The short answer
Back Roads Bonanza is a one-day guided off-road motorcycle tour from Chiang Mai — 140 km of dirt and broken tarmac behind Doi Suthep, from $259 per rider, bike, fuel, meals and guide included. No security deposit. No passport held.
Everyone rides up Doi Suthep on the paved road with the tour vans. We go up the back of it. 140 km of broken tarmac, dirt and jungle track behind Chiang Mai's own mountain — past a reservoir most visitors never find, up to Khun Chang Khian, a Hmong coffee village at 1,400 m that turns pink with wild cherry blossom every January, and down through the Mae Sa hills. You'll finish the day dusty. That's the point.
A view from the back roads
Where the tarmac stops
A wave on the way up
Under the fallen tree, through the stream
Will it hold?
It happens — pick it up and ride on
The back road from above
HIGHLIGHTS
THE ROUTE
RIDING DISTANCES
approx riding time · excludes stops
- NBT → 1 Huay Tueng Thao15 km~0h 30m
- 1 Huay Tueng Thao → 2 Mae Sa Mai24 km~1h
- 2 Mae Sa Mai → 3 Khun Chang Khian54 km~2h
- 3 Khun Chang Khian → 4 Wat Phra That Doi Kham36 km~1h 15m
- 4 Wat Phra That Doi Kham → NBT11 km~0h 15m
- MorningChiang Mai → Huay Tueng Thao → Khun Chang Khian
Roll out of Chiang Mai on quiet tarmac beside Huay Tueng Thao reservoir, where bamboo huts sit out over the water. Then the tarmac ends. The climb up the back of Doi Suthep is broken road and dirt through the trees, finishing at Khun Chang Khian — a Hmong village at 1,400 m that grows its own coffee. We drink it there, roasted about four hundred metres from where it grew.
- AfternoonMae Sa Mai → Mon Pha Dam → Wat Phra That Doi Kham
Drop off the back of the mountain into the Mae Sa valley — jungle track, stream crossings in the wet season, and a lookout at Mon Pha Dam worth stopping the engine for. The last climb of the day is Wat Phra That Doi Kham, the golden temple standing over the city, with the whole valley laid out below. Back at base by late afternoon.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
* Subject to availability, we offer a choice of bikes — ask at the time of booking.
NOT SURE YOU'RE READY?
Here is what riding with us actually looks like on the road.
You ride your own ride
A guide leads the way and nobody gets pushed. Not sure you're ready? The one-day Samoeng Loop is the place to find out.
Our bikes, our workshop
Every bike comes out of our own workshop with our own mechanics behind it — not a contractor we called.
Nothing held while you ride
No security deposit, and we never hold your passport — you ride with a guide, not a stack of paperwork.
A real person answers, not a bot — usually within 24 hours. We're in Chiang Mai (GMT+7), so an overnight message gets picked up in the morning.
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
When are you coming?
Tap a month. We'll tell you what the road is like then — no form, no sign-up.
Every month in one list
- January · Cool-dry season
- January sits right inside the cool-dry season — dry roads, crisp mountain air and the longest views of the year. It is the month we point riders with two spare weeks at, because the dry mountain roads are at their very best. Roll over the high ridges after about 09:00 and you get the valleys below with the morning mist just lifting off them.
- February · Cool-dry season
- February opens with the best of the cool season still in full swing — cold mornings in the hills, clear ridgelines and every road open. The first half of the month is a favourite with riders who want the big views, and we plan every day of the trip around getting you onto the ridgelines at their best.
- March · Hot season
- March is the start of the hot season — long warm days, dry roads, and a relaxed pace built around early starts in the cool of the morning. It is also the tail of the field-burning months, so some days are hazy and the long valley views aren't a promise. What March does beautifully is a shorter, sharper ride: a day loop out of Chiang Mai through the hills, lunch somewhere shady, and back to town before the afternoon heat. Tell us your dates and we'll shape the route to that week.
- April · Hot season · Songkran 13–15
- April is Thailand at its most alive. Songkran falls on 13–15 April and turns every town into a joyful, friendly water fight — one of the great festival experiences anywhere in Asia. Pair a few days of riding either side of it with the celebrations in Chiang Mai, and you get the roads and the festival in one trip.
- May · The first rains
- The first rains arrive and the whole north turns green almost overnight. Mornings are the riding window, the air is freshly washed, and the roads are about as quiet as they ever get. Genuinely underrated: green hills, fresh air, and the switchbacks nearly to yourself.
- June · Green season
- Green season proper — lush jungle, washed air, and fewer riders out than almost any month of the year. Mornings are made for riding and afternoons for a long lunch while the rain passes. We build the trip with flexible days, so you ride the best of every morning.
- July · Green season
- The landscape at its most dramatic — deep green valleys, mist in the mountains and waterfalls in full flow. The 762 bends on the Pai road are a different ride entirely in the green season, and a guide riding in front of you makes every one of them a pleasure. Bring proper rain gear and enjoy a side of the north most visitors never see.
- August · Green season
- August is the north at its greenest, with rice fields glowing and the hills alive. It is a month for a relaxed trip with spare time built in — ride the mornings, take the long way when the weather is kind, and slow down for coffee in the hills. Tell us your dates and we will shape the trip around the best riding of each day.
- September · Late green season
- The rain eases through September and the rice terraces are as green as they get all year — some of the most beautiful riding scenery of the whole calendar. The roads are quiet and the countryside is at its most photogenic. A flexible trip gets the very best of it.
- October · The golden shoulder
- The rains fade through October, the hills are still green, and the roads are wonderfully empty — late October is one of the best-value weeks of the year to be on a bike here. It is a lovely time for the Pai road.
- November · Cool-dry season · the best month
- The cool-dry season opens around mid-November and this is the single best month of the year to ride Northern Thailand: fresh air, cool mornings, ridgelines you can see the whole way along. The Bua Tong sunflowers on Doi Mae U-Kho come out from about mid-month — up the spur road off Route 1263. And Yi Peng and Loy Krathong fall on 24–26 November 2026, the most magical week in Chiang Mai's year, when the city glows with lanterns and candlelit krathongs.
- December · Cool-dry season · peak
- Full cool-dry season — dry roads, long views, and crisp mountain air before the sun gets to work, so bring a warm layer for the early hours. Pai is at its liveliest in December and Ban Rak Thai is at its prettiest, which is exactly why rooms along the loop are worth booking early. Cross the high ridges after about 09:00 and the valleys open up below you.
GOOD TO KNOW
FREQUENTLY ASKED
+You rate this 'Intermediate'. What does that actually mean?
+Are these really off-road sections?
+What bike will I ride?
+What's at Khun Chang Khian, the remote hill village?
+What's included?
+What should I wear?
+Can you customize?
Got a different amount of time?
All nine tours →“What an experience! One of the main reasons I chose this company was how quickly they responded to me. I contacted them at the last minute and they messaged back almost instantly and were able to take my booking with no hassle at all… Every bike looked and felt practically brand new… And then there's Tom. By the end of the trip we didn't just consider him our guide, we considered him a friend… If you're thinking about doing a motorcycle tour in northern Thailand, I couldn't recommend these guys enough.”
“Absolutely brilliant experience with Nomad Bike Tours doing the Mae Hong Son Loop… a huge part of what made the trip so good was our guide, Tom, aka Peter Pan… He knew the roads, the best stops, the local areas and plenty of little places we would never have found ourselves… by the end of the trip it felt much more like travelling with a friend than being on a guided tour… Would 100% recommend Nomad Bike Tours to anyone thinking about doing this trip, and if you can get Tom as your guide, even better.”
Get in touch
BOOK THIS TOUR
20% booking deposit to reserve. Fully refundable 21+ days before departure.
- 1
You send this
Nothing is charged and nothing is booked. It is a message, and it costs you nothing to change your mind.
- 2
A rider writes back
Usually within 24 hours, with the dates we have, the bike we'd put you on, and the total. We're in Chiang Mai (GMT+7).
- 3
A 20% deposit holds it
Only once you've said yes to the plan — and it's fully refundable up to 21 days before you ride.
A rider answers, not a bot — usually within 24 hours. We're in Chiang Mai (GMT+7).