Cycling Thailand: 1,000km from Phuket to Bangkok
After thoroughly enjoying our first big bike touring trip together last summer in Korea, Caitlin and I decided to cycle as much of Thailand as possible this spring. Visit our photos page to see more from the trip.
We learned a lot from last summer’s travels using rental bike gear. Over the past several months, we spent countless hours (maybe days) researching and investing in our own touring gear. Most importantly, we each selected our ideal bike for the trip. We also bought bike storage racks, cargo bags, a GPS navigation computer, airline transport bags, and much more. We owe a big ‘thank you’ to many of our family members who gifted us many of these items.
We arrived in Phuket, Thailand on February 15th. The route from Phuket to Bangkok is about 1,000km (620 miles). We knew from our previous bike trip that we could comfortably cover about 80km (50 mi) each day. At this pace, we estimated that we would need 12-14 days to complete the trip. The weather forecast called for an average daily high temperature of 95-99ºF.
We expected to be on the road from around 8am until 5pm each day. We based this on being “in the saddle” for an average of 6 hours, taking a ten minute break every hour, and at least one longer break each day so Caitlin could make progress on her thesis.
The white sand beaches and long boats that make Thailand’s beaches so iconic.
Part 1: Phuket to Ranong
Our trip began with an ambitious 90km day of riding from the beach resort town of Patong, through the iconic downtown of Phuket town, and then a couple hours of riding up the west coast beaches of mainland Thailand. Unfortunately, our starting point in Patong is a town surrounded on all sides by steep hills, so our first day also included several hours of climbing terrain that exceeded a 20% grade at several points. We decided to get an early start to give ourselves the best chance of success in the cool morning temperatures.
The route up the mountain was even more difficult than we imagined. The road was not only steep, but also turned from paved asphalt into a loose gravel path through the jungle. Much too steep to ride with our cargo bags, we spent at least an hour pushing our bikes on foot. We relied on one another to keep our spirits up and drew energy from the challenge of the adventure.
After finally reaching the summit, we descended down the winding gravel mountain road on the other side. Our efforts were rewarded with several stunning view points along the way. We spent the rest of the morning making our way across the island to Phuket Town. In the afternoon, we continued north, taking a walking detour on the beach around the Phuket airport, and finally reached the bridge.
It was already late afternoon by the time we crossed over to mainland Thailand, still on our first day. We had at least 2 hours of cycling but only an hour and a half of daylight. Exhausted and hungry, we pushed on in the hopes of making it to the hotel while there was still light. As the sun was setting, we rolled by a beautiful beach resort styled in traditional Thai architecture. As we passed by the main entrance of the resort, we glimpsed a stunning view of the sunset with tables set up in front. We decided to stop and enjoyed the most breathtaking sunset dinner of our trip.
Sunset view from our dinner table at the end of our first day on the road.
We continued north, up the west coast of Thailand for the next two days. This part of the country is extremely rural, features thick vegetation, and sparsely populated villages. Most of the riding was on the shoulder of the small winding highway carved into the jungle. We subsisted on a variety of snacks sold by roadside stands for our food in this region. Caitlin especially enjoyed trying all the varieties of banana leaf wrapped sticky rice snacks, and I enjoyed the freshly fried spicy chicken.
Part 2: Champhon and a much needed rest day
We started day 6 of the bike trip at the northern tip of the Ranong province, 418km from our start in Phuket. Our route now turned east, cutting across the country to the opposite coast on the Gulf of Thailand. We had one last day of highway riding to reach the major town of Champhon. After Champhon, we looked forward to the relief of the calm, winding roads between the beach towns.
We thoroughly enjoyed the riding in this area of the country, and the views did not disappoint. Small jungle islands just off the coast are very common and made for beautiful vistas.
After a week and 612km of riding, we were ready for a much needed rest day. We picked out a comfortable beach resort in the Khiri Khan Province where we could unwind for a couple days. Caitlin suggested that we celebrate our first day off from cycling with a sunrise walk on the beach. I was reluctant to endorse this plan, but ultimately was grateful I did because the sunrise views were awe-inspiring.
Part 3: Phetchaburi and Bangkok
Having reached the beach towns within a few hours drive from Bangkok, this area of the country started to feel more populated and busy. In addition to the beaches, it also featured several national parks. It was in these parts that people began to warn us about the thieving monkeys…
Day 11 of our trip included a much anticipated day hike to the landmark Phraya Nakhon cave and temple. In order to reach the cave, we first had to complete a challenging scramble hike over the mountain and down into the cave. Emerging from the darkness of the cave, we discovered the golden shrine lit by the sunlight pouring through the opening in the roof above. The cool air and natural earthy aroma added to the “spiritual” experience.
Having been warned several times about the dangerous roads into Bangkok, we decided to load our bikes onto the train for the final stretch. We reached our last hotel of the trip on day 13 in the town of Phetchaburi. In our excitement about completing our cycling portion of the trip, I left one of my bike cargo bags open while we went up to our room. I received a call from the hotel manager a few minutes later. “Mr Ryan, I’ve closed the bag on your bicycle so nothing gets stolen - because…the monkeys.”
We woke up at 5am the next morning to catch the required train to Bangkok because it had the cargo car necessary for our bikes. Unfortunately, we discovered the train was running four hours late! We finally boarded around 10 am and tracked down our seats in the very last car. It was already 95 degrees and our train car was not air conditioned. The next 4.5 hours in the boiling heat, slowly making our way into Bangkok, were absolutely brutal. It was a truly immersive experience that day.
Note: this photo does not adequately capture our pure exhaustion.
We arrived at the Bangkok train station around 2:30pm exhausted but determined to finish the trip. Our final destination was the apartment of one of Caitlin’s Olmsted Scholar classmates who was hosting us for a couple of days. After unloading our bikes, we composed ourselves in the train station and set out for the final 45 minutes of riding. What followed can only be described as choreographed chaos. We did our best to navigate the rush hour traffic and follow the motorbikes, but we were simply unqualified. We completed the final few kilometers with a combination of biking and walking.
All-in-all the trip allowed us to experience Thailand at a pace and immersion that few, if any, other modes of travel could achieve. We also really enjoyed the problem-solving required for this kind of travel. Needless to say, we hope for many more bicycle touring trips in the future.
See more photos from this trip!