Ride guide · The mountains
Mountain rides
from Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai sits at the foot of real mountains, and the best of them are under two hours away on a scooter. These are the rides we'd actually do.
One thing before the fun part: you need a licence that lets you legally ride a motorbike in Thailand, full stop. Our licence guide explains what counts and what doesn't. And these are mountain roads, so pick a bike that climbs and brakes well - more on that at the bottom.
Doi Suthep, and on to Doi Pui
The classic first ride. From the Old City it's about 15 km and half an hour to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the golden temple watching over the city. The road up is smooth, wide and beautifully surfaced - it's the hairpins that make it a ride, one after another all the way up. Take them at your own pace and watch for songthaews cutting the corners. Park at the temple, climb the naga staircase, and look back over the whole city.
Got more in the tank? Keep going past the temple: the road narrows and quietens on its way to Bhubing Palace and the Hmong village at Doi Pui, about 15 minutes further. Fewer tourists, cooler air, and a proper mountain-road feel.
The Samoeng loop - the classic half day
If you do one proper ride from Chiang Mai, this is it. About 100 km in a circle: north out of town through Mae Rim, up route 1096 into the hills to Samoeng, then back on route 1269 towards Hang Dong. Riding time is around three hours; with coffee and viewpoint stops it's a relaxed half day.
The tarmac is good the whole way round, but this is a real mountain road: steep climbs, long descents and blind curves, so ride it fresh and give your brakes a rest now and then. Stop at the Samoeng viewpoint near the top of the 1096 - layered blue ridges as far as you can see - and grab noodles or coffee in sleepy Samoeng town before the run home.
The Mae Sa valley
The first stretch of the Samoeng loop is a day out in itself. Thirty to forty minutes from town, the Mae Sa valley strings its sights along route 1096: the ten tiers of Mae Sa Waterfall, the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden with its canopy walkway, and a run of elephant sanctuaries and jungle cafes. The road here is gentler than the high part of the loop, which makes it a good first taste of the hills.
The one climb worth adding: Mon Cham, a ridge-top viewpoint above Pong Yaeng with strawberry farms and bamboo platforms hanging over the valley. The last few kilometres are steep and narrow, so take them slowly and use engine braking on the way down.
Bua Tong, the Sticky Waterfalls
Stretch it a little further: about 60 km north of town, an hour and a half of easy riding on route 1001 through villages and rice country - flat almost the whole way, so it suits a first long ride. The reward is a waterfall you climb up, barefoot, straight against the flow: the mineral coating on the rock grips like sandpaper. Bring a towel, go on a weekday if you can, and the ride home is downhill-easy.
Chiang Dao - the two-hour stretch
The far edge of a sensible day trip: about 70 km north on route 107, close to two hours each way. The first half is flat, straight and busier than the other rides here, so it's one for riders already comfortable in Thai traffic. It earns its place after Mae Taeng, when the limestone wall of Doi Luang Chiang Dao - one of Thailand's highest peaks - rises out of the plain. Stop at the Chiang Dao cave temple at the foot of the mountain, and start back early enough to be out of the truck traffic before dark.
Before you head up
- Licence first
- A Thai motorcycle licence, or an international driving permit that Thai law accepts for motorbikes. There are police checkpoints on these roads, and no ride is worth the trouble - our Chiang Mai by scooter guide covers riding here day to day.
- Weather
- In the rainy season, ride in the morning - the downpours usually come in the afternoon, and wet leaves on mountain corners deserve respect. In the cool season, bring a layer: it gets genuinely cold up high.
- Fuel and daylight
- Fill up before you leave town, and plan to be off the mountain roads by dark. None of these rides needs an early alarm, but all of them are better started before noon.
The right bike for the mountains
Any scooter will get up Doi Suthep, but the mountains are where our ADVs earn their keep: taller suspension, bigger front wheels and more ground clearance, built by Honda for exactly this kind of road. The ADV 160 is the one to take up a mountain - it adds traction control on top of the ABS, and it's the easiest to ride two-up. The ADV 150 gives you the same shape for a little less. Every rental comes with free delivery anywhere in Chiang Mai, two helmets and a phone holder, so you can navigate the loop without guessing.