Cycling Holidays in Asia

Be prepared for heavy vehicle traffic and lots of poor roads with Dust prevalent. Cycling Laos is for strong cyclists more interested in getting from A to B than taking in the scenery, local customs and culture. I have done several Exodus cycling holidays and this was the most demanding (correctly graded) but least rewarding trip I have done. The trip would be greatly improved by a change from the key roads to more circular trips that can use the back roads. The very full distance and set sight seeing agenda means early morning starts, combined with late finishes leaving little time to dawdle or do anything other than go out to eat in the evening. Unusually, I was probably the weakest cyclist in this lovely group which meant I never had time to stop to take photographs or take in the views. After the day’s cycling and the transfers, by the time we got to the overnight stays (all of a good standard for this kind of trip) you barely had time to freshen up and prepare for the next day before you were out to dinner and then early to bed for next early start. There was little or no time to take in the delights described in the trip notes. The roads are misleadingly described as being “often to yourself” and does not mention the fairly constant presence of heavy lorries. When these lorries or other fast traffic combines with the deteriorating roads you will have to put up with the dust. Our trip was just after the rice harvest (in some areas there are two) and crop burning meant there was a constant grey haze (even after a full night of rain) obliterating the potentially amazing views of rural Laos. I would recommend you do not go on the late Feb departure and check current forecasts of the harvest time. If you are looking for rural rides and time to take in the scenery I would suggest looking at other trips altogether. All cyclists take note of the grading for this trip and, unless you are a strong cyclist, consider an e-bike.

Alan Carter Cycling in Laos

Good trip

David Clark Cycle Morocco's Great South

We had the most fantastic cycling trip around Sri Lanka recently. Everything went to plan from the meet at the airport to the departure 2 weeks later. Each days cycling offered new experiences & sights – the scenery & wildlife was as varied and stunning as you could wish for. The hotels were of a very good quality & the food throughout the trip was both plentiful and of a high quality. We ate at some fantastic local restaurants which offered a real insight into the fantastic Sri Lankan cuisine. Our group gelled from Day 1 and this really helped make the trip memorable. The cycling was incredibly enjoyable and whilst stretching on a couple of days most reasonably fit people would easily cope with each days cycling. Our group leader Suresh was the most inspirational guide a group could wish for – extremely organised, very funny and used his extensive local knowledge to make the trip highly enjoyable. His support team were excellent providing back up bikes, food/water, transport & guidance – real unsung heroes. This was our first cycling holiday – would we recommend this trip – undoubtedly & we are planning our next one for 2024. The phrase Maximum Damage was used extensively by our excellent guide Suresh when we sat down to a buffet !

David & Carolyne F Cycle the Back Roads of Sri Lanka