Why this ride
A dense sequence of passes, valleys and viewpoint roads. It also links naturally to Doi Phu Kha National Park.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nan and Bo Kluea Loop
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 191 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 27
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Verify local licence, insurance, smoke season and road condition. Specific flag: smoke season; weather.
Seasonal context
Nov-Feb
Scenic road chapters
Nan Bo Kluea Loop
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 25 km this is Nan Bo Kluea Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 25 km
- Named road
- Nan Bo Kluea Loop
- Pass
- Doi Phu Kha
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Nan
Nan is a small, calm provincial capital in a mountain-ringed valley in the far north of Thailand, close to the Laos border, and it has stayed quieter than Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. The Nan river runs through the plain, and the old kingdom here was a separate Lanna state with its own princes until the early twentieth century. The temples keep the northern style, with steep roofs, carved gables and gilded flourishes, and the town has the unhurried air of a place that visitors are only beginning to find.
Read the complete Nan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nan sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Pua.
2. Pua
Pua lies in a broad valley in the far north of Thailand, about sixty kilometres from the Laotian border, and in the rainy season the whole basin turns a vivid, almost electric green. The rice fields stretch up to the foothills, with farmhouses on stilts and buffalo grazing along the dykes, and at harvest in November they turn gold. Pua is the market town of the district, and the people include Thai Lue, Hmong and Mien, whose silver jewellery, indigo cloth and embroidered tunics fill the stalls on market days. Chiang Klang, the bigger town fourteen kilometres on, supplies most of the district's fuel and shops.
Read the complete Pua write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pua comes up 43 km in. Next is Bo Kluea.
3. Bo Kluea
Bo Kluea means salt well, and the name is the whole story. In a narrow mountain valley close to the Laotian border, ancient springs push up brine from deep underground, and for centuries villagers have boiled it down in shallow pans over wood fires to make salt. They still do. The salt was once traded far into the hills and across the river to Laos, and the village was an important stop on the caravan routes. Today the brine wells sit beside the road, surrounded by stalls selling the grey-white crystals, along with local honey, dried mushrooms and woven cloth. Chiang Klang is the nearest large town, thirty-five kilometres back.
Read the complete Bo Kluea write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
85 km in you reach Bo Kluea. Next is Nan.
4. Nan
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nan, late in the day.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Nan Bo Kluea Loop ยท 209 km