Cycling in Chiang Rai - Thailand

Below you can find the routes of some of the favourite rides that I did, as well as some information about what to expect riding in this area.

Most of these routes were part of a longer cycling trip that I did through South East Asia in the winter of 2022-23. Other destinations on the trip include Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Hua Hin and Hoi An.

These were single center trips where I did numerous routes around the city, mostly on paved roads, but with some off-road sections. I also did a more classical touring trip around Central Thailand in 2025.

Kok River Circle

This 58km loop is one of my absolute favourite rides in Chiang Rai. I rode it, or slight variations of it, many times during my time in the city.

The scenery on the rode is picturesque rather than spectacular, and the villages are interesting rather than must visit places. However, this is simply a really enjoyable ride for the sake of riding! The road is good quality and has very light traffic; and the couple of unpaved sections are also uncomplicated.



The ride begins by leaving Chiang Rai along quiet lanes to avoid the busy roads circling the city. It then follows the Kok River out of the city along a rolling course with nice views of the river on one side and dense jungle on the other.

This route continues along a gravel section to cross the really cool, narrow wooden bridge. However, if you are on a road bike, you can take an earlier turn (marked on the map) to stay on paved surfaces. The return to Chiang Rai is on a good, paved road and passes through some villages where you can stop for refreshments. There's also an elephant sanctuary on the way.




I returned into Chiang Rai on the northern side of the river, which is a little complicated to navigate without GPS, so be sure to check out the route linked below.


Ride with Gps Route

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Huai Mae Sai

This route to the north of Chiang Rai, visiting the Huai Mae Sai waterfall, is another of my favourites. Highlights include a really beautiful gravel road after 13km, which winds through tropical fruit plantations.

The waterfall itself is located at the high point of the route after 22.5km. Leave your bike here in the car park next to the small ticket office, and from there you have to hike a few hundred metres up to the waterfall itself. When I went, in mid-week, it was completely empty and is well worth the short walk!



From the waterfall, you retrace your steps with a light descent and rejoin quiet roads through rice fields and increasingly dense jungle. The roads start to feel increasingly remote as you loop around the Huay Pla Kang monastery.

There is a gravel section at around 40km, but it posed me no difficulties at all on a hybrid bike with 40mm tyres. The riding is then straight forward back into Chiang Rai on quiet roads.

At the end of the ride, I included a short section along the cycle route on the Kok River to enjoy the scenery in the city, and visited a nice cafe with some of the best cake I have had in Thailand. See the map linked below for full details of the ride:

Ride with Gps Route

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Coffee Plantations

This is by far the most challenging of the rides listed here. At just 79km and around 1300m of elevation, it might not sound too hard, but it includes a brutal climb and fun but slow descent.

I headed south out of Chiang Rai, following flat, quiet roads through the rice fields. After around 15km I arrived at the white temple, which is one of the main attractions in the region. The temple is pretty new, completed in 1997, and is admired for its decoration and its porcelain like appearance. It was pretty busy here and I had a long ride ahead of me so didn't stay too long, but plenty of tourists spend a full day travelling out here and admiring the Wat in great detail.




I took a slight long cut to avoid riding on the busy 1211 road and then followed a beautiful road alongside the Mae Kon River. There were some really cool looking restaurants and cafes here right next to the river, but I had my eyes on something further up the road.

The route was gently climbing along the river, but after 35km I turned right and the real climb began up towards the coffee plantations. The gradient averaged 13% for nearly 5km and was not entirely consistent, so there were some very steep sections at times.

It was rewarding, but not the most scenic climb, and it was a relief when the road started to flatten at the Khao Mok plateau. Along here there are several small coffee plantations with their own cafes where you can sample the local produce. I enjoyed sipping a couple of delicious drinks at one of them, with views overlooking the coffee fields.

Some of the cafes also have accommodation and I think it would be a very cool place to spend a night or two.




After a long and well-deserved rest at the cafe, I began the descent. I wanted to do a circular ride, which meant I would be descending mostly on a gravel road and dirt tracks. For the most part, the surface was good and I was able to enjoy the scenery without having to focus solely on the surface.

The trail narrowed after riding through the last village after around 49.5km and it was a single track most of the way down. The surface was slightly rutted in places, but mostly smooth and I didn't have any problems riding down on a hybrid bike. After 53km I rejoined the paved road and followed part of the River Kok route back into Chiang Rai.

This was a great ride with some culture, a tough climb, a fun descent and generally very little traffic. Check out the details in the map linked below:

Ride with Gps Route

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Ban Pang Klang

This 53km route climbs to the Karen village of Ban Pang Klang, before descending following really fun gravel roads back towards Chiang Rai.

I began by heading south out of Chiang Rai and stopped off at Singha Park (see below for details) to see the tea plantations. From there I joined the very quiet and picturesque road climbing to Ban Pang Klang.



Ban Pang Klang is an ethnic Karen village and it was rather unexpected to see quite a large church dominating the main square. People were very friendly and it's a nice place to stop for refreshments.

After the village, the trail becomes more wild and passes through a mix of cultivated and uncultivated jungle. The route is all rideable, although one short and steep climb has gradients over 20%! It is a very beautiful section and I found it fine to ride on a hybrid bike.

The last 10km follows picturesque, quiet paved roads back into Chiang Rai. See the link below for route details:

Ride with Gps Route

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Wat Phra Phutthabat

This short, 38km ride visits some of the most impressive temples in the Chiang Rai region. The first part is the same as the River Kok route, but after 17km I turned left and followed a secluded river along a stream.

Before long this turned into a gravel track and began climbing up towards Wat Phra Phuttabat. The track was surrounded by thick jungle, with birdsong and other animal noises echoing around. It was a peaceful and very scenic route, with a couple of (rideable) stream crossings, before I arrived at the first temple - Phutthabucha Ubosot, which was a surprisingly large and open complex carved into the jungle.




A short and steep climb then took me to the more impressive Wat Phra Phuttabat (Doi Insi Temple). This was an impressive located site on a cliff with a giant Buddha overlooking the Chiang Rai valley.

From there I followed paved roads back into Chiang Rai where I visited a couple more wats, including Wat Phra Khaew - home to a famous Jade (Emerald) Buddha.

Check out the route in the link below:

Ride with Gps Route

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Singha Park

This final route option is a bit different. The ride itself is pleasant although probably not as an enjoyable as the other routes above. The main attraction is visiting Singha Park, which you enter around 25km into the route.

I entered here by mistake the first time, as I didn't know it was a closed park. I stumbled across some tea plantations with some really cool gravel roads, and they led me past a small zoo into the center of the park.



In short, Singha Park is a kind of theme park with a cycle track, some animals, interesting plant displays (tea plantations, lotus, very colorful flowers), and is nice to spend a couple of hours visiting, on and off the bike. It also has cafes and restaurants on site for refreshments. This route enters the back way into the park, which I'm not 100% sure is allowed, although nobody said anything or stopped me. The official main entrance is marked on the map at around the 30km mark - see the route link below for details:

Ride with Gps Route

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Overview

As you can see from the rides, I recommend a hybrid or gravel bike for Chiang Rai. A lot of the riding is on road, but some of the best scenery is found off-road. It also allows you to do circular rides without having to go on main roads.

As well as being great for day rides, Chiang Rai can also be used as a base on a longer cycling tour. Nice options include heading North towards the 'Golden Triangle' tri-point with Laos and Myanmar, before following the Mekong down towards Nan Province (or crossing into Laos).

You could also continue riding along the Kok River, and follow a mixture of off-road routes and back roads to either Chiang Mai or Pai.

Finally, there is excellent gravel riding heading south through Phayao and Phrae and down into Central Thailand. Check out the links below for more information about cycling and cycle touring in Thailand.


Cycling around Chiang Mai


Cycling around Hua Hin


Cycling around Luang Prabang


Central Thailand Cycling Tour


Overview - Cycle Touring in Thailand


Cycle Touring Guides