CYCLING, CHIANG MAI TO LUANG PRABANG RACCTL 11 Days / 10 Nights Day Destination Activity Difficulty Transfer Meals Hotels 1 Chiang Mai Arrival Warm up Cycle 10km Easy 15mins -/-/D De Lanna Hotel 2 Chiang Mai – Phayao Cycling up to 80 kms Medium 2.5hours B/L/D Phayao Gateway Hotel Phayao Lake – Chiang 3 Cycling up to 95 kms Medium - B/L/D Rico Resort Kham 4 Chiang Kham - Nan Cycling up to 90km Hard 2.0hours B/L/D Nan BoutiQue Hotel 5 Nan – Hong Sa Cycling up to 89km Medium 45mins B/L/D Konglan Guesthouse 6 Hongsa- Xayabouri Cycling up to 86km Hard - B/L/D Saylomyen GH Elephant Conservation Elephant Conservation 7 Xayabouri Easy - B/L/D Activity Center Ka Cham Waterfall 8 Xayabouri- Ka Cham Cycling up to 68km Hard - B/L/D Resort Ka Cham- Luang My Dream BoutiQue/ 3 9 Cycling up to 47km Medium - B/L/- Prabang Nagas My Dream BoutiQue/ 3 10 Luang Prabang Cycling up to 72km Medium - B/L/D Nagas Luang Prabang 11 - - 15min B/-/- - Departure Day 1: Chiang Mai – Arrival (-/- /D) Upon arrival, meet your guide at the airport to be transferred by air conditioned vehicle to your hotel in Chiang Mai. Drop your bags and freshen up before an afternoon to try out your wheels. It’s time to explore the highlights of this charismatic South East Asian city! What better place to start our day of discovery than the banks of the Mae Ping River! From here, we join the bustle of Waroros market by foot, a favorite for Chiang Mai locals for exotic species, colorful fruits, an endless variety of rice and bizarre new culinary delights. Now we jump on our bikes and continue to Tapae Gate to explore ancient Chiang Mai by Bike. Tapae Gate is Chiang Mai's main entrance to the old walled city. In days gone by, it was the gate through which traders, diplomats and visiting monks passed when they had business in the city proper. From here, we cycle to Three Kings Monument and the city’s most beautiful temples Wat Chedi Luang, where the famous Emerald Buddha was once enshrined, and Wat Phra Singh, home to a very old and sacred Buddha image. Continue to Wat Chang Man, the oldest temple in Chiang Mai to finish todays ride. Transfer to hotel to freshen up before dinner. Enjoy your first evening in Chiang Mai with dinner at a restaurant on the Ping River before the chance to look around the famous Night Market. Overnight in Chiang Mai Distance & journey times: Transfer from Chiang Mai Airport – Hotel: 15 minutes Cycling distance up to: 10km Difficulty: Easy Day 2: Chiang Mai - Phayao (B/L/D) This morning we depart early and transfer to Mae Rim to start cycling. Ride towards Bua Tong Waterfall, located in the spectacular Sri Lanna National Park, where you can enjoy some time in the limestone waterfall before we mount our bikes and ride further on the picturesQue off -road. Caves, temples, and other local outlets are just a few of the things we will catch on our way. We arrive at a small village where we stop to catch our breath, take our bikes to the lake where our long tail boat drivers are waiting to help us board the boat and transfer the short 15 minute boat ride across the lake. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant nearby Mae Kuang Dam before we pick up our transfer to Phayao Lake in time to catch a sunset Kayak or Long tail boat ride on the lake before an evening of seafood delight. Distance & journey time: Transfer from Mae Kuang Dam to Phayao: 2.5 hours Cycling distance up to: 80kms Difficulty: Medium 16 June 2016 www.exotravel.com/trade 2 Day 3: Phayao – Chiang KhaM (B/L/D) Depart Phayao leaving this panoramic lake backdrop behind you as you head towards Chiang Kham, home to Tai Lue people. The Tai Lue people originate from Yunnan Province of southern China and migrated over 200 years ago. Stop at a local restaurant for lunch with the backdrop of Doi Bussacarun, 1,826m mountain before continuing on your ride. Take in the Charm of the villages as you ride pass their traditional Thai style wooden homes on stilts and the friendly smiles of the locals. Before reaching the Village of Chiang Kham stop at the areas most renowned weaving house before Wat Nantaram, a Shan style structure temple and then our final stop will be at Baedang Bat Cave for sunset. Overnight in Chiang Kham Distance and journey time: Transfer from Phayao Hotel to start of cycle: up to 15 mins Cycling distance up to: 95km Difficulty: Medium Day 4: Chiang Kham - Nan (B/L/D) Enjoy breakfast in the serene surroundings of the resort this morning before heading into the jungle! Take a well-trodden jungle cycle loop enjoying the flora of this region before riding through rubber tree plantations back to the village. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant to try out the most delicious dish in the Phayao District. This afternoon take to the Quiet back roads before joining the infamous route to Nan for your final leg of the day. Dinner followed by a visit to the beautiful Wat Phumin and night market. Overnight in Nan Distance & journey time: Transfer from Chiang Kham to Nan: 2 hours Cycling distance up to: 90km Difficulty: Hard Day 5: Nan – Border - Hongsa (B/L/D) This morning we depart early and take on Nans incredibly natural roads. Cycle from your hotel through Nan’s sleepy town, witnessing portions of the old city and some ancient Wats, or temples, still exhibiting architecture dating back to the Lanna era, while others show the Thai Lue legacy, imported from China. Cycle towards the Nan River, catch a glimpse of the early morning rowing team as they race their long boats accommodating as many as 60 rowers. From here we cycle to the boarder where you will say goodbye to your Thai team. 16 June 2016 www.exotravel.com/trade 3 Welcome to Laos! Cross the border from Thailand to Laos at Muang Ngeune, where your Laos cycling guide will greet you. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before jumping on your bikes. Your introduction to cycling in Laos will be a gradual climb before a downhill ride to Hongsa. Most of the villages you will pass along the way are Tai Lue and have spectacularly layered rice fields. In royal times, Laos was originally called Lane Xang, “Land of a Million Elephants”. Hongsa is a region that, to this day, is still home to wild elephants and hosts the annual Elephant Festival, used to honor the mighty pachyderms. Stop by Wat Simungkhun, which hosts an initiation pavilion, fashioned in attractive native style and a raised stone platform covering a large hole said to “lead to the end of the world”. Arrive at Hongsa and check in to your Guesthouse. Freshen up before a stroll through town and dinner by the market. Overnight in Hongsa Distance and journey time: Transfer: Up to 45 mins Cycling distance in Thailand: Up to 50km Cycling distance in Laos: 39km Difficulty: Medium Day 6: Hongsa - Xayaboury ECC (B/L/D) This morning pack your belongings and cycle out towards the capital of the region, Xayaboury. Today will be a challenging day as you face Laos’s mountainous terrain. The first 30kms of cycling will be a small but continuous climb before a steep downhill for 4 km! The remainder of the ride is mostly flat until we reach the Elephant Conservation Center. Located Southwest of Luang Prabang, Sayaboury is a mountainous province with peaks of more than 1000 meters. Travel to this remote province will reveal many beautiful mountains and flower gardens. The local people earn their living via agricultural products such as growing rice, cucumbers, cotton, cabbage, beans and sugarcane. It is also home to the largest population of elephants in Laos. Sayaboury is one of the most remote and difficult provinces to reach in Laos, where adventurous spirits will be rewarded with a uniQue cultural and authentic natural experience. We will have several stops on route for lunch and snacks to enjoy the local villages, scenic rice fields and mountain pass views of the valley below. 16 June 2016 www.exotravel.com/trade 4 Upon arrival at the Nam Tien Lake pier you can admire this majestic lake, with many islands, surrounded by untouched tropical forest. From the pier we take a long boat to the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC). On arrival local staff will welcome you before checking into your bamboo bungalow, built in a traditional style. Before Dinner, walk the elephants to their nightly resting ground. You will witness the unique bond between the mahout and his elephant. Our experienced mahouts use vocal commands to steer the animals through the thick foliage. As you stroll together with these magnificent creatures into the dense forest of Nam Tien, take a moment! This is the REAL land of elephants! Your guide will give you some interesting information about the biodiversity of our protected forest. Spend some time to taking in your surroundings from the viewpoint, go for a swim in the lake or visit the museum. During meal time, feel free to ask the experienced staff any Questions or sit back and relax over a Lao style cocktail while enjoying the lake and mountain views! Overnight at the ECC Distance and journey time: Cycling distance: Up to 86km Difficulty: Hard Boat Transfer: 10 Minutes Day 7: Xayaboury ECC (B/L/D) On day two of your Elephant Conservation experience you will meet up with the elephants in the forest.