Cycle through Northern Thailand’s countryside, ride a local train to historic Lamphun, and discover authentic flavors in a hands-on cooking experience. A day of culture, landscapes, and Northern Thai cuisine awaits.
This full-day journey blends countryside cycling, local transport, and the rich culinary traditions of Northern Thailand. Starting in Chiang Mai, the ride winds through quiet backstreets and neighborhoods where daily life unfolds in markets, temples, and small shops. The route leads to the railway station for a short local train ride, offering a relaxed view of the surrounding countryside on the way to Lamphun.
Arriving in one of Northern Thailand’s oldest cities, cycling continues along peaceful rural roads near the Kuang River. Rice fields, fruit orchards, and small farms reveal the region’s agricultural roots, while traditional wooden houses and friendly communities give a sense of authentic local life. In Lamphun’s historic center, quiet streets and a visit to a local temple showcase the area’s cultural heritage. A simple lunch at a neighborhood restaurant allows for a taste of genuine Northern Thai flavors.
The afternoon focuses on Northern Thai cuisine. At a lively market, fresh herbs, vegetables, and spices introduce the ingredients that define the region’s dishes. The experience continues at a welcoming family-run cooking school, where three traditional dishes are prepared and enjoyed under the guidance of the chef and her family, concluding with mango sticky rice.
After a day of cycling, culture, and cooking, a comfortable transfer returns to Chiang Mai, offering a full introduction to the landscapes, traditions, and flavors of Northern Thailand.
Due to the ever changing cityscape, festivals and overall dynamic character of Chiangmai we don't have a pre-defined routing that is "set in stone" making each day a new adventure for all of us.
We pride ourselves in being an alternative to the standard tourist experience by taking our customers "off the beaten path" to show them the REAL Chiangmai, away from Chiangmai’’s typical mass tourism attractions (Night market, Doi Suthep, etc). We go behind the scenes into the local communities to places that are typically inaccessible to the average traveler, where our individual fascinations emerge.
We will be sampling several types of streetfood snacks along the way without a fixed menu and induldge in a Thai local style meal. For any dietary restrictions kindly tell your guide before the start of the tour.
Joining one of our bicycle tours in Chiang Mai is a surprisingly refreshing adventure year round as most cycling is taking place in shadowed places. The activity of cycling (as opposed to walking), will always create a breeze to help cool you down. We are also aided by the fact that the Chiang Mai valley is very flat and we cycle at a leisurely pace. In addition, plenty of cold drinks and rest stops along the way will keep you refreshed for the journey.
The weather in Chiang Mai is unpredictable and rain can occur at any time, especially during the 'rainy season' (which typically means 30 minutes rain per day) of June-October. Rain is also a very localized phenomenon, happening in small pockets in places while being completely dry only a few kilometers away. In our vast experience doing the tours, we know that heavy rains rarely last more than 30 minutes and our guides know very well where to take our customers for cover during the deluge.
The vast majority of our guides are English speaking local Thais.
By design, our tours do not contain much talking. Our philosophy is to focus more on the interactive experience of cycling within the local community rather than presentations about facts, figures, or history. In that respect, language does not play a large factor in your tour experience, and it is unlikely that you will feel like you've missed out on anything by not having a native language guide.
If you have any dietary restrictions and/or allergies, please mention this in the comments section of your reservation.
On our tours we are guests at local and more conservative communities, including temples. Please allow us to ask you to dress more conservatively out of respect for the local community. A top that covers the shoulders and a sarong for covering the legs in a temple is always appreciated in Thai culture.
We recommend you wear light, comfortable clothing with a hat to keep the sun off your head. For footwear, we recommend closed shoes or sports sandals for maximum protection and control during your tour. For your own safety, we discourage the use of ‘flip flops’ as they often compromise the ability of the rider to control his/her bicycle on the tour. The liberal use of sunscreen is also highly encouraged.
Our tours are on an all-in basis and there is no need to bring any food or drinks. You may however want to think consider bringing the following:
We accept all international payment methods (Credit Card, iDeal, Sofort etc) on our website. For cash payments at our office please select ‘’booking inquiry only’’ on the booking form. Cancelations up to 24 hours before departing time receive a 100% refund.
Children under the age of 12 years old receive a 25% discount on the adult price. Kids joining in a baby- or child-seat are joining free of charge.
We have designed our own custom yellow Co van Kessel city bikes to give our guests the ultimate local Bangkok experience. This means our bicycles are comfortable delivering a straight-up position to look around, open frame to easily step on/off, All of our bikes are adjustable in size and we have bikes suitable for both smaller (1.40m) and taller (2.10m) people.
For children bicycles and more information on children on our bike tours, please read our dedicated blog posts about kids.

We cycle at a leisurely pace and make frequent stops at local, interesting destinations along the way. Children as young as five years and seniors as old as 80 years have joined our tour with no issues, but a certain level of balance and comfort on a bike is required.
On our tours we do NOT cycle on main roads with traffic and are hence as safe as it gets. Following our concept we go off the beaten path, use back roads, alleyways and footpaths (nearly 95% of the tour takes place here). Helmets are also readily available at our office if you wish to wear one.
For your comfort and safety, helmets fo adults and children are readily available and optional; please feel free to take one if you wish.
The Co van Kessel Chiang Mai office is conveniently located in the center of Chiang Mai. We are located not over 150 meter from the famous Tha Phae gate.
Read more detailed directions on how to reach us on our 'how-to-find-us-page'.