A steering wheel on the right side, steep drop-offs, mountain tribes and temples in the middle of nowhere. Watch our report from the January 4×4 expedition through the mountains of northern Thailand. Want to feel like part of this journey? Press play and jump into the pickup with us.
A different Thailand
This was our fourth time in Thailand, but for the first time instead of heading to the paradise islands of the south, we went north. Near Chiang Mai we got into an off-road pickup and headed even further — toward Myanmar and Laos.
Our expedition lasted 5 days. Far from tourist attractions, we got to know Thailand all over again — the way we had hoped to already experience during our first visit. For days we pushed through mountain ranges, breathtaking rice fields, jungle, banana forests and villages of local tribes.
We slept in little-known huts, ate food even better than the “best” we had fallen in love with on our first trip. And for the first time… we got cold! While in the south you never need long sleeves or pants, here our butts froze during one night in a hut by the river, when we slept under a blanket at temperatures below 10°C.
Despite the long crossings, we managed to visit a large number of temples, a canyon, the hippie town of Pai, and even boil eggs in a hot stream.
5 days in 20 minutes
This short film is basically the essence of the entire expedition. At first we were so stressed about driving a right-hand-drive manual car along the edge of cliffs that we kept forgetting to turn the camera on. Then, arriving in the evenings at our resting places, we thawed out after the whole day — and by the end of the trip we realized we had recorded almost no footage of our overnight spots or meals.
Still, I feel this film will let you travel there for a moment and feel like part of the journey. So sit back and imagine that you are with us in a manual Isuzu D-Max 3.0 turbo diesel in northern Thailand — the Thailand you won’t find on vacation postcards.
Off the beaten path
Leaving the asphalt, turning onto gravel, discovering the world by avoiding well-worn routes — that’s what we love most. Being able to combine sightseeing with off-road driving makes the road itself the destination. This expedition had perfectly balanced proportions. Intense, at times very technically demanding driving was ideally complemented by quick walks while exploring beautiful corners of Thailand.
On our home expeditions we also often stray from the planned route just to have fun on the backroads. After all, what are our off-road vehicles for! 🙂 If besides expeditions you’re also into 4×4 adventure itself, be sure to check out our report from an off-road rally in the Bieszczady Mountains. We’re curious which of these trips is closer to your heart.