Chiang Mai Province | Cool Season | 100 KM Loop | 1 Day
March 2018 – An off-road ride to a stunning hidden temple deep in the Thai forest.
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Contents
Thailand Iconic Roads in the North
Big Bike Tours Recce Ride 2
5 Days 7 Provinces Loop
Border Ride. N.West to N.East – Northern Thailand.
No GPS
This temple was something I had hoped to find one day. In fact, almost exactly one year earlier, I had attempted to find this off-road route and failed miserably. It resulted in a rather frustrating day of riding around in circles, asking villagers for directions, and eventually giving up. (It turns out that I wasn’t too far off, but the route entrance was simply so hidden that I had ridden straight past it.)
Fast forward one year, and I decided it was time to try again.
Outbound Ride
From Chiang Mai, I headed towards the mountains and stopped for a coffee before starting the dirt section. As I was leaving, I noticed a group of off-road riders arriving at the same place. I wondered if they might be heading the same way.
After the caffeine fix, it was time to try and find the track that had defeated me the previous year.
The Trail
The first section was easy enough, but then came the part I remembered all too well. Deja vu! I found myself back at the same dead end where I had ended up the year before. For a moment, I had that sinking feeling that I was about to repeat the same mistake all over again.
But this time, I turned around and looked more carefully. Finally, I spotted the entrance a friend had sent me a photo of!
It didn’t really look like the entrance to anything. It appeared to be just another small village track, easy to ignore if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
The track wound through small villages and forest areas, with a mixture of dirt, rocks and dusty sections. It was Hot Season, so the surface was fairly hard-packed, although there were plenty of loose sections to keep you paying attention.
Unexpected Encounter
As I was riding along, I had a small surprise.
The same group of off-road riders I had seen earlier suddenly appeared behind me. I heard my name being called and turned around to discover they were riders I knew, out exploring the same area.
It really is a small world sometimes.
We stopped for a chat before they continued on ahead. Needless to say, they were moving at a much faster pace than me!
I continued on, wondering if I was ever going to find this temple or not, but then, much to my delight, I spotted a sign. I was not sure if it was exactly the place I was looking for, but I hoped so, so I took the left trail and headed down.
Hidden amongst the trees was the reason this ride had been worth the effort.
Forest Temple
The sight of the giant Naga dragon stairway in the dappled forest light, coming into view as I rode down, took my breath away.
Finally, I found the temple!
I climbed up the stairs and entered the temple grounds and was met by total tranquility. The temple buildings were beautifully crafted, with intricate teak carvings and incredible attention to detail. Inside, the wooden Buddha images were equally impressive, showing the incredible craftsmanship found throughout Northern Thailand.
What I loved most was the atmosphere. There were no crowds, no busy tourist areas and no feeling that this was just another attraction to tick off a list. It was quiet. Peaceful.
After riding through dusty tracks and mountain roads, arriving at this peaceful sanctuary felt like entering another world. The contrast was incredible.
The dusty rutted ride had been totally worth it!
After spending some time walking arund, it was time to continue the journey.
Continuing On The Trail
Back on the trail, the riding became a little more challenging in places. There were sections of loose dirt, muddy areas and some narrow tracks. There was also some road construction taking place, which created sections of very soft, dusty earth.
This resulted in a small mishap…
Nothing dramatic, thankfully, but enough to leave me with a nice bruise and a reminder that soft bulldust can be just as tricky as mud.
Oof!
The other thing I had to watch out for, was gravel on smooth concrete sections. Going downhill over loose gravel on hard surfaces always makes me nervous. Falling in dirt is one thing, but sliding onto concrete is a completely different story.
Thankfully, the bike and I survived intact.
Eventually, the dirt section came to an end and I found myself back on paved roads.
By this point, I was hot, hungry and starting to feel the effects of a full day riding. I had planned to stop for food somewhere along the way, but unfortunately most places seemed to be closed. Typical. When you are hungry, every restaurant suddenly disappears!
Inbound
I decided to continue riding and see what I could find further along the route. Unfortunately, that also turned into a bit of an adventure, with more closed places and coffee shops than actual meals. I took some back farming routes that were wonderfully remote and twisty.
Then came the moment that reminded me that the most dangerous part of riding is not always the difficult terrain.
A pickup truck travelling ahead of me suddenly needed to reverse while trying to negotiate a narrow section with a large vehicle coming in the opposite direction. The problem? The driver couldn’t see me behind him because his back window had been boarded up!
For a few seconds, my front wheel disappeared underneath the back of the pickup, and my mind immediately went into panic mode. I was preparing myself for the worst.
Thankfully, the other vehicle driver noticed what was happening and shouted, stopping the pickup before any serious damage occurred. My heart was racing. After carefully moving the bike away, I checked everything over. Thankfully, there was only minor cosmetic damage. The driver apologised, and after the adrenaline had settled, we simply shook hands and moved on. It was one of those moments where you are reminded how quickly things can happen on the road.
Eventually, tired and very ready for food, I made my way back to Chiang Mai.
Arrived Chiang Mai
When I arrived back in Chiang Mai City, I cleaned up and went out for dinner. The meal at the end of the day tasted even better because of the hunger!
Looking back, this was one of those rides that had everything. A route I failed to find the first time. Beautiful mountain scenery. A hidden temple in the forest. Dust, dirt and a few small challenges along the way. A few lessons learned. And another reminder that some of the best motorcycle adventures are not necessarily the ones that go perfectly.
– End of Ride
I hope you enjoyed this Forest Temple story.
Leave a comment!
Great report, has me excited to give it a go. Love the arrows to enable one to follow correct route. Got a feeling I’ll still get lost though. 🙂 555. Cheers Zed.
Thanks! I think you will really enjoy this track, especially as you are a more experienced off-road rider than me. I am sure you will tackle it easily and there are more tracks around the area too, but I am not confident enough yet to explore them.
Thank you for the report. As I am not living in Thailand I should like to do this trip but my next visit in october is during wzt season and limited to go to motoGP in Buriram. Maybe next year the road will be already paved?
Hi Bennie. I believe it will be a VERY long time before this route is paved…and even then, I believe it will just the small section from the temple to Mae Win that will be getting paved and the temple to Samoeng route will remain a dirt road.
I dont imagine there will be a huge amount of progress by October, given how slow the progress is going at this time.
Certainly most of the track will remain dirt for the foreseeable future..so no worries!
P.s. Much easier to find the entrance to this route via the Mae Win side, but I did like going from the Samoeng side.