5 Easy Bike Adventures

Exploring Thailand's Northern Highlights, Pedalers Pub & Grill
Looking for something more off the beaten track? This tour takes you into the wonder-filled world beyond the northern city of Chiang Mai, a region of emerald rice paddies, lush forests, thatched villages, ancient temples and ethnic hill tribes.

See Also: Frommer's Guide, Bangkok

Highlights of the six-night, seven-day tour include visits to an orchid grower, a butterfly farm, a traditional vegetable, fruit and fish market, an elephant camp, a temple complex with hundreds of Buddha images, and an inviting hot springs, along with stops for shopping, delicious food sampling and cultural lessons in a number of hill tribe villages. Accommodations are a mix of traditional and modern country resorts.

This trip offers four departures from October through February. Cost is $1,680 per person, double occupancy (add $495 for single occupancy). If you supply your own bike, deduct $130 from the tour cost.

Finally, want to expand your options? If you have time and energy for a longer trip, consider Classic Adventures' flagship Classical Greece Bike Tour, an 11-day, 10-night pedal that explores the ruins and riches of central Greece from Corinth to Olympia, with a special visit to the island of Zakinthos.

And if you're a do-it-yourselfer, Provence Cycling Holidays offers the intriguing option of self-guided GPS tours — tailored to your desired daily distance and exertion level — in rural France.

See Also: Recipe, Basic Sticky Rice

Don George is a contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler and edits the online magazine Recce: Literary Journeys for the Discerning Traveler. He also edits and writes for Gadling.com.