer palace located just outside town. The last 20 km is on a main road but there is a wide shoulder to ride on and if the traffic proves to be too heavy this section can be transferred. We'll top off our day with a seafood dinner on a pier in the center of town.

Ride: 56 km/+192 m or 35 miles/+630 ft.

Lodging:Putahracsa Resort (Silksand Room)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 4(Tue 1st Feb)           HUA HIN - KUI BURI 

We leave our resort and ride around a reservoir and after some more flat country road we'll challenge our legs with a short and steep climb up to a dam, a perfect place for a break. A canal road takes us to Pranburi and then on to Sam Roi Yot (300 hundred peaks) National Park. Spectacular limestone formations and freshwater marshes in between the peaks are the highlights of this park. Our next section is on the main road, about 20 km, before heading to the coast, passing many small villages on the way. The final section is along the beach to Kui Buri and our beach resort.

Ride: 82 km/+417 m or 51 miles/+1368 ft.

Lodging:Dhevan Dara Beach Villa Resort (Studio Room)

Meals:(B/L/D)

 DAY 5(Wed 2nd Feb)        KUI BURI  - BAN KRUT

We are now well away from the main tourist areas and the roads are quiet and in good condition. Our route sticks to the coast today giving us views of the sea to the left and rugged mountains on our right. We are passing through Thailand's narrowest part as the border with Burma is less than 20 km away at some points. We will pass numerous bird condos that are built to collect the nests of swiftlets for bird's nest soup. We end the ride at our beach side hotel in Ban Krut.

Ride: 101 km/+445 m or 62 miles/+1460 ft.

Lodging: Baan Grood Arcadia Resort (Standard Room)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 6(Thu 3rd Feb)           BAN KRUT - KOH TALU        

This morning we cycle to the pier where we'll board a speed boat that will whisk us away to own private island, Koh Talu. The afternoon is free to snorkel and see the colorful coral and fish, to kayak around the island or to clamber up to the view point. Dinner tonight is at our resort on the island.

Ride: 32 km/+168 m or 19 miles/+551 ft.

Lodging:Koh Talu Island Resort (Manila Chalet at Big Bay and Home at Pearl Bay)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 7(Fri 4th Feb)  KOH TALU – SAPLEE

There is time to go for one more snorkel before we take leave of our island oasis at 08.30 am and boat back to the mainland. Our bikes will be waiting for us and ready for us to ride. Our palm tree lined route will takes us past white sand beaches on one side with a backdrop of green lush hills on the other.

Ride: 80 km/+619 m or 50 miles/+2031 ft.

Lodging:Nana Beach (Standard Room)

Meals:(B/L/D

DAY 8(Sat 5th Feb)SAPLEE - ARUNOTHAI BEACH 

A relatively flat ride today as we cycle through shrimp farms and along coconut palm plantations and mangrove forests. We'll also ride through numerous fishing villages with their colorful boats and in the distance we'll see limestone islands in the China Sea. We'll stop for a break to see a shrine to the Prince of Chumphon who is the founder of the modern navy in Thailand. Before reaching our hotel is on a 6 km-long beach. A 6 km-long beach  takes us to our hotel which is a perfect jumping off point to explore by boat some of the beautiful islands just off shore. 

Ride: 95 km/+647 m or 59 miles/+2123 ft.

Lodging:Tusita Wellness Resort (Run of House)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 9(Sun 6th Feb)            ARUNOTHAI BEACH - LAEM THONG BEACH          

Another day, another beach! We continue riding south and are now truly off the beaten track with endless sandy beaches completely empty of tourists. We are riding to Chaiya, one of the oldest cities of Thailand, dating back to the 5th to 13th centuries when it was a regional capital in the Srivijaya kingdom, based in Sumatra, Indonesia. Our accommodation tonight is a bit more rustic as it is where local Thais stay, making it an authentic experience. For those with energy in the evening a squid fishing excursion can be arranged.

Ride: 110 km/+507 m or 68 miles/+1663 ft. 

Lodging:Laem Sai Resort (Run of House)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 10(Mon 7th Feb)        LEAM THONG BEACH - CHEOW LARN LAKE

Today we head inland and trade the beach for lush green jungle.  We'll pass rubber and coconut plantations and countless villages as we ride through the rural landscape. There will only be one short, steep climb to the top of Ratchaprapa Dam where we'll see the refreshing waters of Cheow Larn lake. Once we reach the pier around 03.00 pm we'll take a 30 minute boat ride to our rafts where we'll overnight on the lake. You can go for a swim directly from your raft set amidst karst cliffs.

Ride: 75 km/ 532 m or 46 miles/1745 ft.

Lodging:Phupha Waree (Run of House)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 11(Tue 8th Feb)        CHEOW LARN LAKE  - REST DAY                                        

Today a free day by the lake. Time chill out, relax and enjoy the pristine surroundings. You can swim, kayak, fish or just sit on the deck and read a book. Today is all about taking time and reflecting on the riding so far. There is no mobile signal so a day of digital detox!

 

Ride: 0

Lodging:Phupha Waree (Run of House)

Meals:(B/L/D)

 

DAY 12(Wed 9th Feb)        CHEOW LARN LAKE - KHAO SOK

Today is a semi rest day. The morning is free to go for a kayak, another swim or to just relax until 10.00 am.  We'll head out for our ride on the only road that undulates and winds through a series of magnificent limestone cliffs and green jungle along the edge of Khao Sok National Park. This park comprises the largest area of virgin forest in Southern Thailand and is home to 5% of the world's species.

Ride: 66 km/+633 m or 41 miles/+2077 ft.

Lodging:Khao Sok Rivrr Lodge (Run of House )

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 13(Thu 10th Feb)       KHAO SOK - KHAO LAK

This morning we'll ride along the edge of Khao Sok National Park to the outskirts of Takua Pa. Here we'll ride through the old town and see traditional wooden buildings intermixed with Portuguese colonial buildings. We'll stop en route to visit the Tsunami Victim Cemetery which memorialises the victims from 39 countries. We then take a quiet back road through small villages, shady rubber plantations and cross rivers as we cycle to the small waterfall of SaI Rung. There's a dipping pool at the base perfect for cooling off. Then it's a short 10 km more to our next beachside hotel. 

Ride: 78 km/+640 m or 48 miles/+2100 ft. 

Lodging:The Haven Khaolak (Deluxe Room)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 14(Fri 11th Feb)         KHAO LAK - PHUKET

We ride on backroads, along canals, past palm and rubber plantations, shrimp farms and along the beach to the bridge that connects the island of Phuket with the mainland. We'll have to ride on the main highway for a stretch as there is no alternative and then we'll ride with views of the Andaman Sea with some tough hills thrown in just before we reach our resort.

Ride: 90 km/+616 m or 56 miles/+2021 ft.

Lodging:Nai Yang Beach Resort (Oriental Wing Room)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 15(Sat 12th Feb)        PHUKET LOOP

We'll go for a ride to see the resort island of Phuket. There will be plenty of hills as we ride through rubber tree plantations and along endless beaches on this island tour.

Ride: 65 km/+911 m or 40 miles/+2989 ft.

Lodging:Nai Yang Beach Resort (Oriental Wing Room)

Meals:(B/L/D)

DAY 16(Sun 13th Feb)       PHUKET DEPARTURE          

Catch a flight from Phuket international airport or extend your stay and enjoy the sun and sands of Phuket!  

Ride: -0 km

Meals:(B/-/-)