Description

Beaches, historical towns, fishing villages, national parks, mangroves and a festival on a mountain top. This trip packs a lot into nine days and requires minimal effort. We ride along the eastern coast in Thailand. Most people pass right through on the way to better known destinations like Koh Chang but that is a shame as the area has a lot to offer if you take the time to explore. The towns of Trat, Chanthaburi, Nong Bua and Pak Nam Prasae have well preserved old towns with wooden homes and narrow streets with a lot of history behind them. The coast itself has beaches, mangroves and huge estuaries which we cross by boats and via massive bridges. We also attend a religious festival on top of Kitchakut mountain in a national park reached by 4WD. The route is mostly flat and the distances covered are on average 36km per day (longest day is 53km) so it is perfectly suited to the casual rider.

Map

Price

Tour Price: THB19,000 (approximately USD575)
Single Occupancy Supplement: THB3,500 (if you prefer a private room)
Bicycle and pannier rental: THB200 per day one of our no name bikes or THB500 per day for a TREK bike from our partner

What is included in the tour price?

• Accommodation based on double occupancy (if you are joining by yourself we can normally find a roommate for you)
• All entrance tickets to national parks, museums etc.,
• Car and boat transportation costs scheduled during the tour
• Transport of bicycles from Hidden Holiday House or Bangkok to the tour and back

What is NOT included in the tour price?

• Food and drink
• Your personal transport to the tour start and from the tour end
• Support car

Why is a support car not included in the tour price?

We do the vast majority of our tours without a full time support car in order to keep the costs down. This means that everyone carries their belongings in their panniers. We do occasionally hire a vehicle for a single day if someone is feeling unwell or would just like to take a break. This is always possible for a small fraction of the cost of a full time support car. If you prefer to have a full time support car we can arrange one for you with additional cost.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Travel day to Trat – no biking

We travel to Trat city today. Trat is a town 320km southeast of Bangkok. I will organize transport from Hidden Holiday House to Trat today (about 5 hours) or you can go there on your own. Several large buses and minivans take people from the Eastern Bus Station in Bangkok (Ekkamai) to Trat. The trip takes about 6 hours. Bangkok Airways has daily flights to Trat from Bangkok. You can arrive in Trat today or before if you would like to spend more time in the town.

Day 2 – Exploring Trat – 21km biking

This morning we cycle out to the large city park where locals go to jog and walk. The exercises are suspended when planes take off or land on the small runway located in the park. We then cycle to a boat pier along the Trat river and then for breakfast at the large Trat city market. We then cycle through the old city along the Thana Charoen road and the Rhak Muang alley. Two of the main Trat markets were situated along these two streets in the old days and were joined by small alleys. These days the markets have moved to newer sections of Trat but here many old wooden buildings have been restored and several turned into guesthouses and cafes. We also pass the old residence of the French governor of Trat. We then go to the Trat City Museum which will give you an insight into the local history. Two events loom large in the history of Trat and Chanthaburi. The first was the role these provinces played in the Siam-Burma war of the 1760s when General (later king) Taksin based himself here in order to regroup after the fall of Ayutthaya, recruit and resupply his troops before marching on Ayutthaya and defeating the Burmese forces there. The second was the annexation of these provinces by the French until Battambang, Siem Reap, Sissophon and Koh Kong in present day western Cambodia were turned over to them. The Trat City Museum will provide insight into these events. We then return to our hotel and you can rest or explore the old town on foot. Be sure to take a stroll along the walkway constructed along the Bang Pra Canal in the Old town.

In the late afternoon we take our bikes out for a ride on the 10km long cycle track around the Sra Si Siat Reservoir. Along the way we stop at Wat Yotha Nimit and Wat Buppharam.

Day 3 – Trat to Tha Ka Yang village – 40km biking

This is the toughest biking day of the entire trip due to some short steep hills. We will have breakfast in town before heading out. The route starts off flat for the first few kilometers. The road is quiet going through forests and rubber tree plantations. After 13km we have a small detour to see a Buddha statue built at the edge of the Khao Ra Kam Reservoir. The statue is visible only when the water level in the reservoir is low. It is submerged when the water level is high. An ancient Buddha was located here before the reservoir came into existence which explains the unusual location of the present-day Buddha. We then bike along the edge of the reservoir. It is a tough part of today’s route but you are rewarded with views of durian plantations. The route becomes easier once we leave the reservoir behind as it descends down to the Welu estuary which forms the boundary between Trat and Chanthaburi province. After lunch we arrive at the village of Ang Ka Pong where we board a boat for a 9km trip up the estuary and onto the other side of it. Keep your eyes open for red backed sea eagles which are plentiful in the area. We pass several fishing communities nestled in the mangroves with no road access on the Chanthaburi side of the estuary. Homestays have sprung up in several of them and they have become playgrounds for Thai groups who flock here on weekends. We get off the boat at Tha Ka Yang village which is the only one of the communities which has road access via a small dirt road. We get off at the local school where parents wait in their boats to pick up their kids and take them home. We will bike another 2kms to stay in a quieter place at one of the smaller arms of the estuary.

Day 4 – Tha Kha Yang village to Chanthaburi 53km biking

We leave Tha Ka Yang along the only road available. This road is tidal meaning that some of it is under water during high tide. Even during low tides large salty puddles remain so take care. The road eventually becomes paved and we eventually see several resorts lining this road for people who want to vacation in the mangrove area without the difficulty of travelling to remote communities like Tha Ka Yang. We eventually bike along a busy road for 4.5 km before we detour onto small roads once again. At the 28km mark we stop to take a look at Charoenchai Farm which is actually a fruit orchard. Chanthaburi province is well known in Thailand for its delicious fruits especially durian. After a 3km gradual climb we arrive at the entrance to Nam Tok Phlio (Phlio Waterfall) National Park. Here we will have a chance to stretch our legs and have a refreshing dip in the pool below the waterfall filled with soro brook carp. A short walk from the pool is the Alongkorn chedi built in 1876 by king Rama V to memorialize the spot where he courted the queen-to-be Sunandha two years earlier. A memorial was added in 1881 with the ashes of the queen after she drowned in the Chao Phraya river in a boat accident. She drowned because her guards did not allow anyone to save her due to the law which forbade anyone to touch her by pain of death. The law was amended afterwards.

The final 20km of today’s ride take us along quiet roads into Chanthaburi town, the provincial capital. Chanthaburi old town nestled along the river with a diverse mix of inhabitants gives us a great place to stay for a couple of nights. After checking in to our hotel we will go for a stroll in the old town and visit the sprawling gem market which Chanthaburi is famous for. Hundreds of traders gather here every weekend to buy and sell gems. Records indicate that the areas of Chanthaburi and Trat have been known for their rubies and sapphires extracted from nearby mines since the 15^th century. It was not until the 1962 coup d’état in Burma when the military nationalized the gem mines that Chanthaburi became the Ruby Capital of the World, famous for the exceptional Siamese Ruby. The ruby mines were mostly depleted by the turn of the century but Chanthaburi evolved from a gem mining area to the biggest gem trading and cutting center in south-east Asia. While most of the gem dealers have offices in Bangkok the cutting and treatment is done in Chanthaburi.

We have dinner at the excellent night market to finish the day.

Day 5 – Pilgrimage to Khao Kitchakut

This morning we take a car for half an hour to the entrance of Khao Kitchakut National Park. This park is well known for the Lord Buddha’s footprint at the top of its highest peak, Khao Phra Bat. A yearly festival takes place here between the Chinese New Year and Makha Bucha Day, a period of about 2 months. During this time pilgrims from all over Thailand make their way to the top of Khao Phra Bat to pay their respects and earn merit. We will have the opportunity to experience a local Buddhist ritual in an extraordinary setting.

The wild 8km 4WD ride up to the top is not for the faint of heart as a constant stream of trucks ply the route up and down on a steep, narrow dirt road. The road is sensibly open only to professional local drivers. If you would like to increase the amount of merit you earn you can also hike to the top instead of taking the 4WD. Once we get off the truck, we join the throngs of pilgrims for the 1.2km of stairs to climb to the top. Once we pay our respects to the Buddha’s footprint you can walk around along the trails at the top to look at geological features which are said to resemble various shapes such as an upside-down monk’s alms bowl, a hermit’s cave, various creatures etc. On clear days you can see as far as Chanthaburi city. We return to our hotel the same way we came and have a rest.

You can choose how to spend your afternoon today. You can join me for a 18km round trip ride out to Khai Noen Wong Fort and Maritime Museum, a 27km  round trip ride to Durian Land or go to walk around the old town, visit the cathedral and the interesting Ban Sam Chan art gallery or just lounge around the hotel.

Day 6 – Chanthaburi to Ao Yang 30km biking

We set off from Chanthaburi and after 11kms arrive at the village of Nong Bua which is known for its weekend Thai Dessert Market. Walk around the market to look at the well-preserved wooden houses and some interesting street art while sampling delicacies like ขนมควยลิง (Monkey Wiener) or ขนมหีควาย (Buffalo Muff). Biking another 4kms we arrive at the Chanthaburi Grand Canyon. The abandoned earth and gravel mine is filled with water and together with the adjacent boulders and hills produces some beautiful scenery although not quite as impressive in scale as the name would imply.

We continue on to Laem Sing town where we will visit two places of interest. One of them is Tuek Daeng (Red Building). It is the site of the Phikhat Patchamit Fort built in the reign of King Rama III. It was subsequently turned into living quarters and military command post by the French army. A single story, red-tiled roof building, today it serves as the Laem Sing district public library. The other is the notorious Khuk Khi Kai (Chicken Excrement Jail) which was built to hold Thais who resisted the French occupation of Chanthaburi in 1893. A 7-metre high, square-shaped prison, it was built with bricks with each side measuring 4.40 metres. The walls had holes for ventilation. The porous roof is said to have been used as chicken coop giving the prison its name. In 1904, in order to regain Chanthaburi, Siam ceded Trat to France.

We will then cross the bridge over the Chanthaburi river to Khao Laem Sing Forest Park where we will see an old fortification called Pom Phairi Phinat built during the reign of King Rama III to guard the entrance of the river. The fort sits on a small hill.

We continue on to Ao Yang where we check into our hotel. Small outdoor restaurants offer plenty of food options. Most visitors to this beach are Thai day trippers who come here for a seafood meal on the beach.

Day 7 – Ao Yang to Kung Wiman 36km biking

We start the day with a small detour to Ao Moo - Bay of Pigs. It seems like an unlikely place to launch an invasion of Cuba but apparently this is where it took place. We ride along the beach for 15km and arrive at Pak Nam Khaem Nu, After a short detour to see the incredibly tall temple here we cross the Chalerm Phra Kiat Bridge which provides some great views. Right after the bridge we climb a rather steep hill and descend to Chao Lao beach. This is a popular beach area for Thais with many hotels and restaurants.

After passing statues of Dugongs (sea cows) we arrive at Laem Sadet. Here we will visit the Kung Krabaen Bay Nature Center. This center is devoted to the restoration and preservation of the mangrove areas surrounding Kung Krabaen Bay. It contains an educational horticultural display and a mangrove boardwalk. We will then visit the Sea Farming Exhibition Unit which is actually devoted to raising and then releasing sea turtles, groupers and other fish as well as displaying how various shell fish are farmed in the area. We will have lunch in a small fishing village. There is an aquarium at Laem Sadet which you can visit if you like. After lunch we go to the other side of Kung Krabaen Bay by either taking a 700m long boat ride or cycling 14km on a small road. After a short cycle to Kung Wiman beach we check into our guesthouse. The beach here has a few small seaside restaurants with delicious seafood. Those with extra energy can join me for a hilly 4km bike ride to a beautiful view point.

Day 8 – Kung Wiman to Pak Nam Prasae 36km biking

Our route today follows the coastline but inland from it with rubber tree plantations along the way. We cross from Chanthaburi into Rayong province by crossing the Phang Rat Creek and turn left for a break at the Phang Rat fishing village with a statue of king Taksin and a long pier. Just before arriving at our final destination, we stop at a shrine honoring Somdet Kromluang Chumphon, "Father of the Royal Thai Navy”, who is highly revered by the locals. We then proceed to Pak Nam Prasae village located on the east bank of the Prasae River. There are many well preserved old wooden houses here as well. Some them have been turned into homestays, a restaurant, a small museum with pictures showing the village in the olden days. We check into our guesthouse and then bike to the Golden Meadow mangroves. We ride (you can walk if more comfortable) on a narrow, elevated boardwalk through the mangroves for an amazing 2km trip. The boardwalk finishes next to a small beach where the HTMS Prasae frigate ship is located. Originally commissioned in 1944 as the USS Gallup (PF-47) she joined the Pacific war zone in the same year and then the Korean War in 1950. She was also loaned to the Soviet Navy in anticipation that the Soviet Union would join the war against Japan in 1945 for 4 years. She was transferred to the Royal Thai Navy in 1951 and was used until she was decommissioned in 2000 and turned into a museum ship. You can have a walk through it. Next to the USS Prasae are several small restaurants where we can have snacks and drinks. This afternoon you can walk through Ban Pak Nam Prasae’s old town. We have dinner in a restaurant on the river.

Day 9 – Travel day from Pak Nam Prasae to Bangkok/HHH – no biking

After a lazy morning (finally) we load our bikes onto a truck and take a van for the 4 hour drive back to HHH. You can get off in Bangkok if you prefer.

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