South East Asia is a wondrous and mysterious region and we are taking a full 360 degree tour around it. With a fascinating but often troubled history and unique and varying cultures, this enchanting region has much to offer. Join us for this six-week adventure packed with great riding, UNESCO listed sites and remarkable routes off the beaten track and South East Asia will live in your heart forever.

Fly into Bangkok and you will be met at the airport and transferred to Amphawa. We have a day here to collect your bikes, attend the final pre-tour briefing and enjoy the welcome dinner. Your first day of riding is high on excitement with a packed itinerary. En route you will visit a floating market and then on to Kanchana Buri; scene of the Bridge on the River Kwai. Your second day picks up just where the first left off; starting with an elephant ride through the forest we then head north, visiting Hellfire Pass and the museum of the same name. Hellfire was the scene of some of the worst suffering when the railways were built and the museum commemorates those who lost their lives here. In the evening wander the Mon Bridge and take a long-tail boat ride to the Sunken Temple "Wat Saam Prasob". If this is not enough then there is a chance to ride to the Three Pagodas Pass where Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) meet.

The following days meander through Kamphangphet and Pitsanulok provinces with the first taste of the mountain roads that await later, en route to Nakhon Sawan and the UNESCO-listed Sukhothai. An early afternoon arrival leaves time to visit the park and the ruins of the ancient Sukhothai Kingdom. Dating back to the 12th century, once the capital, over 190 temples have been excavated here. Your hotel is just five minutes from the park and you can ride in or take the regular shuttle bus.

Heading north you will ride into the Thai Highlands. These mountains stretch through Laos and Myanmar linking to the Himalayas. They make for fantastic riding as you climb up to 2,000m through tropical forest and ride the beautiful Mae Sod Mountain road. After a night spent near the Myanmar border (with the chance to pop across the border and get another stamp in your passport) you continue north to the Nam Ngao National Park with its many waterfalls.

More challenging winding mountain roads await as you ride a stretch of the road of 1864 bends en route to Mae Hong Son. In the afternoon you will take a long-tailed boat on the Pai River to "Ban Nam Piang Dinto" the Karen Tribe Long Neck Village. Traditionally the ladies of the tribe wear gold rings around their necks to make their necks look longer and them more attractive. Although traditional, each girl can now choose whether to follow the tradition or not. The following day is a riding day you will never forget. The road of 1864 curves. A seemingly endless procession of bends on a road cut through tropical jungle and over mountains. We divert off on side roads to the Pang Tong Royal Palace, a Royal Project and Reservoir before riding on through the Tam Pla National Park to the Tham Pi Man Jabo Cave with its 1700-year-old teak coffins. Arriving at Pai you will be pleased to know that tomorrow is a day off with a chance to explore this bustling, slightly hippy town or just lounge by the hotel pool.

Heading further north you visit the Angkhang Royal Project as we ride some of the best mountain routes in the world. Twisting and turning, climbing and descending harder and sharper than anything in Europe or the Americas these routes are a biker's paradise. Don't forget to stop and enjoy the scenery though! After a night in Doi Tung you can visit “Srinagaringdra” the former residence of the Late King's Mother and the Doi Tung Gardens. Turning south you will be riding through the infamous Golden Triangle, home to Opium producers for centuries. After a night in Kloa Bua, we head into country number two - Laos.

Laos is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. It has eschewed development with its economy remaining firmly in farming. The architecture reflects a French Colonial past but with its own unique charm. Our time in Laos centres on Luang Prebang, once called 'the last refuge of lovers and dreamers'. Sitting at the confluence of the Mekong River and the Khan River, nowhere else can lay claim to this UNESCO Listed gem's romance of 33 gilded wats, saffron-clad monks, faded Indochinese villas and exquisite French cuisine. You have a free day here to enjoy all it has to offer. From Luang Prebang we are riding north on some great, quiet, swooping roads through villages and past rice paddies, heading for a night in the small town of Oudom Xai. From here Vietnam is beckoning.

Vietnam can trace its origins back 25,000 years and is one of the oldest countries in the world. Often occupied and fought over, it has had both Chinese and French masters, but this time of conflict ended with the second Indochina war between the Soviet-backed communist north and the US-backed capitalist south. Since the late 1970s peace has largely settled on this land and, as the communist state has reformed, it has grown into the country we find today.

You cross into Vietnam at the Tay Trang Border post to the Dien Bien Province, site of the battle to finally liberate the Vietnamese people from French occupation. There is a chance to visit the iconic A1 hill, site of the final battle. Next up is Sapa over the mighty O Quy Ho Pass, one of the highest and most dangerous roads in Vietnam. In Sapa we have a day off to explore the terraced rice paddies, visit the Sapa Silver Waterfall or, if you want more on-bike time, to ride the Tram Ton Pass. The next few days are running along the border with China over the remarkable and challenging Dong Van Plateau past the iconic "Fairy Twin Mountain". We visit Vietnam's most northerly point, the Lung Cu Flag pole up 389 stone steps. We ride the Road of Happiness over the Ma Pi Leng Pass and on past vertical stone cliffs.

Two special nights cruising on board a ship in the UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay give you the chance to catch your breath and relax. These are followed by your first experience of riding into a Vietnamese city when you have two nights in Hanoi the capital. You have time to visit the Old Quarter - a maze of narrow streets dating back to the 13th century, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Ðình Square, where Ho read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Heading south from Hanoi we cross the old DMZ line and ride through the UNESCO-listed Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park where massive tectonic movements have left miles of caves and rivers underground and a unique landscape on the surface. We also visit the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel which in 1972 was bombed for 80 days and nights by a rota of 140 B52 bombers. Only the front and rear gates remain. We also stay in the UNESCO-listed city of Hue with a half-day city tour. The sights keep coming as you visit the Forbidden City and UNESCO-listed Hoi An Ancient Town.

Our route then heads south, along the coast visiting the Twin Cham towers of Quy Nhon, Cliff of Stone Plates - Ganh Da Dia in Nhan Trang, the white beaches of Vietnam's resort destinations as well as Mui Ne Habour. All this before we arrive at Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and some of the most challenging riding of the trip battling through thousands of scooters into the city. A day off here provides time to explore this most fascinating and vibrant of cities. We will visit the vast tunnels of Cu Chi dug by the Viet Cong to store weapons, hide, treat their wounded and generally avoid the southern army. You can also visit the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum or enjoy the French colonial architecture of Notre Dame and the old Saigon Post Office.

Leaving Ho Chi Minh City we are heading for country number four, Cambodia. From the hustle of Ho Chi Minh straight to the bustle of the capital Phnom Penh. Once home to the Khmer Empire, French Colonialists and the Infamous Khmer Rouge it is now back as the capital and home to the King of Cambodia. We have a day off here to explore and you can enjoy a city tour that covers many of the must see sites including the Royal Palace, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek. The latter two are built upon infamous locations used by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979. Choeung Ek is a former orchard and better known as The Killing Fields. We will also visit The Silver Pagoda. It was formerly known as the Temple of the Crystal Buddha and the Vihara now houses many Cambodian treasures including a small Emerald Buddha and a life-sized gold Maitreya Buddha decorated with 9,584 diamonds.

Leaving Phnom Penh we have a night in sleepy Stung Treng where the Mekong enters Cambodia. From here you are heading for one of the highlights of the tour - The City of Temples, Angkor. The largest Religious Monument in the world dates back to the 12C and is largely built from sandstone carried from over 50km away. Initially a Hindu temple, a statue of Vishnu still at its heart, it is now a Buddhist site stretching across and incredible 162 Hectares (we won't have time to see it all!). We have a full day's tour booked and then a second day at your leisure. Return and see more of the ancient temples slowly being overgrown by the jungle, wander the markets and the French Colonial architecture of Siam Reap or just relax at the hotel by the pool; it is up to you.

From Siam Reap we are heading to the border, via the Tonle Sap Lake crossing back into Thailand past the myriad of Casinos at Poi Pet. Our destination is Kabin Buri and a last night on the road. From Kabin Buri our route circumnavigates Bangkok to Amphawa on the Mae Khlong River. You have two nights here. All that is left is packing the bikes for the return journey and our farewell dinner and then it is time to leave this remarkable part of the world with hearts and cameras full of South East Asia.

Please Note:Your journey will actually start in Sept / Oct 2019 with a BMW Off Road Skills Level One training course and pre-tour briefing. We want to make sure that everyone is prepared and ready for the journey ahead. For international clients we will endeavour to make local arrangements for training and the pre-tour briefing will be available via teleconferencing.