Chiang Rai on two wheels

A popular tourist destination with both Thais and foreign visitors, Chiang Rai is best known for its rugged mountainous terrain, hilltribe villages and ornate temples. Now, it’s hoping to encourage a new kind of tourist – the cycling enthusiast.

Singha Park Chiang Rai, the ecotourism site that’s part of Boon Rawd Brewery’s 8,600-rai fruit and vegetable farm, recently organised the Singha Park Touring Bike Fest to introduce three cycling routes that start and end at the park.

“Cyclists will enjoy both the wonders of Mother Nature and good roads on different parts of the routes. While they are harder to navigate, I think the trails through wilder terrain are most interesting as they showcase the fabulous scenery the North has to offer,” says Zeudthavee “O” Kanchanapakapong, founder of BikeFinder and leader of our group.

“Some routes are challenging and cyclists will need to know how to use gears, particularly on the hilly sectors, and conserve their energy efficiently.”

Our group decides to first tackle the 34-kilometre route to Khun Korn Forest Park Waterfall and back. We ride a mix of mountain and road bikes and several of us find the uphill going hard. The trail is in poor condition too and we have to be extra careful not to hit any of the multitude of potholes that threaten to throw us out of our saddles. Speeds pick up once we reach the top of the hill and while the road is better going down, it’s also full of curves and covered in fine grains of sand.

“The gradient is between six and 10 per cent over four kilometres on the way to the waterfall,” Zeudthavee tells us. “It shouldn’t be too hard for cyclists who know how to ride uphill but I’ve noticed that some of you are riding at high cadence, which is unnecessary as well as tiring. Try to control your heart rate and feel the relation between your legs and the gears as you climb. It will be a lot easier.”

We arrive at the Khun Korn Forest Park in the evening and unfortunately it’s already too dark to see the 70-metre-high waterfall, which is considered the highest and most beautiful in Chiang Rai.

The following day we are up early and ready to tackle the 70km ride to the Karen-run elephant village. It’s a scenic route with lots of attractions along the way and we make a stop at the Mae Fah Luang Garden, winner of the PATA Award for Tourist Site Development in 1993. We send time admiring the blooms before getting back on our bikes to travel the 17.6km to Phasoet Hot Spa on the banks of the Mae Kok River, one of Chiang Rai’s best known hot springs.

A further 6km along a non-asphalt side road with drainage ditches on either side takes us to a wooden suspension bridge that Zeudthavee assures us in much stronger than it looks.

“This section is probably too hard for beginners as the road is poor and steep with a gradient of 12-14 per cent. You really need to know how to use your gears properly and you also expend a lot of energy. Controlling the bike is essential and you should put your weight behind the saddle to balance the rear wheel. And remember to use 80 per cent of the rear brake,” he says.

We reach the other side of the bridge without mishap and cycle another 8km to the Ruammit Elephant Village, a Karen community that’s famous for its elephant rides.

“It’s hard to find challenging routes with cool weather that help us give our hearts a good workout but without exhausting us,” comments fellow cyclist and physical therapist Manasawee Santananukarn as we make our way back to Singha Farm in the late afternoon.

Sadly, we have to call it a day the next morning and return to Bangkok so are unable to check out the third route, a 36km trip that tours the city and passes Pho Khun Mengrai the Great Monument and Wat Rong Khun. However, given the challenges and fun offered by the first two routes, it’s probably safe to say that this one too merits the pedal power.

 

 

A day in the country

_ For more about Singha Park Chiang Rai, call (053) 172 870, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.BoonRawdFarm.com.