The 2025 tour
Through rice fields and jungle mountains to the coast – The Tour of Hope 2025 from Khon Kaen to Pattaya
From November 8 to 15, 2025, the Tour of Hope 2025 covered almost 700 kilometers from Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand to Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand. It combined sporting challenges with social engagement, intense encounters, and impressive landscapes.
Day 1 – Khon Kaen → Chaiyaphum
Finally, the time has come: after months of preparation, the Tour of Hope 2025 starts in Khon Kaen. The sky is gray, the roads still wet from the rain – but the mood in the team is bright and full of anticipation.
After about 70 kilometers, the group reaches Ban Nong Khon, where 25 bicycles are handed over to five schools and a new school library is officially opened. The welcome from children, parents, teachers, and villagers is overwhelming: traditional dances, singing, moving speeches, and lots of sincere gratitude, including selfies with children, teachers, and every single mother.
Despite the rain, dirt, and exhaustion, it quickly became clear why this tour exists: to enable education, build bridges between cultures, and share privileges. After a total of 105 kilometers, the first day ended tired but fulfilled.
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Day 2 – Chaiyaphum → Nakhon Ratchasima
The second stage leads through the rural heart of Isaan. For hours, we cycle through rice fields in all stages of development – fresh green seedlings, golden ears of corn ready for harvest, and rice drying on blue tarpaulins in front of houses.
Several kilometers ran directly through the fields, with plenty of contact with mud and water. It became clear what a central role rice plays here: not only as a food source, but also as a symbol of identity, tradition, and livelihood. A quiet, earthy day that offers deep insights into everyday life in the region.
Day 3 – Nakhon Ratchasima → Pak Chong
The day begins in a relaxed manner – with a morning swim and an exceptionally good breakfast. After a short transfer through the morning city traffic, we head to the second school visit of the tour: the Khon Phet Samanora School.
Here, ten new bicycles are handed over to students. The region has long suffered from environmental problems caused by aquaculture, but thanks to many initiatives, the children now have better prospects. Dances, a cheerful ceremony, and beaming faces make this visit special.
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Another defining theme of the day is the street dogs that have been omnipresent since the beginning of the tour – calm, shy, or friendly, often fed by locals. Small gestures of kindness that symbolize this journey.
Day 4 – Pak Chong → Prachinburi (Khao Yai National Park)
The fourth day is the sporting and scenic highlight of the tour. Even before reaching the national park, the landscape changes dramatically: luxurious villas, golf resorts, artificial European backdrops, and large-scale construction projects line the route – weekend paradises for wealthy city dwellers from Bangkok.
Then comes the contrast: Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 13-kilometer steady climb takes us through humid, dense jungle – no mercy, no shortcuts. The air is heavy, the sounds of the forest omnipresent.
Once at the top, the reward awaits: a long, undulating descent of around 35 kilometers through tropical forest and seclusion. Monkeys, a sambar deer, the buzzing of insects – a moment that makes you forget the effort and will remain in many people’s memories as one of the most intense moments of the entire tour. In the end, it’s clear: this climb is rewarded.
Day 5 – Prachinburi → Chachoengsao
After the challenging previous day, a deliberately more relaxed stage is on the agenda. 100 flat kilometers lead through central Thailand, past canals, rivers, rice fields, and shrimp farms.
Preparations for the next rice harvest can be seen everywhere: men on noisy tricycles plow the fields, and a new agricultural cycle begins. After a hearty noodle soup with duck, the last few kilometers almost roll by on their own.
In the evening, the hotel awaited us right on the Bang Pakong River – with a view of the water, the first Chang beers of the tour, and well-deserved massages. A quiet day to take a deep breath.
Day 6 – Chachoengsao → Bang Saen
The sixth stage is the shortest at 71 kilometers, but rich in impressions. Quiet side roads lead towards the Gulf of Thailand, with a challenging passage on the highway in between that requires full concentration.
The highlight comes with a ten-kilometer bridge over flat coastal waters – destination: Bang Saen, a popular seaside resort for people from Bangkok, ideal for ending the day in a relaxed manner.
Day 7 – Bang Saen → Pattaya
The last stage takes you along side roads slightly inland to avoid heavy traffic. A scenic highlight is the large loop around Bang Phra Lake, followed by pineapple fields and a long descent to the edge of Pattaya.
The entrance to the city itself is challenging: heavy traffic, lots of changes of direction, full attention required. The evening in Jomtien shows Pattaya from a quieter side – wide beaches, skyline in the haze of dusk, but also visible social contrasts.
After almost 700 kilometers, the 19th Tour of Hope ends here – a week full of encounters, landscapes, and impressions. Thailand in all its facets, experienced with respect, gratitude, and enthusiasm.
We’ll be back.