Alex and I had read a couple of raving reviews online about a great cycling/motorbike route. Seen as though we had just become experienced scooter riders, over the last 2 days *cough cough*… we thought, why not?
We used a route map online, taking us on a loop tour out of Chiang Mai, into the countryside, up to Bua Thong Waterfalls, crossing the Mae Kuang Dam using the Motorcycle ferry and finally back into the city. In total a 98km round trip.
The first part of the trip was well, not very pleasant. It was a high speed road that felt similar to motorways in the UK yet going through busy towns and cyclists were riding on it…!
As soon as we turned off this road, the scenery was to die for, rice fields, small villages and tree lined roads.
Our first stop was the Bau Thong Waterfalls or better known as ‘Sticky Waterfall’. I had read online that you could scale the waterfall using no equipment. Due to the natural formation of the limestone deposits, the rock under the water is ‘sticky’, sort of grippy rather than slippy. I didn’t fully believe it at first, but nonetheless, our bare feet stuck to the rock and up we went!
After leaving the falls the drive got even more peaceful. The road conditions were surprisingly good for feeling so remote and we pressed on to the lake.
We knew that once we got to the lake we would have to wait for a small ferry to take us to the other side. This was a large risk relying on an unscheduled ferry as this wasn’t exactly a high traffic route and other travellers have been caught out, causing them to return the way they came. We REALLY didn’t want that to happen.
So we got to the lake, no boat and no sign of a boat. We waited….and waited….and waited.
Luckily they have built a small hut for shade so we camped in there with some snacks. Another lucky thing happened. A Thai man came to do some fishing at the lake and he offered to ring the man who operated the ferry for us. He said 30 minutes. We waited!
A hour and a half passed, just as our 4pm deadline hit for returning the way we came, he appeared on the horizon.
With very little English from him and no Thai from our side, we established where we were going, we got on board and off we went. Across the lake to the dam at the other side.
Getting to the dam was a huge relief, this meant not too long left until we were back in Chiang Mai (we really didn’t want to be driving down the busy roads after sunset).
Riding home, the light was beautiful. Golden hour. The dam and the lake looked beautiful as we road over the dam wall. Meandering around small rural villages, along the rice fields until we hit the main road that brought us back into the City.
If you are in Chiang Mai and wanting an adventure, I strongly recommend this route. Just a few tips;
- I don’t really understand how the ferry system works. So be prepared; call the man with the ferry as soon as you arrive, preferably get a local to speak to him as his English is limited and get there with enough time to drive back the 70km trip the way you came, just in case. (The numbers for the ferry: 081 746 9749 or 081 993 4844)
- Take plenty of water, snacks and essentials. If you are slow drivers or wanting to just simply stop for more view points you may not have time to stop for a long lunch.
- You need to dedicate a FULL day.
- And enjoy, its a beautiful ride.
Ness x
Ness' bit of everything 