Mountain Biking in Chonburi (Khao Mai Kaew)

Mountain biking in Chonburi allows for a great break from Bangkok and there are plenty of opportunities for off road cycling in this province. Khao Mai Kaew, also known as Tam Pratoon is one area that was initially used for moto cross biking but more recently cyclists looking to escape the noise and pollution of Bangkok have been coming here in greater numbers for mountain biking.

The mountain bike track consists of 2 routes (or more if you are willing to explore), one around 4km in length and the 2nd around 10km long. They both consist of a variety of terrains with some technical single track riding, rocky paths, sandy tracks, surrounded by jungle and occasional clearings with some nice flowy downhills at various intervals. To take the longer route head up from the car park and take an immediate left following quite a wide tral for 200m before a relatively steep assent up the hill.

The track here is quite tough for cycling and makes for a fun challenge. Bring plenty of water too as being in a jungle the humidity is high and there is not much wind. Once on top of the hill there is a good decent along some single tracks before coming out to a large clearing. Continue straight along the clearing (there is a left turn which shortens the trail so take that if you are tired) and you will come to some tree plantations whereby the trail skirts around the edge before descending into the forest once again. From here it is 2-3km back to the car parking area. The trails in places are quite chewed up from the moto cross riders so it is usually best to go after a downpour when the sand has settled. There are some bathroom and shower facilities on site and some small restaurants in the nearby town. It is possible to explore further into the mountains, however trails often are hard to find and it is easy to get lost so ensure you have a GPS and ample amounts of water/food with you.

How to Get There

From Bangkok take highway 7 on the way to Pattaya and then take highway 36 with signs to Rayong. A short drive along this highway will take you to route 331 and you will see some small signs for Khao Mai Keaw. The area is not well signposted so look out for a number of buildings on your right and take the first tarmacked road on the left to get to the small lake at the start of the trail. There is a small wat called Tam Pratoon in the vicinity, this is just before the turning for the car park. As it is popular with cyclists people will know where you are heading if you need to ask.