When to go:The best period is from November to February, during the dry and cool winter of these area. From March to July is very hot and the monsoons from July to October create some discomfort to cyclotravelers. The Northern Thailand is constituted in part by vast plains where there are the historic cities of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, and where the river Chao Phraya flows, which then penetrates between the crazy streets of the capital Bangkok. Top stages:

• Mae Hong Son loop
• Chiang Rai loop
• Kwae valley

Besides the immense golden pagoda of Nakhon Pathom, towards the Burmese border goes the River Kwae valley. At its western end stands the town of Saghklaburi. Further north the foothills of the Himalayas tower over the country reaching the provinces of Chiang Mai, Tak and Chiang Rai separated by Myanmar and Laos to the north by the Mekong River. East winds the Khmer road where there are numerous ruins of temples that lie beyond the slopes of Khao Yai N.P.