THE KOH KOOD LOOP - Pol Tarrés

It all started because of my mom

This year she turned 60 and wanted to do a big trip with my brother and me. She did a bit of research and decided on Thailand. Immediately, I thought it would be cool, or at least a good excuse, to do a short bikepacking trip there after the family vacation. That’s when I called Alex. I told him my plan: stay a week and do some riding, somewhere in Thailand. He didn’t hesitate, he was in right away.

The plan was simple: start and end in Bangkok. We wanted to make a loop, explore different parts of Thailand, and spend at least one day resting on an island. With those points and about 7–8 days to play with, the route almost planned itself, there weren’t many options, jajaja. We chose Koh Kood: a small, lesser-known island near the Cambodian border in the Gulf of Thailand, about 400 km and a ferry ride away from Bangkok.

So we decided to head down along the coast and come back to Bangkok through the interior.

After a few days of riding, we can say: bikepacking in Thailand is easy. It’s easy because it’s incredibly safe, no one is going to steal from you, and traffic is respectful. It’s easy because you can find food almost anywhere, almost anytime. You don’t need to over-plan, which makes everything easier.

However that doesn’t remove the adventure part of it, there are still some things you have to figure out to make your trip an unforgettable one, but in a good way.

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RIDING WITH THE SUN

One thing we learned the hard way was the importance of timing. On our first day, we thought we were starting early at 7:30 am. It was all good until around 2 pm, when the heat became brutal. The last 3 hours of riding were a struggle, we had to stop every 30 minutes at a 7-Eleven or gas station to cool down. We felt dizzy while pedaling, it was rough.

From then on, we started riding between 5–6 am. That way, we were done by midday and could rest. Our routine changed: up at 4–4:30 am, riding from 5–6 until noon or 2 pm, resting, doing laundry (always available near the hotels), having dinner around 5–6 pm, and going to bed by 9–10 pm. That way, we avoided the worst of the heat, enjoyed all the daylight, and synced with the local rhythm.

ROADS MADE OF DUST AND COFFEE GOUND

Looking at the numbers from our rides, the part of Thailand we covered was mostly flat. You’ll find three types of surfaces:

• Tarmac in great condition, mostly on main roads

• Concrete pavement on secondary roads

• Hard-packed dirt roads when the paved ones end

In rural areas, we found stunning red gravel roads, smooth and fast. The dust was like ground coffee, sticking to our bikes, legs, and shoes, creating the perfect contrast with the vibrant green trees and fields. We also found plenty of secondary roads with yellow lines and arrow signs—very aesthetic.

THE RING OF FIRE

Every single sunset in Thailand is magical. Like Alex said, it was a “ball of fire,” or as Johnny Cash would say, a “Ring of Fire”. Every day, during the early morning or golden hour, the sun turned deep red and cast a warm tone over the landscape.

The first half of the trip was near the sea—more towns, more food, more hotels. After Koh Kood, the interior was more rural, with fewer options. Still manageable, but not as easy.

SMILES EVERYWHERE

Before the trip, Alex told me Thailand is called “The Land of Smiles.” He couldn’t have been more right. Almost everyone we crossed paths with smiled at us, maybe because of our loaded bikes, our lycra kits, or the cameras strapped to us. Even with the language barrier, people tried to ask where we were from or where we were headed. Translator apps helped a lot in those moments.

Everyone was polite and super chill. It felt like there were no strict rules, just a general sense of “do whatever you want, as long as you don’t bother anyone.” On our first day, we even rode a stretch of highway leaving Bangkok, and it was totally fine. No honking, no yelling, just good vibes.

After 940 km of riding, I can confidently say Thailand is safe for cyclists. Drivers are respectful and don’t drive fast, so we never felt in danger. The cities might feel chaotic at first with tons of cars, scooters, tuk-tuks, but it’s a kind of organized chaos. Everyone flows around each other. We never saw a single accident.

MANGOES, COCONUTS AND 7-ELEVENs

One of the best parts of traveling is the food, the local food. And when you’re biking for hours every day, you need a lot of it.

At first, it felt strange. You can’t have breakfast like you do at home, no familiar snacks or energy bars. But you adapt. You have to. Thankfully, there are food vendors everywhere, like food trucks but on motorbikes. You can find everything: coconuts, fried rice, grilled duck, chicken, veggies, and of course, mango sticky rice.

And then there’s the holy grail: 7-Eleven. There are 15,413 of them in Thailand. No joke. They became our go-to snack and cooling station, with air conditioning included. We usually grabbed onigiris, pork buns, sandwiches, and some sweets. I became addicted to liquid yogurt and coconut water. That combo was my fuel at every stop.

After the ride, we always looked for something local. Alex loves spicy food. I don’t. So I stuck to fried rice (which I love) and tried all the varieties possible. There was plenty of seafood, different meats, and smoothies—so many smoothies. We had them mid-ride too—fresh, natural, and super refreshing.

KOH KOOD: THE LITTLE PARADISE

This island was the reason behind our route. We wanted to experience the beach life as part of our bikepacking journey, so we designed the loop to include a day and a half on this little slice of paradise.

We arrived on the third afternoon after a 2-hour ferry ride and spent the next day fully resting and soaking in the quiet, stunning beaches of Koh Kood. Even though it was peak season, the island felt empty, peaceful, untouched.

When we arrived, we watched the sunset from a small beachside resort, just lying on the sand after 3 intense days and over 400 km. The next morning, we “slept in” until 7 am (late for us), rented scooters, and explored the island. We had a few spots marked, but in the end, the island was so small we saw everything just cruising around, feeling like we were in heaven.

We swam, drank smoothies, ate fresh seafood, walked along white sand beaches shaded by palm trees, and visited the second, and only other, town, a fishing village built over the water like a mini Venice. It had a couple of restaurants, all serving fresh seafood, of course.

That night, we had dinner at a family-run seafood spot—grilled scallops, squid, and fish. It was the perfect end to the perfect rest day.

SETBACKS ALWAYS HAPPEN

As in every adventure we had a couple setbacks but nothing we couldn’t fix and keep riding. We just have to be prepared for some mechanicals or some crashes that can happen anytime, we fix it and we keep going. The more we travel, the more we know what to bring or where to go to find some help.

I’D GO BACK TOMORROW

Even there is so many other new places (for me) to go I would say I wouldn’t mind to do another bikepacking trip in Thailand. I felt I didn’t have to worry about anything, just ride, eat good food, relax and have a coconut or mango smoothie. That’s it.

That night, we had dinner at a family-run seafood spot—grilled scallops, squid, and fish. It was the perfect end to the perfect rest day.