This is a trip report of 2013, but not much changed and it is still a recommended route to ride motorbike. Together with some other bikers from Khon Kaen I made a 2 day tour in North-East Thailand. And it was a great trip! Our first destination was Phetchabun to tour the area of Khao Kho, in Thailand also nicknamed Little Switzerland. Due to late leaving, good & long breakfast and dark-visors on the helmets we could not make it far into Khao Khao before it would become really dark. But route 2258 is a promising route to come back again soon. Route 2258 starts at route 21 between Phetchabun and Lomsak. We made a u-turn in Khao Kho and did ride back to town, where we stayed at the Burapa Hotel. Phetchabun is a nice small city with not too far from the hotel (but too far to walk) a street along a kind of klong or lake with many restaurants and small pub's. For more motorbike trip reports see
Motorbike Trip Reports. If you are interested to make motorbike trips in Northeast or North Thailand and need some information or help, please contact me by email at
The Little Elephant Traveling in Thailand.
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| Weird temple along the way to Nakhon Thai |
The next day we followed route 21 in direction Lomsak where just before the main route 12 we took a kind of bypass to the left that also end at route 21 where we again turned left on route 12. We followed it for a few km's and took a right to follow route 2372. After about 20km we took a left to route 2331 which is the starting point of the road to Phu Tub Burk and Phu Hin Rongkhla National park. This is the most twisty and steep road I have seen in Thailand going all the way up to 1667m above sea-level. And what more it was for me the first time to ride a road like that with a motorbike. So as a old & slow mountain goat I went up while the other more experienced riders passed me and were waiting with a cup of coffee at the beautiful view-point. After the the viewpoint you enter the National Park where we paid entrance fee for us and the motorbikes. The beginning of the road was a bit shitty with a lot of put-holes and to make it more difficult bright sunny parts and dark shadow parts so ... where are the put-holes? Oops there! We followed the 2331 until the intersection with the 2013 and took a right in direction of Dan Sai and then in direction of Loei following the 203. In Loei we stayed at the King Hotel.
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| Morning in the fog near Phu Kadung |
The next day I left the group to go back home. And as I love to ride at sunrise I did wake-up at 5:30 and at 6 in the morning I was on the bike on the 203 in direction of Lomsak. I had the intention to take a short-cute from the 203 in direction of Phu Wiang riding thru the mountains area of Lomsak but I took a short-cut to early. It had a beautiful start but soon I saw that I was actually riding in the wrong direction. But too lazy to ride back I just continued and with the help of Google Maps I did manage to get lost and discover that some roads just end in a village.
Well in the end I did manage to get to Phu Wiang and from there to Ubolrat lake to have a lunch at Pattaya 2 beach. Well due to the high water level there was not much beach but still a very scenic place to have lunch and the food was good! I took the long and scenic route along the lake back to Khon Kaen. At some places the water-level was on BOTH sides of the road at tarmac level. You could even see that these roads must have been flooded not long ago.
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| Fishing at Ubolrat lake |
