Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand’s climate is characterized by the monsoon, which creates three distinct seasons.
The south-west monsoon usually arrives from India at the end of May and lasts until November. Rainfall is generally heaviest in September with an average precipitation of 250 mm for that month alone.
Rainy season however does not mean drizzle for days on end. The normal pattern over the last years has been: clear mornings (with better-than-dry-season visibility and mountain views), clouds in the afternoon and subsequent rain, dry evenings, occasional rain at night. Still, weather is ruled by chaos principles so there can be clouds and rainy days for -mostly short- continuous periods.
The north-east monsoon lasts from mid-November until early May and brings cool air from northern Vietnam/China but no rain for Northern and Central Thailand except for the occasional “mango showers” which may occur during the mango season.
This provides for a dry season of about six months every year while Phuket and Southern Thailand barely get 2 months.From March to May heat is on the agenda and maximum daytime temperatures reach 40°C/100°F. Still, at night it mostly cools down and mornings can be quite pleasant, evenings balmy.Year round the air is less humid than in other parts of the country.
The low humidity is the main reason why the air seems more pleasant here. Moreover, the temperature difference between day and night and between the seasons is greater than in the other regions.
You don’t need a visa if you don’t intend to stay longer than 30 days. You get a 30-day tourist visa issued on entry at the airport. If you want to stay longer, you should get a tourist visa from the Thai embassy.
Make sure your passport is at least valid for 6 month by date of entry Thailand.
Jeans or other solid trousers that mosquitoes can’t get through, especially in the evening under the table. In the mountains in the cool season it’s too cold for mosquitoes, but not in the cities.
Light boots: bring some normal boots or cowboy boots. Together with a pair of solid jeans they make your feet and legs “mosquito-proof” and you’ll enjoy dinners etc. much more than if you’re scratching your ankles all the time.
T-shirts, sweatshirts, pullovers: in wintertime (Nov-Feb), bring some heavy stuff. In summertime (Mar-Aug) a sweatshirt or a flannel shirt should be enough for cool evenings.
Plastic slippers to wear in the bathroom. Usually we stay in good hotels, but in some areas (Laos) there are only basic guest houses where it’s a good idea to wear flip-flops in the bathroom. You can buy them cheaply in Thailand.
We have a few sets of enduro gear, like helmet, trousers, shirts, gloves e.g., but recommend to bring your own gear, because not all sizes are available.
You also can buy enduro equipment here in Thailand. Brands are FOX, Scott, e.g. and are cheaper like back home
Enduro pants start at THB 2500.-, Scott enduro goggles THB 1300.-, Shirts at THB 500.-, Elbow and knee protectors start at THB 1200.- per set, Gloves about THB 450.- to 1400.-Helmet: should fit well and not be too old. The helmet material deteriorates with age and exposure to sunlight, and gets brittle. Keep in mind that after sunset there’s a zillion bugs humming around and we may have to ride during that time. You need either a helmet with a visor you can close, or good riding goggles to protect your eyes.
Gloves: very important. Some of the leaves here are so sharp they cut your fingers when you get too close to them at higher speeds. Protects you from sunburn and much more if you get off the bike a bit unprofessional.
Jacket: whatever you prefer. In wintertime (Nov-Feb) it can get pretty cold. In summertime (Mar-Aug) it gets quite hot, and a good combination is: T-shirt or enduro shirt, protectors and a light jacket on top to protect you from the sun and any airborne bugs with stingers you might bump into.
Shirts: long sleeves are absolutely necessary because of the risk of sunburn! Make sure the sleeves overlap with the gloves, otherwise you’ll get sunburn on your wrists.
Trousers/Pants: enduro or motocross pants are ideal, because they dry quickly after a spot of rain or a river crossing, and you can just shake the dust out of them. Jogging pants are the second best choice. Jeans are useless – they take too long to dry and you’d need a fresh pair every day.
Offroad boots: absolutely essential. You need full protection for your feet and shins against stones, twigs and bamboo sticks, not to mention your foot getting stuck under the bike if you go down.
Rain gear: not necessary in the cool season (Nov-Feb). From May onwards just bring some very light plastic rainwear – standard stuff for hikers etc. to keep most of the rain out. Usually it rains for just a short while and we wait until it’s over.
Protectors: hopefully you don’t need them, but when you do come off the bike they make a big difference.
Quite a number of our customers (and repeat customers, too!) have asked us if we offer training days before the actual enduro tour, to get used to the dirt bikes and also to acclimatize.
So, we’ve decided to offer individual training days before the start of all of our enduro tours. In the area around Chiang Mai we know where to find conditions similar to those we encounter on tour, and depending on your experience we will put together an individual programme which will help improve your riding skills. Programmes are typically three days, but we can arrange shorter ones if you wish, covering:
Log bridges , River crossings , Uphill sections , Downhill sections , Sand , Mud , Powdery dust , Slippery corners
During the training days you will stay with us in our base camp 30 kms north of Chiang Mai city.
Six Bungalows with 8 rooms in a beautiful garden setting are available to our tour customers. Off roads and tracks from “mild to wild” are just in front of our gate and guarantee unforgettable trips during the day. In the evening, cold beer and excellent Thai dinner (or a big steak with fries), cooked and served from Joang, before we take a seat at the campfire and and look back to a great day.
This photo album shows some of the resorts and hotels we used in the 2022-2023 season. We cannot stipulate exactly which hotels we will stay in well in advance, but this album has been put together to demonstrate the standard of accommodation you can expect on tour.
Thai culture is vastly different from English culture and so before setting foot in Thailand you should find out about the essential ‘do and don’ts’ . Here are just a few, but the most important rules.
Do Smile:Thailand is known as the land of smiles. Thais do not necessarily smile about something like we do in the west. They smile for a variety of other reasons too. To say hello or thank you, to make a request, to apologize, to smooth over bad feelings or to show embarrassment.
Do show respect for the King: Thai people show great respect for their king and they expect visitors to do so too. The national anthem is played twice a day (typically at 8am and 6 pm) and also before every film at the cinema. Everyone is expected to stand whilst it is playing. You should never insult or joke about the king or royal family.
Do show respect for their main religion, for the Buddha, and for monks. Shorts or tank tops should not be worn in a temple, and shoes should be removed before entering. It is considered very improper for women to touch a monk.
Do not touch anyone on the head. The head is considered to be very sacred.
Do not point your feet at anyone or anything. This is quite hard for a westerner to follow as, without realizing it, we do in some circumstances seem to use our feet quite a lot e.g. closing or opening doors. I never realized how much I use my feet until I was made very conscious of it in Thailand.
Do not step over anyone instead walk around them.
Thailand, Laos, and Burma don’t require any special vaccinations. It would be a good idea to get a Tetanus booster if your last Tetanus shot has been several years ago.
Malaria tablets are not really necessary in the cool season, because it is cold during the night and there are not many mosquitoes. You can also bring mosquito repellent.
Diarrhea: you may get a bit of “Thai belly”, especially when you are not used to hot (spicy) food. Bring some pills or buy them cheaply here.
For convenience and safety reasons a 4WD jeep will follow the tour group almost anywhere, except during the enduro training or at tours with less than 4 riders. In this case you have to carry a bag with about 6 kg on your bike – tools and parts are carried by tour guide and tour leader.
The back up jeep carries your luggage, spare parts, tools, fruits and cool drinks.
You should contact you insurance agent for the right insurance package for this trip (additional insurance for rental vehicles are highly recommended) . The local bike insurance does not cover much. If you book a tour with us trough HC-Travel in UK – or one of our German booking offices the right insurance package will be offered.
Just bring your ATM card from back home – it will work on any ATM machine. May be as security 200.- US $, UK pounds or Euros cash and a credit card.
For our German customers we highly recommend the DKB credit card – great service at zero costs.
Polarizing filters for your favourite lenses. They cut out the haze and glare. Without them some stunning scenery can turn into very average looking photos.
Solid plastic bags for the camera equipment.
The large invisible boulder you encounter during a river crossing or a sudden tropical rain shower can kill your camera unless you keep it tightly wrapped in a couple of plastic bags.
International driving license. Make photocopies of all important items you carry (passport, driving license, credit card, plane ticket, etc.) and keep the photocopies in a different place from the actual documents. Or just scan all important documents and send them to your own email adress.
Bring a flashlight and batteries.
We recommend wearing a bum/fanny bag (“kangaroo” bag, one of these small banana-shaped bags that go around your waist) to carry all important documents and money (wrapped in plastic) on you at all times. When you go to the toilet, hang it on the inside door handle so you can’t forget it. When you are riding, you can wear it in front or back, whichever is more comfortable. When walking in a tight crowd, wear it in front so you can keep a hand on it.
Small money for change and the photocopies of your documents can go into the wallet. Never show too much money!
Don’t forget a list with your friends’ addresses to write postcards….
When you come to Thailand with us, there are three “house rules” to consider which we have adopted or developed over the years.
1. We’ve read this one in a TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) office in Bangkok, and really liked it: “If you want everything just like home, stay home!”. This is Southeast Asia, and things are different.If you don’t enjoy new experiences in a quite different environment, then you’re much better off spending your holidays in your home country. Simple fact, no cynicism intended.
2. This is mainly for the “experienced” enduro and offroad riders: Take care of the bikes and equipment as if it were your own. We know, on any enduro tour a certain amount of damage is unavoidable, especially when you’re having fun – racing the other guys, sliding a bit too much, and whack! You’ve just been shown your limits. On the other hand, we have to keep the tour price affordable so you can come here and enjoy the adventure, which means the built-in “damage factor” per bike per tour doesn’t include totaling the bikes.
3. Follow the tour leader – in more ways than one. Culture, politics, rules, just about everything here is different. We’ve been living here for more than 20 years, and all of us could write books about the countless funny and sometimes weird things that have happened to us in this fascinating part of the world. Always follow the tour leader.
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