Tour
de Thailand 2010 – December 8th to 31st (25 nights/26
days) Total Tour Distance 1,175 miles / 1,900 kms; 19 Days of Riding and 5 Days
Off
If participants would like to arrive early or extend their stay in
Thailand or surrounding countries the Tour de Asia Bicycle Touring Co., Ltd. will
be happy to make suggestions and can help make arrangements if needed.
Dec. 5th, Sunday
or 6th Monday are Recommended Arrival Dates
We recommend riders arrive a little early to Chiang Mai to enjoy a stroll
through the “Sunday Night Street Market” in the center of Old Town Chiang
Mai.There are plenty of other things to
do in Chiang Mai, and we will be more than happy to help you find what it is
you are looking for.(Accommodations not included on these nights)
Dec. 7th,
Tuesday – Chiang Mai – Arrival Date *Start of incl. accommodations.
All riders for the Northern Half must be in Chiang Mai by today in order to
join the ride on time.We will meet you
during the day at the hotel and invite everyone to dinner to welcome you and
help get you prepared for your journey.(Meals
included – D)
Dec. 8th , Wednesday - Ride from Chiang Mai to Chom Thong
(55 Miles/88 KM) Opening Ceremony and Start of the Tour de Thailand
After a brief opening ceremony we will ride around the outside of the city
walls before heading down the Ping River out of town to Chom Thong.Riders have the option to take the support
vehicles and visit Doi Intanon National Park - Thailand’s Highest Mountain Peak.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 9th,
Thursday - Ride from Chom Thong to Thoen (90 Miles/144 KM)
Today is
one of the most difficult days of the entire Tour, but not to worry because we
will have air conditioned support vehicles for those that want a lift.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 10th,
Friday - Ride from Thoen to Tak (60 Miles/96 KM)
Enjoy the beautiful town of Tak along the Ping River. There is a huge food
market next to the hotel with loads of food vendors, fruit vendors, cocktails
and beer vendors, coffee vendors, and much more to walk around and enjoy. (Meals
included – B & L)
Dec. 11th,
Saturday - Ride from Tak to Sukhothai (47 Miles/75 KM)
We take a little break from heading
south and head east to Sukhothai to see the magnificent Sukhothai Historical
Park and take the support vehicles to the Si Satchanalai Historical Park’s Light
and Sound Show Festival. (Meals included
– B & L)
Dec. 12th,
Sunday - Day Off in Sukhothai
Enjoy
Historical Sukhothai
and visit the many beautiful wats and ruins of the first Kingdom of Thais,
founded in 1238.What was once a
thriving metropolis, is now some 700+ years later a beautiful historical park
that you can ride your bike around and take photos of the structures that
people built so long ago. If you get
hot, simply head back to the hotel for a nice cool dip in the pool. (Meals included – B)
Dec. 13th,
Monday - Ride from Sukhothai to Kamphaeng Phet (52 Miles/83 KM)
Enjoy
yet another town with many historical wats and ruins along the Ping River that
dates back over 700 years.(Meals
included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 14th,
Tuesday - Ride from Kamphaeng Phet to Nakhon Sawan (73 Miles/117 KM)
Visit the Giant Buddha and hilltop
temples or Nakhon Sawan Park.There is
also a large shopping plaza and movie theater in case you miss the “Western
World”.Nakhon Sawan is considered the
gateway to the North of Thailand and is where the Ping, Nan, Yom, and Wang
Rivers meet to form the famous Chao Phraya River that flows to the Gulf of
Thailand.(Meals included – B & L)
Dec. 15th,
Wednesday - Ride from Nakhon Sawan to Singburi (92 Miles/147 KM)
Today’s rideis a long ride with many temples and scenes of
Thai life along the mighty Chao Phraya River.Singburi is a quiet little fishing town on the Chao Phraya that is well
known for the carving of Buddha images.(Meals
included – B & L)
Dec. 16th,
Thursday - Ride from Singburi to Ayutthaya (48 Miles/77 KM)
We stop just before Ayutthaya to
see the King Naresuan The Great Monument and then roll on to Tony’s Place for
lunch before we board a small river ferry to get to the hotel. We will take the support vehicles around the
Wats of Ayutthaya in the evening while they are brilliantly displayed by lights
and riders will have the option to see the annual Light & Sound Show that has
been so popular with our guests. (Meals
included – B & L)
Dec. 17th,
Friday - Day Off in Ayutthaya
We
recommend taking a break from the bikes and getting a taxi to Bang Pa-In to
visit the Royal Summer Palace and enjoy lunch. Then come back to
Ayutthaya to take a break from the afternoon sun in the hotel pool before going
to visit the many temples of the former Thai capital from 1350 – 1767.(Meals included – B)
Dec. 18th,
Saturday - Ride from Ayutthaya to Bangkok – Pak Kret (52 Miles/84 KM)
We will be joined by many local
cyclists today as well as blind cyclists from the Foundation for the Blind in
Thailand as we take the small back roads on the other side of the Chao Praya River
towards Bangkok and cross the river to Pak Kret to wiggle our way over to the
Skills Development Center for theBlind
in Thailand where we will have a few snacks, liquid refreshments, and take
showers in their new athletic facility before we catch a dinner party cruise
down into Bangkok for the night as we say goodbye to the Northern Half Only
riders and get ready to welcome the Southern Half Only riders.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
(Southern Half riders need to be in Bangkok
by Saturday the 18th and accommodation is included for all riders North and
South.)
Dec. 19th,
Sunday – Sleep in or go sightseeing in Bangkok and then we take scenic train to
Amphawa in the afternoon.(Meals
included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 20th, Monday - Ride from Amphawa to Petchaburi (47 Miles/75 KM)
Visit another Royal Palace of King Rama IV called Phra Nakhorn Khiri, take the
cable car to the scenic mountain-top palace and temple.This was another summer palace that held many
parties for the royal family and foreign dignitaries.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 21st,
Tuesday - Ride from Petchaburi to Hua Hin (56 Miles/91 KM)
Enjoy the lovely beach town that is
home to His Majesty the King. Visit the Royal Train Depot, shop at the Night
Market, or simply enjoy the beach. Lunch will be on Cha Am Beach before
we reach Hua Hin and Dinner will be at a nice little seafood restaurant in the
center of the Night Market.(Meals
included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 22nd,
Wednesday - Ride from Hua Hin to Prachuab Khiri Khan (73 Miles/117)
Today’s ride is filled with
spectacular beachfront riding before and after we ride through Khao Sam Roi Yok
National Park.Lunch will at a nice new
resort on a quiet beach that tourists still don’t know about.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 23rd,
Thursday - Day Off in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Visit the Thai Air Force Base,
Climb the steps to another scenic mountain-top Temple, see the Thai Train
Museum, check out the Aquarium, take a sea kayak to one of the islands in the
bay, or simply enjoy delicious seafood and cold beer on the beach.(Meals included – B)
Dec. 24th,
Friday - Ride from Prachuap Khiri Khan to Ban Krut (52 Miles/84 KM)
Enjoy the beautiful and quiet beach
and check out the incredible hilltop temple that was built to honor the King’s
50th Anniversary of his ascension to the throne.(Meals included – B & L)
Dec. 25th,
Saturday - Ride from Ban Krut to Chumpon (70 Miles/114 KM)
Today’s ride is an incredibly
beautiful ride with rolling hills and lots of quiet back roads.(Meals included – B & L)
Dec. 26th,
Sunday - Ride from Chumpon to Lang Suan (93 Miles/105 KM)
Relax and enjoy the small town
atmosphere of the beach of Lang Suan - “Had Lang Suan”.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
Dec., 27th,
Monday - Ride from Lang Suan to Surat Thani (83 Miles/134 KM)
Today’s ride is started off by
taking a group photo at a very large Buddha image on the beach before more
beautiful back road riding.(Meals
included – B & L)
Dec. 28th,
Tuesday – Ride from Surat Thani to Khao Sok National Park (68 Miles/110 KM)
We are pretty much in absolute beauty in the middle of nowhere, so we just hang
by the pool or down by the river.Khao
Sok is considered to be one of Thailand’s most beautiful parks.(Meals included – B, L, & D)
Dec. 29th,
Wednesday - Day Off in Khao Sok National Park
There are many options that you can choose from in this breathtakingly
beautiful park from tubing to elephant trekking. As mentioned before, it’s one of Thailand’s
most beautiful parks.(Meals included –
B)
Dec. 30th,
Thursday - Ride from Khao Sok to Khao Lak (48 Miles/78 KM)
Visit the Tsunami Memorials and pay
respects to those that lost their lives just 3 years before.(Meals included – B & L)
Dec. 31st,
Friday - Ride from Khao Lak to Phuket (52 Miles/85 KM)
Tour de Thailand 2010 Closing Ceremony – Celebrate Life! (Meals included – B,
L, & D)
Jan. 1st, 2011
Saturday – Head Home or Extend Your Stay (Meals included – B)
Total Tour Distance:1,175
Miles/ 1,900 KM over 19 days of riding and 6 days off.
Participants
may want to extend their stay in Phuket, other local islands, or back in Bangkok, we can help plan for you if you like.
Tour de Thailand 
