Bangkok · Khao Yai Green Escape
A 416 km loop from Saraburi
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Why this ride
Green hills and cooler air outside the city heat. Out of Saraburi and back again: 416 km, roughly 7 h 10 in the saddle. The stops in between: Khao Yai park edge, Wang Nam Khiao hills and Pak Chong. It keeps to quiet secondary roads.
Roadbook
- Saraburi fuel
fuel
Saraburi is where the central plains finally begin to give way to hills, and it is a useful place for a rider to know. The city sits about a hundred kilometres north of Bangkok, with over sixty thousand people, and the limestone ridges that rise on its edges tell you that the Khorat Plateau and its mountains are not far away. For anyone heading to the Wang Nam Khiao hills or Khao Yai, this is a natural point to top up.
Fuel is easy. The town has stations on all the main roads, including big ones on Highway 1 and the road toward Nakhon Ratchasima, and there are cafes, convenience stores and restaurants within a short distance. If you are coming back, this is also the place to take a last break before the long, flat run to Bangkok. Kaeng Khoi, about eleven kilometres south, is where much of Thailand's cement industry is based, which explains the quarries and the white dust on some roads.
Saraburi has a significant place in Thai Buddhism. Phra Phutthabat, a temple north of the city, shelters a footprint of the Buddha that has been venerated since the seventeenth century, and pilgrims come from all over the country. In the cool season, sunflower fields in the nearby province of Lopburi draw crowds of photographers, and some riders make a detour to see the yellow carpets stretching toward the hills.
The riding around here is mixed. The main highways are fast and busy with trucks, and the cement works add heavy vehicles to the mix. Smaller roads toward the hills are more interesting, with curves and gentle climbs through scrub and rubber plantations. The surface is generally good, but loose gravel and mud near quarries can be a hazard.
Early morning gives the best air and the best light on the limestone. By midday the heat shimmers off the tarmac and it becomes uncomfortable. Drink plenty of water, keep your visor clear and plan to be at your destination before the afternoon storms roll in during the rainy season. Saraburi will not dazzle you, but it is dependable, and on a long ride, dependable is worth a great deal.
- Khao Yai park edge
sight
The edge of Khao Yai is a different country from the park itself. Where the forest road climbs from the plain, the hills above Wang Nam Khiao flatten into a high plateau of grass and farmland, with sunflower fields in the cool season, flower farms, and rows of fruit and vegetables, and the horizon is the dark wall of forest running up to the park boundary. The air here is cooler, and in the early mornings of December and January the valleys fill with mist that burns off by eight. It is easy to forget you are in the tropics.
The park sits on a high sandstone plateau, around eight hundred to a thousand metres, and its edge is steep, with the monsoon rain dropping on the windward slopes and feeding waterfalls on every side. Haew Suwat, a double cascade in the forest, appeared in a well-known film about backpackers, and is now a reliable stop for visitors. On the park's southern side, Haew Narok, a three-tier fall, is one of the largest in the country, and in the rainy season it thunders. Hornbills, gibbons and wild elephants live in the forest, and the elephants sometimes come out onto the roads.
Riding here is a matter of climbing and curving through the foothills. Roads from the Wang Nam Khiao side wind between farms and hills, with moderate gradients and good views, and the surface is generally decent, though tractors, trucks and cyclists use them. The route from Nakhon Nayok on the south side climbs through forest with long, tighter bends. Night riding is not wise, since animals cross the road after dark and drivers are sometimes erratic. Weekends are crowded with Bangkok visitors, so weekdays are calmer.
Small cafes and roadside stalls on the plateau sell coffee, grilled corn and fresh fruit. The best season is November to February, when the air is cool and the views clear. In the rainy season, expect fog, rain and leeches in the forest.
- Wang Nam Khiao hills
scenic
Wang Nam Khiao is a highland district in Nakhon Ratchasima province, in the hills just south of the great forest of Khao Yai, and it is the kind of country Thai city dwellers go to when they want cooler air and green views. Its name means green water valley, and the valley is a patchwork of farms, resorts and orchards on a plateau a few hundred metres above the plains. The hills are the rim of a bigger system, the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site where wild elephants, gibbons, hornbills and tigers still live in the deep forest.
The area has changed rapidly in recent decades, from a quiet farming district to a weekend escape for Bangkok. Today, it is dotted with farm stays, cafes, small wineries and flower gardens, and the roads are lined with signs. Local farms grow cassava, corn, fruit and vegetables, and the cooler climate suits strawberries and grapes. The scenery is a series of rolling hills and open vistas, with the forest on the horizon.
The riding here is relaxed and enjoyable. Roads through the hills have gentle gradients and smooth bends, with fine surfaces in most places, though Thai roads are shared with trucks, pickups, motorbikes and the occasional dog, so keep an eye out. Drivers can be unpredictable, overtaking on blind bends or turning without warning, so give them space and ride defensively. In the rainy season, from May to October, afternoon downpours can flood roads and make surfaces slippery. The cool season, from November to February, is the best time, with clear skies and cool mornings, and sometimes mist in the valleys.
Nature is the draw. The forest teems with birds, and in the early morning, the air is filled with calls. Waterfalls flow in the wet season, and wildflowers bloom along the roads. Elephants occasionally cross the roads in the national park, so keep alert, particularly at dusk.
Services are scattered. There are PTT stations on the main roads and plenty of small shops, and the district has many cafes, with some serving good coffee grown in the region. Pak Chong, about forty kilometres away, is the main town for supplies, and has everything you need. Bring cash for small shops, and a rain jacket whatever the season.
- Pak Chong food
food
Pak Chong is the working town at the foot of the Khao Yai hills, strung along the Mittraphap Highway, the long road that runs from Bangkok across the plateau into the north-east of Thailand. It is a busy, unglamorous place with a lot of traffic and a lot of shopfronts, and it is the practical gateway to Khao Yai National Park, the oldest in the country. About fifty thousand people live in the area, and it feels larger because of the stream of visitors, truckers and weekend tourists passing through.
The town has an unusual identity. The cooler highlands around it have long been cattle and dairy country, and Pak Chong is known across Thailand for its steak restaurants and its roadside cowboy flavour, a curious blend of Isan and Texas. The dairy farms produce milk, yoghurt and cheese, and the fields around grow corn, grapes and sunflowers. The vineyards of the Khao Yai region, a recent development in Thai agriculture, produce wines that are a surprise to those who expect Thailand to be only tropical. Food in town ranges from noodle shops and night markets to grilled meats, and a bowl of noodles at a street stall is a good bet.
Riding in and out of Pak Chong takes some care. The highway is busy with lorries, buses and cars, and overtaking is common and risky. Traffic lights, roundabouts and u-turn lanes add to the confusion, so take your time. Once you leave the main road, the roads to the park and the hills become much quieter, with gentle climbs through forest and farmland. The road into Khao Yai itself has many bends, and wildlife, including elephants, deer and macaques, may appear on the road, so keep to the speed limit and give them room.
Weather follows the monsoon. From May to October, afternoons are wet and humid, and storms can be heavy. From November to February, mornings are cool and the air is clear. March to May is hot and dry. The best time for riding is the cool season, particularly in the early morning.
Fuel is easy, with stations along the highway and in town, and there are plenty of cafes, bakeries and restaurants. Stock up here before heading into the hills, where services are scarce.
- Back to Saraburi fuel
finish
Back at Saraburi fuel. That is the ride.