Thailand Adventure

It is advised to book extra time in Bangkok before your tour since the official Day 1 of this tour begins early in the morning with hotel pick up and transfer. You can request an extra night or two in Bangkok or you can book a pre-tour extension with guided activities. You will find details at the end of this day-to-day section.

Day 1: Kanchanaburi City - Thai Burma Railway Museum & countryside, 11 mi. (18 km)
Day 2: Ruins of the Khmer Empire, 28 or 44 mi. (44 or 70 km)
Day 3: Hellfire Pass, 22 mi. (35 km)
Day 4: Flight to Koh Yao Noi
Day 5: Explore the island, 18 mi. (28 km)
Day 6: Koh Yao Noi - Phanga Bay (kayaking)
Day 7: End of tour

Day 1: Kanchanaburi  City- Thai Burma Railway Museum & countryside, 11 mi. (18 km)
You will have time for breakfast at your Bangkok hotel before you are picked up at 7:30 am. The drive to Kanchanaburi City is about 3.5 hours and the first stop of the day is one of the most educated on the topic of the Thai-Burma Railway. The Thai-Burma Railway Center is a privately funded museum, curated by Rod Beattie, an Australian who has dedicated years to researching the railway, the POW camps, and the stories of the prisoners. The museum provides a comprehensive overview of what occurred on the railway and the conditions under which the prisoners toiled and many perished. Opposite the museum is the allied war cemetery where the remains of 6,982 Allied POW have been laid to rest.

After that somber start to the day, you will convene on the grounds of a temple, to conduct a bike fitting and safety meeting conducted by your tour leader. It is then off by bike to visit the "Bridge Over the River Kwai". From there, you ride out into the countryside through sugar cane fields and rice paddies where farmers tend to their buffalo. Lunch is enjoyed in a family-owned restaurant and with that fuel in your stomachs, you ride the last little bit to reach the embarkation point for our river ship. (L,D)

Overnight: Onboard the RV River Kwai at Ban Kao

Day 2: Ruins of the Khmer Empire, 28 or 44 mi. (44 or 70 km)
Today you have a short ride option and a long ride option and you can make the decision on the day. You will enjoy riding on almost deserted roads in the countryside, through farmland where corn, rice, and various other crops are grown, and where the pace of life slows even more. Along the way, you pass remnants of the civilizations that have since been swept away with the passage of time. At one point, the Khmer Empire in what is now Cambodia occupied this land and built structures including Prasat Muang Sing where you will stop for lunch.

For those who opt to ride on after lunch, you will have a loop through even more remote countryside passing workers busily tending to orchards and a few modern-day temples where monks will be meditating after their final meal for the day.

Back onboard the ship, you will cruise upstream at a leisurely pace and time your passage as such that it's likely you'll see elephants from the nearby sanctuary come down with their Mahouts for an afternoon bath in the river. This is a special sight and makes for some excellent pictures as the elephants often swim up quite close to the ship. (B,L,D)

Overnight: Onboard the RV River Kwai near Resotel Kanchanaburi

Day 3: Hellfire Pass, 22 mi. (35 km)
This is the biggest day of activity on the trip. We leave the ship quite early and take a short walk to board our train. This train runs on the remaining sections of the track from the original Thai-Burma Railway and a short way into the journey passes over the exciting Wang Pho Viaduct. The train is mostly empty but for a few locals getting to market and to school at this time of the morning.

After our train ride, it's back onto the bikes for arguably the most varied ride of the tour. We start out along the river where the road is mostly flat and paved. We stop at a temple where an informative mural forms the backdrop to a lovely viewpoint over the river, then we continue along and enter a forestry area. Here the government is cultivating Teak and other indigenous timber for future use and this allows for some nice shade as we leave the tarmac.

Riding gravel roads through the forest are quite a different experience from the last few days and a few hills make this section even more interesting. We conclude at a pedestrian, suspension bridge over the river and here we load into the vans for the short drive to the Hellfire Pass Memorial. We walk down to the cutting that was hand chiseled by the prisoners, then time permitting we can walk a section of the now removed track that traversed a particularly difficult piece of engineering, but today is being reclaimed by the bamboo forest.

Back at the ship, we have an evening talk by Rod Beattie (schedule permitting). By now you will know quite a bit of the story of the Thai Burma Railway and Rod's part in this is to tie it all together for you into the greater narrative, something that he does superbly, drawing on his significant understanding of the events of the time. (B,L,D)

Overnight: Onboard the RV River Kwai near Daowadueng Bridge

Day 4: Flight to Koh Yao Noi
You depart the ship after breakfast and bid farewell to the delightful crew. Then it's a 3-hour drive to the airport and a 1-hour flight down to the south of Thailand where you board a speedboat for a scenic trip out to Koh Yao Noi, arriving on this lovely little island just in time for sundowners on the beach. (B,L)

Overnight: Paradise Koh Yao

Day 5: Explore the island, 18 mi. (28 km)
The resort is in a secluded part of the island with a choice of a rugged trail or pleasant boat ride to reach the rest of the island. You take the boat option and after just a short zip in the boat, will find your bikes and go for a ride of the southern area of the island which is mostly flat and with quiet paved roads. You will get a feel for the geography of the island, stop to see how rubber is grown and harvested, and stop in on an aquaculture farm. From here, you will ride over to the western side of the island where the landscape is a little different, and sit down to lunch at a local restaurant on a pier. You return to the resort by boat and an afternoon free for you to enjoy as you see fit. (B,L)

Overnight: Paradise Koh Yao

Day 6: Koh Yao Noi - Phanga Bay (kayaking)
Departure time will depend on the tide because, after a short boat ride, you will be getting into kayaks and paddling through a natural tunnel in the limestone to reach an enclosed lagoon. In fact, you will visit two of these lagoons in which it feels as though you are in a different dimension. The noise of passing boats is not heard and the sunlight filtering through the leaves and onto the faces of the small colony of monkeys that live here, give it a surreal feel. As the tide shifts, you paddle out and then continue to explore these small, limestone islands that are dotted throughout the bay. On one island with a nice beach, you can enjoy a swim and lunch before returning to the resort for another free afternoon before the final group dinner. (B,L,D)

Overnight: Paradise Koh Yao

Day 7: End of tour
The morning is free for you to enjoy Paradise. Then, depending on your exit arrangements from Thailand, you will have the necessary transfer to take you to either Phuket International Airport or to a hotel on Phuket Island.

Optional 2-night Pre-Tour Extension

Be sure to check out all of our featured bike and boat tours, or our full list of bicycle tours.

Accommodations

For your first three nights, you will stay on the RV River Kwai vessel. The boat was newly built as a colonial-style river cruiser based on designs used by the original Irrawaddy Flotilla which was founded in Burma in 1865 and by the 1920s was the largest privately-owned fleet of ships in the world. With just ten beautifully teak enhanced cabins, this cozy, small and intimate vessel is perfect to cruise on the scenic and historic River Kwai.

The remainder of your tour will be spent at the Paradise Koh Yao, a luxury beachfront resort that encourages harmonizing with nature. Nestled on a private and remote beach, the resort has a shaded swimming pool and is also only a few steps from the ocean, the ultimate R&R for your body and mind. You can take a Thai cooking class, enjoy a paddle on the water, or explore secret lagoons among tall limestone karsts in this private paradise.

• RV River Kwai

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  Hybrid Bicycle

  Cannondale Quick 1 Disc … • Lightweight frame … • Fixed fork (no suspension) • Flat handlebar … • Mid-width fast-rolling tires … • Hydraulic discs … • Shimano 105 drivetrain … Accessories … • Helmet… Read More

  Electric Bicycle (E-Bike)

  Cannondale Trail Neo … • Bosch power pack and drive unit from Bosch … • 10-speed Shimano gearing with plenty of range for all conditions … • Hydraulic disc brakes … • Front suspension … • Battery… Read More

  This unique vessel is a river cruiser built in the colonial style based on designs used by the original Irrawaddy Flotilla. The RV River Kwai carries a maximum of 20 passengers lodged in 10 teakwood twin bed cabins all located on the main deck. This is a perfect way to see parts of Thailand that are otherwise inaccessible. Read More

Bicycles

Standard bike

Cannondale Quick 1 Disc

• Lightweight frame
• Fixed fork (no suspension)
• Flat handlebar
• Mid-width fast-rolling tires
• Hydraulic discs
• Shimano 105 drivetrain

Ebike

Cannondale Trail Neo

• Bosch power pack and drive unit from Bosch
• 10-speed Shimano gearing with plenty of range for all conditions
• Hydraulic disc brakes
• Front suspension
• Battery that is integrated into the frame

Accessories

• Helmet
• Handlebar bag