Mountain Biking MTB Singletrack Trails Offroad Bangkok and Surrounding Provinces in Thailand
So you have heard that there is a mountain biking track in Khao yai or somewhere so you arrange transport there with your mountain bike, pay the 400 Baht fee to get in and ask the nearest person of authority where the mountain bike track is. You get the answer 'mai mee' (no have). But you are persistent you drive and ask the information person, same answer 'mai mee' but you've come all this way an paid all that money so your not giving up yet. You drive some more to ask the next to next information box. Hooray! The guy says it's down the road on the left. Now you're excited, you get the bikes off your transport and head for the trails. Upon arriving you see the track and it's painted on the side of the road oh no its not a mountain bike track it's a 'cycle lane'.
This is a common misunderstanding made when trying to find a mountain bike track in Thailand. If you're lucky you will find an xc trail on dirt roads which can be fun but its very hard to find proper a singletrack trail in a mountain. But with so many mountains in Kanchanaburi, Khaoyai, Nakhon Ratchasima and Petchaburi there is a lot of potential in Thailand for some great swooping single track.
Tips for finding a good track:
The best place to find a track is on the internet. Or find a tour company that knows where to find a trail. Another good way is to invest in a gps receiver or even a phone with gps and a Garmin program installed these are a great help as 99% of trails are unmarked, if someone has Gps and tracked a trail you can easily follow it with out getting lost these can be downloaded from blogs and website which can easily be found with a Google search.
When asking for directions try not to mention the words 'mountain bike track' just ask for trail for walkers or hikers or even a trail going up a mountain. The best people to ask are the rangers of the area you're going to, they may now everything about the mountains.
When following a trail for the first time expect to get lost so it is very important to take as much water as you can. A good accessory to get is a hydration pack. With temperatures of around 40 degrees + high humidity water is used very quickly, I have seen people only fill up there hydration packs half way, if you know the trail this is fine but if not always fill your pack to the top as you could get lost and be stuck in the jungle with no water. The water you carry will get warm very quickly so a good tip is to add some hydration powder which not only helps with your hydration it also makes the water taste of orange, this can be bought from 7/11 or Boots for around 5 baht and is called Dchamp.
A recommended place to go for some proper mountain biking is khao I-to / E-to this is all off road with lots of different trails which are maintained by the ranger there is a very steep climb to the top on a road but if the ranger or someone in the khao i-to bike club is available they can run you to the top for a small fee. The trail are quite technical at times and are easily as good as the marked trails you would find in Europe. At the moment this place is by far the best place to go within driving distance of Bangkok for some real singletrack mountain biking some more information can be found here.
If any one has any more information about mountain biking trails, Bangkok and surrounding provinces let me know.
Ian@muountainbiketoursthailand.com
Mountain Biking Tours Thailand is a totally free information site, that has all the information you need for your mountain biking holiday in Thailand. Please keep the informaton flowing.
So you have heard that there is a mountain biking track in Khao yai or somewhere so you arrange transport there with your mountain bike, pay the 400 Baht fee to get in and ask the nearest person of authority where the mountain bike track is. You get the answer 'mai mee' (no have). But you are persistent you drive and ask the information person, same answer 'mai mee' but you've come all this way an paid all that money so your not giving up yet. You drive some more to ask the next to next information box. Hooray! The guy says it's down the road on the left. Now you're excited, you get the bikes off your transport and head for the trails. Upon arriving you see the track and it's painted on the side of the road oh no its not a mountain bike track it's a 'cycle lane'.
This is a common misunderstanding made when trying to find a mountain bike track in Thailand. If you're lucky you will find an xc trail on dirt roads which can be fun but its very hard to find proper a singletrack trail in a mountain. But with so many mountains in Kanchanaburi, Khaoyai, Nakhon Ratchasima and Petchaburi there is a lot of potential in Thailand for some great swooping single track.
Tips for finding a good track:
The best place to find a track is on the internet. Or find a tour company that knows where to find a trail. Another good way is to invest in a gps receiver or even a phone with gps and a Garmin program installed these are a great help as 99% of trails are unmarked, if someone has Gps and tracked a trail you can easily follow it with out getting lost these can be downloaded from blogs and website which can easily be found with a Google search.
When asking for directions try not to mention the words 'mountain bike track' just ask for trail for walkers or hikers or even a trail going up a mountain. The best people to ask are the rangers of the area you're going to, they may now everything about the mountains.
When following a trail for the first time expect to get lost so it is very important to take as much water as you can. A good accessory to get is a hydration pack. With temperatures of around 40 degrees + high humidity water is used very quickly, I have seen people only fill up there hydration packs half way, if you know the trail this is fine but if not always fill your pack to the top as you could get lost and be stuck in the jungle with no water. The water you carry will get warm very quickly so a good tip is to add some hydration powder which not only helps with your hydration it also makes the water taste of orange, this can be bought from 7/11 or Boots for around 5 baht and is called Dchamp.
A recommended place to go for some proper mountain biking is khao I-to / E-to this is all off road with lots of different trails which are maintained by the ranger there is a very steep climb to the top on a road but if the ranger or someone in the khao i-to bike club is available they can run you to the top for a small fee. The trail are quite technical at times and are easily as good as the marked trails you would find in Europe. At the moment this place is by far the best place to go within driving distance of Bangkok for some real singletrack mountain biking some more information can be found here.
If any one has any more information about mountain biking trails, Bangkok and surrounding provinces let me know.
Ian@muountainbiketoursthailand.com
Mountain Biking Tours Thailand is a totally free information site, that has all the information you need for your mountain biking holiday in Thailand. Please keep the informaton flowing.
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