12 Hour Day Ride to Beautiful Muang Khong & Temples
Chiang Mai Province | Rainy Season | 217 KM Loop
A 12-hour ride day (with around 5 hours saddle time), riding first to the R3024 mountain route to the village of Muang Khong in Chiang Dao, then on to a cave temple and surreal colourful temple, before checking out a beautiful nature reserve and heading over Mae Kuang suspension bridge. This ride took me through two national parks: SriLanna and Huai Nam Dang.
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Contents
A Taste of Japan & the Glorious Thai/Burma Border
6am Start
I set off on this ride at 6 am, heading north to Chiang Dao. My plan was to enjoy a good day ride, (but didn’t expect it to become a twelve-hour ride).
I took the R107, which was nice and quiet at this early hour.
Chiang Dao
Once I turned on to the R3024 in Chiang Dao, I began to stop for photo ops, because Rainy Season in Thailand creates some truly spectacular clouds!
Wat Tham Chiang Dao
Once I arrived in Chiang Dao I took a quick detour to Wat Tham Chiang Dao just to see if it was open or not. It was still closed (due to Covid19), so I decided to ride to Muang Khong.
The Road To Muang Khong
After visiting, I continued along the R3024 until I arrived in Muang Khong. The road was in perfect condition. Not a bump in sight. It was a fairly misty ride and maybe that is why I completely missed the lookout point at Doi Luang Chiang Dao, but I figured I would go there on the way back.
The Road To Muang Khong
At Muang Khong I had a bit of a ride around, including checking out a river area.
(You can ride a loop from Muang Khong to Wiang Haeng, but it still has off-road sections. I would like to ride it sometime but this particular ride was about getting my riding mojo back and not taking too many risks with my ankle. Plus my tyres were not suitable in any case.)
The river ride area in Muang Khong was a dirt route and a bit muddy further down (plus a fast-flowing river crossing), so I lost my nerve to try further. Additionally, as someone who is not so competent on dirt, I couldn’t risk too much pressure on my ankle and I had little faith in my current tyres.
..all was good and then I was suddenly ambushed by a herd of cows! The Muang Khong farmer told me to ride on. I told him they could get past me. However, turns out they just wait in this situation and get frustrated! I rode to the side (thinking they were heading straight on) when it turned out they wanted to go the side I rode to.
They ended up rushing past me like a whoosh of bullets. It was all a bit silly (and a little intimidating) but thankfully the farmer was friendly, which I was relieved about. He was lovely and had a chat with me. It is times like this that I wish I had my GoPro or 360 running.
Back to Chiang Dao
I headed back on the same route away from Muang Khong and towards Chiang Dao, with a plan to a temple that I had been meaning to check out for some time. This route is fab and scenic. I was low on fuel so turned off the engine for much of this return ride, coasting down the Muang Khong mountain route quietly. (For the record I am not recommending this. It is just something that I do.) For whatever reason, I yet again rode past the lookout at Doi Luang Chiang Dao, but no matter. Next time!
Nakha Charoen Tham Cave
Inside the grounds of Wat Tham Pakpiang
This cave temple is not as dramatic as the neighbouring famous Chiang Dao Wat Luang temple, but has two very interesting caves and is visually appealing.
The monks were busy with what looked to be some event taking place soon.
Some cleaning and construction work was also going on.
There are two separate caves, both with lighting and Buddha images.
After spending time in the temple (including waiting for rain to stop), I rode to Chiang Dao Nest in the hope of some great food. Unfortunately, they were still closed due to Covid. So, instead, I headed to another faithful: the Charm of Doi Luang, where I enjoyed some great Thai food in lovely surroundings. The serving was huge, so I had the remaining half bagged up and I packed it onto my bike for later.
Once back on the bike, I debated where to go next. It was only midday. My first stop before debating anything though was the local PT Garage to fuel up. (Some time back the roof of this garage collapsed! I think it was last year during Rainy Season). After fueling up I decided to head back down the R107, with the newly formed initial plan of heading on to the R1095 Pai route, then taking the back road home via Mork Fa Waterfall (like I did a few months ago on a previous ride), but first I stopped in at Silvicultural Nature Research Station.
Silvicultural Research Station
a pretty nature reserve and forest on the R107
Once back on the bike, I had a sudden change of mind at the Mae Taeng intersection, so headed west on the R3038 instead. I noticed a sign for Wat Ban Den and feeling curious I decided to go visit. It turned out to be a very surreal and huge temple complex.
Wat Ban Den
When I first went into Wat Ban Din, I wasn’t expecting it to be such a surreal experience. This huge temple complex with its multiple temples, is strange and unusual.
I am not yet even sure if I like it, but I am certainly impressed by it. A lot of work has gone into this temple.
One temple on-site also contained a giant reclining Buddha.
Lots of styles, with some Chinese and Indian influences, mixed up in often strange ways and many areas were still to be completed.
Route To Mae Kuang Dam
After Wat Ban Den I decided to go to Mae Kuang Dam and ride over the suspension bridge. I had been on this route previously, and figued it would be good to see how much progress had been made on the route and if it was completed yet or not.
I took the scenic R4031, enjoying the view and checking out a few things along the way, including stopping in at Bua Tong Sticky waterfalls to see if it was open at this time or not. I was surprised to see it was.
Mae Kuang Dam Suspension Bridge
At the start of the suspension bridge route, I was greeted by a pack of curious dogs, including their puppies. I remembered I had the remaining food from lunch still on my bike, so opened up the bag and gave it to them. It likely would have spoiled in the heat by then in any case.
I was concerned to see one dog had what looked to be an open sore on his back. It is actually a heart-breaking side of Thailand; so many stray cats and dogs are often injured or diseased. I am still not yet sure about what I can do regarding this dog and his open sore, but I have contacted an animal charity organisation about it.
The suspension bridge route was in great condition for the most part. Graded flattened dirt and ready for the next stage. The last section though was a bit of a mess. (It is very steep at this last part). Lots of deep grooves from bigger heavier vehicles full of rocks. I wasn’t expecting that, and suddenly I was overcome with fear and worry.
I have ridden this route a few times now, but I guess with my recovering ankle fear got the better of me. I kept imagining my bike crushing it again. So, I inched my way down like a baby!
The irony is that I set my 360 camera to record this whole route section, but I must have done something to the settings and it was recording on a loop (security/accident dashcam setting), so the first section where I was riding without issue got overwritten. You do however get the treat of seeing me ride down the last bit like a petrified child.
At the base of the bridge, all the little food and drink stalls were closed, but thankfully a small shop was open up near the viaduct. I stopped in for a cool soda.
After the soda, it was time to head home.
All in all a good day of riding.
End.
I hope you enjoyed this Muang Khong and temple trip report, if so, drop a comment!