Highway 1339 to the Sirikit reservoir ferry

Continuing on from the first video on highway1339 the road leads to a ferry crossing over the Sirikit reservoir, which is filled by the Nan river which you will see regularly as you ride north to Nan and beyond.  The reservoir is huge, maybe one the biggest in Thailand, although the part you cross is not really representative of the size.

I call the crossing vehicle a ferry but it is in fact a pontoon pulled by a small long tail boat.  Sounds a bit dodgy but it appears a well run operation and all for 150baht per crossing for bike and rider.  Not sure how much was for the bike and how much for me.

At 13 minutes into the video is the first sight of the reservoir and you can make some friends with some local dogs!

If you miss a crossing be prepared for a 30 to 60 minute wait which is no big deal.  There is food and a small shop at both sides to fill the time whether you heading north or south.  I think at most the pontoon can take two cars and a few bikes and it takes about 25 minutes.

Photos from two crossing made one going north the other south:

Wikipedia page on the reservoir here

Map of the route:

Ride carefully and always within your ability.  The video shows speed (it is not completely accurate and has some inconsistencies), elevation graph, longitude and latitude, time and date, distance along the route and a squiggly line representing the road with a dot showing the current location.  This video was shot in December 2014 and roads in Thailand do change over the years, a once pristine section of tarmac can degrade and likewise a bad section can be resurfaced and become as smooth as silk!

Leave a comment if you have an up to date report.

You can find excellent bike reports and information of northland Thailand over at Golden Triangle Riders

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