Mae Hong Son Fly-Ride Route · short arc

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fuel stop near Krathum Baen

   Krathum Baen is a district of Samut Sakhon province, south-west of Bangkok, where the city's sprawl meets factories, shrimp farms and the last of the old orchards. The Tha Chin River, a distributary of the Chao Phraya, flows past on its way to the Gulf of Thailand, and the land is crossed by canals that once carried produce to market by boat. It is a working area, busy with trucks and commuters, and a place most riders pass through on their way to somewhere else.

   Read the complete Fuel stop near Krathum Baen write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Mae Hong Son Fly-Ride Route is where the day begins. Next is High point near Krathum Baen.

2. 2. High point near Krathum Baen

   There is no real high ground on the Tha Chin plain west of Krathum Baen; the land is as flat as a table, built from river silt over millennia. What passes for height here is the hump of a bridge over the river or a canal, and from such a vantage the view is of water, palms, temple roofs and the occasional factory chimney. The river curves lazily through the landscape, and long-tail boats still ply its brown waters.

   Read the complete High point near Krathum Baen write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Mae Hong Son Fly-Ride Route checkpoint 8.

3. 3. Near Bang Yai

   Somewhere north of Chiang Mai, on Route 1095 towards Pai and Mae Hong Son, a sign announces 1,864 curves, and riders queue to have their photo taken with it. That road, through the mountains of the far north-west, is the heart of the Mae Hong Son ride, and this point in Bangkok's western outskirts is where it all ends, back in the flatlands after the bikes have been flown or trucked home and the last kilometres ridden across the city.

   Read the complete Near Bang Yai write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 292 km. Next is Scenic stretch near Pathum Thani.

4. 4. Scenic stretch near Pathum Thani

   Pathum Thani means city of lotuses, a name said to have been given by King Rama II when the local people presented him with lotus flowers during a visit. The province, just north of Bangkok on the Chao Phraya, was settled by Mon refugees from Burma in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their culture survives in temples, festivals and food along the river. Wat Chedi Hoi, a temple decorated with millions of ancient fossil shells, is one of the area's curiosities.

   Read the complete Scenic stretch near Pathum Thani write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Scenic stretch near Pathum Thani, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Khlong Luang.

5. 5. Photo stop near Khlong Luang

   Khlong Luang sprawls across the flat rice plain north of Bangkok, a district of canals, industrial estates and university campuses. Thammasat University's Rangsit campus, the Asian Institute of Technology and Thailand Science Park are all here, along with Navanakorn, one of the country's large industrial zones. It is a busy, modern place that gives little hint of the countryside it once was.

   Read the complete Photo stop near Khlong Luang write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Photo stop near Khlong Luang sits at 195 km, about halfway. Next is Bangkok / Thailand return.

6. 6. Near Bang Pakong, on the way back

   The Bang Pakong River reaches the Gulf of Thailand here in a wide, muddy estuary, fringed with mangroves, shrimp ponds and fishing villages, about an hour east of Bangkok. It is not a classic swimming spot, and it is honest to say so: the river water is brown with silt and the shore is mostly mud. The reason to stop is the estuary itself, and if you want a proper swim, the beach at Bang Saen, about twenty kilometres south in Chonburi, is the place most people from Bangkok head for, with a long sandy shore, shady trees and stalls selling seafood.

   Read the complete Near Bang Pakong, on the way back write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Bangkok / Thailand return comes up about 230 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mae Hong Son Fly-Ride Route food stop.

7. 7. Bang Bo District

   Bang Bo lies on the eastern edge of the Bangkok metropolitan area, in Samut Prakan province, where the urban sprawl starts to thin out into a flat landscape of canals, fish and shrimp ponds, rice fields and factories. It is not on most travel itineraries, but it hides a lovely old market, and it makes a good place to end a ride with a meal.

   Read the complete Bang Bo District write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Mae Hong Son Fly-Ride Route food stop closes the day.