ITINERARY
Travel 20 kilometres north of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River and you soon reach the island of Koh Kret.
In 1722, during the reign of King Thaisa of Ayutthaya, the island was cut from an ox bow in the river and was previously known as "Khlong Lat Kret Noi" which means a shortcut to Kret canal. The island has always been populated by the Mon, a people that dominated the area that is now Thailand from the 6th to 10th centuries. The Mon of Koh Kret are famous for their craftsmanship and skill at the potters wheel and still make all kinds of terracotta and earthenware products. The main village is a thriving market place where you can see the pottery making process and shop for pots, mortars, and flowerpots.
What do we see? Riding alongside the Chao Phraya River, passing numerous small villages, we see temples, fruit and flower plantations, local villages and very friendly Thai people. We then head away from river life and pass into the rural surroundings where we ride among rice paddies and fruit plantations before finishing the first part of our journey back on the banks of the river at Ban Bua Thong. On Koh Kret, we see the pottery village and visit the island's Ancient Mon Pottery Centre, Wat Paramai Yikawat or Wat Mon, which contains a Mon styled marble Buddha.
What is the riding like? This is a very easy 15-20 kilometre ride along nice flat roads and paths. The beautiful thing about riding on Koh Kret is that there are no cars allowed on the island so you have the road to yourselves.
Anything else? The ride ends at great riverside restaurant where you can relax before crossing the river to Wat Klang Kret and the short bus ride back to Bangkok.
Of course, water, soft drinks and snacks are all included all day and SpiceRoads supplies a TREK mountain bike and helmet. The trip is supported for most of the ride by our air conditioned minibus.
