Day 1: Sarasin Bridge to Ban Bangnu
Early morning transfer from Phuket to a beach on the Andaman Sea side of the Malay Peninsula. The first stretch is a secondary road that courses through farmland. Soon, you’ll be riding in the shade of rubber plantations. Single track trails are plentiful. Smooth riding through gentle terrain allow you to enjoy the scenery and overall pleasantness of the environment.
In the morning experience a couple of hills on your morning ride, without the route being too strenuous for a morning bike ride. SO what goes up, must come down. There are some wonderful downhill stretches as your reward for making it up the hill. Lunch will be served in a small village and after lunch there is a short stretch of road travel on secondary roads. After you lunch has settled you hit a very fun stretch of dirt tracks and single tracks. The terrain is undulating, so it’s a bit challenging.
You will spend the night camping at Ban Bangnu school. The school allows us access to their toilets and there is an outdoor well shower too. Electricity is available so you can have a fan at night to cool you down if needed. Food is supplied by the villagers.
Day 2: Ban Bangnu to Tung Maphrao Temple
The next day’s cycling starts with a gravel track that eventually turns to a dirt road, which eventually turns into a single track. The topography is rolling hills, but you’re generally going up for the first hour. Your incentive is a mildly demanding downhill. Part of the trail is concrete with busted up sections raising a little caution which should be given so care must be advised. Once near the bottom, it turns to smooth dirt. You can fly down this section. Reaching a friendly local mini mart, you’ll be treated to some cold drinks.
Secondary roads will lead you to the lunch spot. There is no tourism in this area, so the food is authentic Thai. In fact, the entire way thus far features authentic Thai cuisine. The rest of the day is on fairly flat roads. Secondary roads are interspersed with some dirt/gravel stretches.
To end the day you will reach a blissful little Buddhist temple. This is where you’ll spend the night. There is a huge meeting hall which we use, so you’ll have electricity for fans and access to shower and toilet facilities.
Day 3: Tung Maphrao to Phang Nga Town
You’ll start off on a dirt track behind the temple. Riding through rural countryside, you’ll reach some secondary roads and ride over rolling hills until you reach a slightly bigger road. You’re only on it for a short stretch before hitting some nice single track. This next stretch is fun and a bit tricky to which you will cross a couple of log bridges. Eventually you will come to a concrete road and then a main road. After a few rising and falling bits, you will come to a major road (there are no other routes in the region due to big hills). There is a minimart where you can get a cold drink before hitting what we affectionately call the “Fruit Loop”. The Fruit Loop is a big “U” that leaves the main road and starts off as concrete, then gravel, then dirt, then single track. At the far end there’s a lovely cold creek where you can take a refreshing dip. You will deserve it by the time you reach it as there are some nice hills along the way. When you come out of the far end, the road types reverse – single track to dirt to concrete. Soon after you will have lunch at a nice little local restaurant. Now, there’s no way to reach the next cool section without doing a bit of road work. There is, however, a wide bike lane. You will come to a school hut and turn off onto wonderful selection of rural countryside smooth concrete roads as well as passing through friendly villages with a river that often parallels the route. You will eventually reach Phang Nga Town, a charming little town with plenty of character, cradled by towering limestone mountains. The two best places to stay in town are the Phang Nga Guest House and the Phang Nga Inn where air conditioned rooms are widely available. Dinner is at a riverside restaurant that serves Isaan food (food from Laos and NE Thailand). For breakfast, you will visit a very friendly Muslim family-owned restaurant that specializes in Roti, middle-eastern fried flaky bread. You can have it with a light curry or they can make a sweet Roti for you with either egg, banana, condensed milk or any combination.
Day 4: Phang Nga Town to Wat Bangriang
The ride today starts off with a bit of a road warm-up, then goes straight into a mountain range. This is the old route from Phuket to Krabi named the “Hundred Curve Road” for good reason. The road is challenging, but certainly not something that a reasonably fit cyclist couldn’t handle. If you wish, you can be driven to the top of the mountain and just do the downhill side. Near the bottom of the hill, you will turn right onto a concrete road that passes by a cave temple. The temple is situated high up on the cliffs and climbing the stairs, you will get a lovely view of the lush valley. The concrete stops and the road turns to dirt, then, of course, to a great single track. Eventually the road gets wider, but stays dirt and gravel and there are some small shops in a nearby village where you can get a cold drink. Concrete roads lead you to the main highway where you will travel briefly before cutting off onto back roads where a gravel and dirt track parallels an aqueduct. Soon after, you will reach a creek that flows through a mountain popular as a local swimming spot. The next section is a mixture of smooth dirt roads and single tracks. You will come out on a road, but quickly leave that for concrete, dirt and hills. If you find this a little too challenging then there are easier routes if you so desire. Eventually, you will come out near a very interesting temple. At the lower level, you will stop for lunch. The temple is on the summit of the mountain. It is too steep to ride, so our bus will take you to the top. Boasting and incredible view you will camp at the temple.
Day 5: Wat Bangriang to Ban Takhun
The next section comprises of more valleys. Granted you have already been working the working the valley already, once you get to the top of the temple you’ll fully appreciate what you have done and what you are about to do. From here until the end of your biking adventure, you will combine riding short stretches along the main road and nice off-road sections that eventually join back up with the road. You will come to a turn-off and head down a concrete road that leads to a river. You can see how far you can ride it, but no one has made it so far. Once across, travelling along back roads, you will steer through the pastoral countryside. Accommodations are at a small resort just outside of Khao Sok National Park in Ban Takhun. Air conditioned rooms are available, also including a very satisfying cuisine provided in place for you after a day of mountain biking.
Day 6: Ban Takhun to Ban Yan Yao
Picking up where you previously left off, you will travel on soil tracks through some secondary growth and farmland. The fact of the matter is, you will be off-road almost all day! Today you will go by farms, small villages, through stunning limestone karst mountains along smooth dirt roads, rough dirt tracks, single tracks and occasional secondary roads.
Accommodations are at a small local resort called Phupa Resort. It is fairly clean and air conditioned rooms are available. Dinner is in a small town that receives no tourism at all.
Day 7: Ban Yan Yao to Ban Tha Chang
The last day starts off with winding trails through rubber plantations, past farms and villages and eventually on secondary roads. The first half of the day is primarily on dirt before you get to the road area. The road area is rather marshy, so off-road tracks are at a minimum. You will end up in a mangrove forest, thus completing a coast to coast ride.