Bangkok Bicycle Tour with a Jungle Adventure

We went on a bad ass bicycle tour in Bangkok and lived to tell about it. One of the coolest things we did in Bangkok was taking a Bangkok bicycle tour through the jungle. I was initially a little hesitant about taking my kids on such a rigorous bike ride, but I am so glad we did.

Bangkok Bicycle Tour

Travelocity arranged our 15.5 mile bicycle jungle tour in Bangkok with one of their operators, Spice Roads. You may recall, I am one of Travelocity’s Gnational Gnomads! This is one of the tours available on Travelocity. It is $38 per person. Kids must be at least 5 years old.

Our guide was waiting for us when we arrived. The meeting spot was a little tough to find, but many of the taxi drivers will know where the fake surfing place is, Flow House. Just tell your taxi driver to drop you there. The bicycle tours are right next door.

To start out you have to pedal through Bangkok in traffic to get to a dock where you will catch a ferry across the river. Biking through Bangkok is not for the faint of heart. The traffic was totally and completely insane. But somehow we all made it there and back without anyone being hit by a car. Once you get to the dock you get on a special ferry boat for those wanting to go over to the bicycle area. One of my favorite parts of this tour was just sitting on the boat taking in the views of Bangkok in every direction as we crossed the Chao Phraya River.

Once you are on the other side of the river you are greeted with a much slower vibe. Lots of people live over here, but things are more spread out and less congested.

After having survived the Bangkok traffic you will welcome the sight of empty streets, farms, and bike paths through the jungle.

The guide doesn’t tell you much about the various areas that you are pedaling through, but you will see a lot. I am sure if we had asked more questions he would have elaborated on anything we saw. Our guide had excellent English, it was no struggle to understand what he shared with us.. He does go into detail when you visit a local temple that is no longer being used, the ancient Ayutthaya temple.

Snack Break

At one point there is a snack break. You pull off of the road where a street vendor is serving mangos and sticky rice. It is likely to be the best mango with sticky rice you will have in all of Thailand. I’m not sure if it is because I was starving, exercising, or what, but I loved it! There were one or two other breaks, but they were for water and other beverages only. There was also a bathroom break at one point.

If you go on the tour when the floating market is open you will get to experience an authentic Thai floating market. The day we went they were not open. I could see where they obviously set up, but there was no one around.

Tips for Biking Around Bangkok

Make sure children are on a bicycle they can easily handle. Although I wish I had put Jonah on a larger bike, so he could peddle less, I was happy that he could handle the bike he was on. He never fell over, which is extremely important when biking some of Bangkok’s busiest streets.
Make sure the bicycle seat is comfortable. You will be spending hours on this seat, covering over 15 miles and you want to make sure you will be okay riding on that seat for the duration of the bicycling adventure.
Stay Hydrated. Children will turn down extra drinks when you stop, so it is up to you to make sure they are drinking enough water.
Take a GoPro. Many of the paths required two hands on the bike. Make sure you do not miss out on documenting parts of your journey by having a GoPro mounted to the bicycle or strapped to the helmet. Here are links to the exact GoPro bike mount I use and the GoPro helmet strap I use.
Wear Tennis Shoes. Put all kids in tennis shoes to prevent someone from losing a sandal or flip flop.
Sleeveless shirts are okay. At no point were the ladies required to cover up to go inside a temple.
Take the tour in the morning. If at all possible go in the morning. Unfortunately, we were unable to make our morning tour and they graciously switched us to the afternoon tour, but it was hot!
Take sunscreen. The tour is 100% outside.
Wear bug spray. There are mosquitos.
Do not show up hungry. There is a break for a snack, but only one. Have a fulfilling meal before the ride, you will be burning a lot of calories.
Use the bathroom before you set out. It will be a while before there is a bathroom break. Make sure your kids have an empty bladder when you leave the starting point.
Carry tissues with you. Many restrooms do not have toilet paper. Take tissues just in case.