Ride taken: April 2018. Hot season.
This route can be bridged with other routes as it links onto the 1095 road to Pai and the Wat Chan route to Pai.
Route Taken: (Google Map Link) <– there is a dirt road that google map doesn’t show, that cuts directly from วัดป่าธรรมแสงทอง area to Ban Mae Khrai. I will try updating later with a maps.me link, but I am not sure how to do it yet. Sorry.
Table of Contents
The Back Route to Pai
A brilliant mix of road / off-road / goat track broken road etc. Fantastic viewpoints and scenery. Very quiet route which intermittently cuts through local villages. Not too technical or difficult. A nice fun ride.
*Caution* There is cattle dotted about on the road at times and sleepy village life (children playing, locals with no helmets, pets etc), so best to be on the ball and careful about speed.
*Note* Sorry, not so much in the way of photos and no video/GoPro on this trip. It was a bit of a “head-space” ride and was also under the weather a bit, so didn’t plan ahead much and just went on the ride.
Taking an early start of 9:30am headed up to Samoeng area past the X-Center, and towards Mon Cham. After fueling up the first stop was at Di Bosco Coffee.
(Di Bosco is a little past the Mon Cham turnoff, but a worthwhile coffee stop. Great coffee and a nice place to kick start a trip around that way. A good meeting point too, if planning a group ride).
After a great coffee headed to Mon Cham, which takes you though some stunning mountain areas with fantastic views. Best to pack a raincoat no matter what the season, as this area often gets drizzle and rainfall.
Much of the scenery on this ride was brown and in some areas burnt (due to Burning Season). A bit on the dusty side. However, in some areas the scenery was gloriously green and lush. Was a pleasant surprise.
After Mon Cham continued on through Samoeng Neua. This area was a mix of rural roads, broken roads and dirt. Some interesting areas and viewpoints to explore and enjoy around this area too, if you wanted to explore more.
My photos really don’t do any of this route enough justice. Sorry. 🙁Lots of cattle on the road here and there, as expected. Came out on the 1095 Pai road, a few KM away from 32 Coffee Hill and had lunch there.
Finished lunch and headed a few KM north to a fuel up stop (link here) – I didn’t need to top up in the end, but good to sometimes “just in case”. I good stop to know in case you have a small fuel tank and need it.
Took the turn off and headed onto towards Ban Mae Khrai area. (This route back to Chiang Mai was the best part actually). Really fun ride back and a few sections nearly caught me out due to a frequent mix of broken up road suddenly turning to dirt or gravel etc, over hilly areas and blind spots that you cant see ahead of.
Also recommend stopping in at the amazing temple of Phrathat Doi Pha Som, on the way back to Chiang Mai:
Fantastic views from this beautiful temple and an interesting pulley system installed (as well as solar panels). Be prepared for the very tight switchbacks on the road up to the temple entrance and a fair walk up some steep steps to the temple itself.
Also, the pointing judgmental Yak/Giant at the top of the (twisty/technical) turns will surely have you jumping out of your skin. Haha!
Well, this was just a small selection of images to give you an idea of this route.
Annoyed at myself for not taking my gopro or taking more photos, but was also nice to not think about that too much.
This is a fab easy route for mix terrain riding, with nothing too technical or heavy on the dirt side. Just a fun ride with wonderful views. (Although will be more challenging in rainy season, for those who want more of a slippery ride).
Hope you enjoyed this trip report.
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Love you did this, coffee stops are one of my favorite reasons to ride. Baristas are among the friendliest people you can meet and in the Chiang Mai region new shops are everywhere being built. Wish I had kept more than a mental list, will have to retrace my steps ;-]
I’ve been riding around the North for the last four years since retiring here in Chomthong . . . home of many fine coffee producers I might add.
Regards,
Dave
Glad you enjoyed reading it David. Thanks!
I prefer Di Bosco coffee above 32 Coffee Hill.
Coffee Hill coffee isn’t to my personal taste (which is a bit funny, seeing as coffee is in their name). I prefer to order a hot chocolate or some other drink from 32 Coffee Hill. It is an ok lunch stop though and I still enjoy going to 32 Coffee Hill on occasional rides to Pai, even though I don’t actually order coffee there. Haha.
I totally agree with you that a great coffee when riding, especially when in a nice venue, is a great part of a riding trip 😀