Thailand: Chiang Mai to the Clouds

Thirteen nights from Chiang Mai through northern Thailand, climbing to the roof of the country and taking in the Golden Triangle and the Mae Hong Son loop. Bikes are rented for this one.

Doi Inthanon comes first, the highest point in Thailand at 2,565 metres, where the summit sits in cloud forest and the temperature drops far enough to surprise anyone who packed only for the tropics. Nan follows, then Chiang Rai and the White Temple at Wat Rong Khun, a contemporary building covered in mirrored glass that is either remarkable or ridiculous depending on taste.

The Phu Chi Fa range on the Lao border comes next, then the Mekong and the Golden Triangle itself, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. The region produced a large share of the world’s opium until the trade was broken up in the 1990s, and the hill slopes now grow tea and coffee instead. Mae Sai follows, the busiest crossing into Myanmar, then Doi Tung and Doi Mae Salong with its tea terraces.

The Mae Hong Son loop closes the trip, running between Mae Taeng and Mae Hong Son and stacking up 1,864 counted bends, which makes it the most celebrated stretch of motorcycling road in Southeast Asia. The price is quoted per rider, with separate rates for a rider and passenger and for two riders with two bikes. Thirteen nights is enough to ride the north properly rather than merely sample it, and the loop at the end is the right way round to do it.