Review of Amazing Bike Tours Phuket

My sister and I went on the half day Phuket Countryside tour with Amazing Bike Tours in May 2011. Loh, our guide, picked us up from our Karon hotel just before 8am and told us it would be a private tour for both of us as a last minute booking had fallen through. Lucky for us!! The drive to biking area took nearly an hour as it was first day back at school after the summer holidays. We had a short toilet break before the tour started and then Loh equipped us with the bikes and made sure we were comfortable with the gears. I must admit, I have been on a lot of biking tours and these bikes were probably the most advanced and well kept tour bikes I have ever ridden on. He provided us with helmets, asked us to sign a liability waiver form and then we were off. We rode through banana and pineapple plantations and local villages and Loh kept taking photos of us during the ride. In some areas, the surface is quite bumpy with roots of trees, and there are some sharp declines and steep hills, so care needs to be taken for children or those who are less physically fit. However, Loh explained to us that he changes the routes depending on the group and can swap the more bumpy surfaces for flat roads.

Word of advice, bring insect repellent and lots of it!! I had generously sprayed myself with repellent (containing DEET) before I left the hotel, however that was no match for the vicious mosquitoes in the jungle-type areas of the tour. They bit me so hard they made me bleed. Loh joked and said he had an arrangement with them that as long as he provided the mosquitoes with enough juicy tourists, then they would leave him alone. Funnily enough, they didn't bite him once so that arrangement seems to be working quite well for him!!

Along the tour, Loh allowed us to stop off at an elephant show (where we were able to feed a baby elephant at 50 baht per banana bucket), the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre (where it is nice to make a donation or buy a small gift in the shop to support the good work of the centre and its volunteers) and Bangpae Waterfall, where a few locals were escaping the humidity - I wish I could have joined them! We also stopped off at the Ao Po Marina, where many day trips to Phang Nga Bay leave from.

Loh doesn't provide a running commentary on the tour, but he does make several stops to point out local sights and fruits. And he is always obliged to answer any question you have. I was most impressed with his patience though, as my sister isn't the most experienced rider, however he let me ride ahead of him while he waited for her to catch up, even helping her walk her bike up some steep hills. I would thoroughly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the nature side to Phuket, away from the noisy resorts and beach areas, In fact, this tour reminded me very much of northern Thailand, where I had just spent over a week and a half. Everything is so green, the people are lovely and lifestyle is very basic. This tour was reminiscent of my travels to these small Thai villages, so it is a great way to spend half a day.

All you need to bring on this tour is a small backpack with a camera (although Loh promised us he would send us all the photos he took - and he did), a hat, plenty of sunscreen and the ever important insect repellent (with DEET). We were provided with endless water, soft drinks and yummy snacks - particularly the sticky rice and fruit. And for those who are worried they won't be able to stand the Thailand humidity, don't worry, the tour bus is never far behind and you can catch a lift if you are too tired to finish the tour.

So all in all, a very professional and well organised trip and a guaranteed great day out!