The Monk's Trail

Nine nights of off-road riding in northern Thailand, guided, in a loop from Chiang Mai on light enduro machinery.

Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna kingdom and still has its moat and the remains of the city wall, which is where the trip starts and finishes. Ob Khan National Park comes first, and it sets the tone: single track through forest, technical rocky climbs, river crossings and suspended bridges narrow enough to concentrate the mind, all of it within an hour of the city.

The Mae Hong Son loop follows, or the parts of it worth riding: the switchback sections on that road number well over a thousand corners in total and it is among the best known motorcycling roads in south-east Asia. Hill tribe villages come next, then national parks where wild elephants are present, and a string of waterfalls. A local monk gives the group a blessing back in Chiang Mai at the end, which is where the tour takes its name from.

Bike hire is included, on a Honda CRF 300L, with a discount for anyone bringing their own. Ten days at this grade is demanding: the single track and the river crossings assume real off-road experience, and the heat and humidity take more out of a rider than the terrain does. The cool dry season from November to February is the window, since the wet turns the trails to mud and the burning season in March and April fills the valleys with smoke. Chiang Mai is also a comfortable place to spend a day either side of the riding.