Northern Thailand Bike Tour

A Few Things to Do Now

You have booked your tour — now there are a few things that will help us get everything ready for you.

Complete your Guest Questionnaire. We use this information to arrange your bicycle, dietary needs, airport transfers and other tour details.

Guest Questionnaire: secure.pedalers.travel/guestQuestions.php

You will need your Booking ID from your confirmation email and the passphrase you selected when booking.

Check your passport and Thailand entry requirements. Pedalers recommends that your passport remain valid for at least six months beyond the end of your trip.

Many Pedalers guests can visit Thailand for a short tourist stay without obtaining a visa in advance, but requirements depend on nationality.

Foreign travelers entering Thailand must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) before entering the country. The official TDAC can be completed during the three days before arrival, including your arrival date:

tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/

Each traveler is responsible for confirming the passport, visa, transit and other entry requirements that apply to their journey.

Get Some Riding In

Good preparation will make a noticeable difference on this tour. The most important thing to build is endurance rather than speed — the ability to spend several hours on the bicycle and feel ready to ride again the following day.

A useful routine is several shorter rides during the week combined with one progressively longer ride each weekend. As the trip approaches, try putting two riding days together occasionally so your body becomes accustomed to consecutive days in the saddle.

If you have a local cycling club, this is a good time to join some of their rides. The camaraderie makes longer outings easier to fit into your schedule, and riding with others often encourages a slightly brisker, steadier pace than riding alone.

For tours with substantial climbing, include hills whenever possible. You do not need to chase speed uphill; work on finding a comfortable gear and a steady rhythm that you can maintain for an extended climb.

The goal is not to arrive in racing condition. It is to start the tour knowing that several hours of riding feels familiar rather than like a new experience.

Your Guide Team

Your tour is led by Pedalers' local guide team, backed up by a support vehicle.

We will send guide names and contact information shortly before departure so you can reach the team if your flight is delayed or you have trouble connecting with the group.

The support van carries luggage between stops, keeps purified drinking water available and provides an easy option whenever someone wants a break from riding.

Arriving in Chiang Mai

The tour begins and ends in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Plan to arrive before 14:00 (2 pm) on Day 1 so there is time to reach the hotel, settle in and be ready for the bike fitting, orientation and dinner.

We generally group airport pickups around guest flight schedules rather than sending a separate vehicle for every arriving flight. Your approximate pickup time will be sent shortly before the tour.

Chiang Mai International Airport: CNX Local time: GMT+7

Heading Home

The tour returns to Chiang Mai on Day 7.

Plan departing flights for after 14:00 (2 pm). As with arrivals, airport transfers are grouped around guest flight schedules and the approximate timing is sent shortly before the trip.

If you are booking the Bangkok–Chiang Mai flights separately from your international ticket, we recommend allowing at least three hours between separately booked flights in Bangkok.

Money, Cards & ATMs

Thailand's currency is the Thai baht (THB).

Credit-card acceptance is increasing, but Thailand is still much more cash-oriented than many visitors expect. Many of the hotels we use accept cards for room charges, restaurant meals or gift-shop purchases, and some higher-end restaurants do as well. A good portion of local eateries, street-food vendors, bars, markets and small shops remain cash-only.

Thai ATMs charge a local fee when using foreign cards, generally 250 to 350 baht per withdrawal. Some bank chains may charge the higher amount for certain MasterCard transactions. Because the fee is charged each time, fewer larger withdrawals usually make more sense than a series of small ones.

If an ATM or card terminal asks whether you want the transaction converted into your home currency, choose Thai baht. Your home bank then performs the conversion using its buy rate, which is normally more favorable than the sell rate used when the ATM or card-machine provider converts the transaction into your home currency.

Phones, Data & Wi-Fi

Mobile coverage in Thailand is generally very good.

International roaming, a Thai SIM or a travel eSIM can all work well. There may occasionally be gaps in more rural areas, but we are rarely disconnected for long.

Wi-Fi is available at our accommodations and is generally sufficient for normal email, messaging and web use.

Electricity & Power Outlets

Thailand uses approximately 220-230V electricity at 50 Hz.

Most Thai power outlets accept both US-style flat-blade plugs and European-style round-pin plugs. Higher-end hotels may also have universal outlets accepting UK and Australian plugs.

If you are buying an adapter specifically for Thailand, choose one that plugs into the wall using US-style flat blades. They generally fit Thai outlets more securely than European round pins.

Most modern phones, cameras and laptop chargers accept worldwide voltage. Equipment marked 100-240V does not need a voltage converter.

Weather in Northern Thailand

Our preferred season for this tour is October through February, when Northern Thailand normally offers warm days, cooler mornings and evenings, and generally comfortable riding conditions.

December and January mornings can occasionally feel surprisingly cool, especially outside Chiang Mai and in the higher country.

Bring a lightweight layer that is easy to add or remove, plus a light rain jacket for the occasional shower.

A note about sun and staying cool: long tropical riding days are not the best time to work on a tan. Heavy waterproof or sweatproof sunscreen over large areas can make evaporative cooling less effective and leave you feeling hotter. Lightweight sun-protective clothing often works better on the bicycle; save the tanning for the pool or beach.

Riding Conditions

Most days are flat or rolling, but there is considerable variation in distance. The longest day reaches about 92 km, and one stage includes a moderate climb before descending into agricultural country.

The support van gives the group flexibility, but arriving with enough endurance to enjoy several hours on the bicycle will make the week much more rewarding.

Your Bicycle

Pedalers provides your bicycle for the tour.

Your Guest Questionnaire asks for your height and inseam so we can select the correct frame size. Please provide an actual inseam measurement rather than the inseam printed on a pair of pants.

To measure it, stand barefoot against a wall with your feet about 15 cm / 6 inches apart. Place a book firmly between your legs as though it were a bicycle saddle and measure from the top of the book straight down to the floor. Measuring two or three times helps ensure an accurate result.

If you regularly ride with clip-in pedals or have a favorite saddle, feel free to bring them. The guides can install them on your Pedalers bicycle.

If you have reserved an eBike instead of a regular bicycle, the guides will fit it for you and go over the controls and levels of pedal assistance during orientation.

Your Helmet & Water Bottle

Please bring your own bicycle helmet and water bottle.

We ask guests to bring their own helmets because helmet padding absorbs sweat and skin oils, and we do not feel shared helmets can be cleaned thoroughly enough between users.

We also skip the souvenir water bottles many tour companies hand out. Most are used briefly and then become unnecessary plastic, so we would rather you bring a bottle you already use and like.

Our support vehicle carries plenty of purified drinking water for refills throughout the riding day.

Thai Food — Including the Spicy Question

Food is an important part of our Thailand trips, and the guides choose restaurants and dishes to give the group variety rather than ordering the same familiar dishes night after night.

Thai cooking can certainly involve chilies, but not everything is fiery. Many dishes are naturally mild and restaurants can often adjust the heat. Tell your guides what level of spice suits you and they will help plan meals accordingly.

Vegetarian, Vegan & Gluten-Free Diets

Vegetarian food is readily available in Thailand, but there is an important difference between a dish containing vegetables and a dish that is strictly vegetarian.

Fish sauce and oyster sauce are common Thai seasonings, including in dishes that might otherwise appear vegetarian.

Strict vegetarians and vegans should tell us in advance so your guides can explain the requirements carefully to restaurants.

Gluten-free meals can usually be accommodated with advance notice.

Whatever your dietary requirements, include them in your Guest Questionnaire. The more the guide team knows beforehand, the easier it is to plan meals that work for everyone.

Drinking Water & Ice

Tap water at many of our hotels comes from provincial water systems and has been treated. It is generally fine for brushing your teeth and normal washing, but we recommend using bottled or filtered water for drinking.

We keep plenty of purified drinking water in the support van throughout the riding day, and bottled water is readily available at hotels and shops.

Commercially produced ice in Thailand is made from purified water and delivered to restaurants, hotels and shops, so the ice served in normal restaurants and cafés is not the same as freezing untreated tap water at home.

Temples & Respectful Dress

Buddhist temples are part of the journey.

When entering temple buildings, shoulders and knees should be covered. Lightweight clothing makes this easy: carry a light shirt, wrap or other layer that can be put on over riding clothes when necessary.

Shoes are removed before entering many temple buildings, homes and some other indoor spaces.

Your guides will explain local etiquette as it comes up during the tour.

What to Bring

Northern Thailand can be warm during the day and noticeably cooler in the morning, so light layers work well.

For riding

• Bicycle helmet
• Large water bottle
• Cycling shorts or comfortable riding bottoms
• Lightweight jerseys or breathable shirts
• Cycling gloves
• Comfortable cycling shoes
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Lightweight long-sleeve layer
• Light cycling layer for cooler mornings
• Your own pedals or saddle, if desired

For after riding

• Lightweight casual clothing
• Comfortable walking shoes or sandals
• Light sweater, fleece or similar layer for northern evenings
• Clothing that covers shoulders and knees for temple visits
• Swimsuit for hotel pools where available

Useful extras

• Prescription medications
• Personal toiletries
• Mosquito repellent
• Phone and charging cables
• Travel adapter if needed
• Small power bank
• Small daypack or waist pack
• Favorite riding snacks

There is no need for formal clothing on the tour.

Tipping Your Guide Team

Tipping traditions differ around the world, and many of our guests come from places where gratuities are not an everyday custom. A multi-day guided journey is a little different. Your guides and drivers spend the trip looking after the group, sharing their country, solving the small problems that inevitably arise and helping make the journey run smoothly.

For that reason, Pedalers encourages guests to consider a gratuity as a personal thank-you to the people who have looked after them throughout the tour.

As a guideline, we suggest 2000 baht (~US$70) per guest for each guide and 1500 baht (~US$50) per guest for each driver. Gratuities are best given directly to each person at the end of the tour, preferably in local currency.

Questions Before You Leave?

If you are uncertain about flights, documents, eBikes, food or what to pack, ask us before you travel.

It is much easier to sort something out before departure than at the airport.

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