Whether you cross over to Bang Krachao from the north or east, you’ll find bike rental shops at the ferry piers. Rentals cost around €3 per day.

But take care: Before setting off, be sure to test the brakes, tire tread, and steering on a short practice ride. Otherwise, you may quickly feel uneasy later on the often-narrow boardwalks through the mangrove forest.

The route I’ve marked on the map is a suggestion. If you deviate from it, please always use your phone’s navigation to find your way. It’s otherwise difficult to get your bearings in the mangroves.

For every tour, I recommend ending at a nice riverside restaurant. Then you can enjoy the wonderful view of the capital’s skyline over a refreshing drink and delicious Thai dishes. To the east, try Hiddenwoods; to the north, Uncle Ooh. Personally, I find the view from Uncle Ooh particularly spectacular in the evening at sunset.

Now, on to your bike ride. Part of the route takes you along elevated walkways through the swampy mangrove forest. You’ll also pass open areas with gardens and fields. It’s especially important there to wear a hat and bring sun protection. And don’t forget: always take a bottle of water with you. But please avoid single-use plastic, which is now filling rivers and canals. Refillable bottles can now be topped up with clean drinking water for a few cents at so-called “refill stations” throughout the city. You can find out more in my book on page 15.

Let’s start on the east bank, at Wat Bang Nam. Take the narrow bike path on the left. Follow the route and after about 500 meters you’ll reach the “Bangkok Tree House,” Thailand’s renowned eco-resort with a lovely riverside terrace. A great place for a short break. You can read more about the Bangkok Tree House in my book.

From there, continue along the river to a canal. On the other side you’ll find the Hiddenwoods I mentioned, which also rents out E-Scooters at certain times. If you’re interested, give them a quick call beforehand. It might be an alternative to the more strenuous bike ride.

If you then follow the canal inland, you’ll come to Bang Nam Phueng Floating Market, which is held on weekends and is well worth a visit. It isn’t a tourist show market, but mainly serves the local community. You can sit at small restaurants along the canal or pick up something to eat from one of the many food stalls. I especially recommend the many colorful little desserts, most of which are made using recipes from the Mon, a small ethnic group on the peninsula. A real treat.

It’s also a sustainable market, as it relies heavily on so-called “community products”: dried flowers for the wonderful purple butterfly pea tea, beautifully scented natural soaps and body oils, and simple, colorful fabric bags.

It’s also a sustainable market, as it relies heavily on so-called “community products”: dried flowers for the wonderful purple butterfly pea tea, beautifully scented natural soaps and body oils, and simple, colorful fabric bags.

From the market, the route continues through open fields, sometimes along roads, to one of my absolute favorite spots: the Ozone Café. It’s a little off the beaten track, so it attracts hardly any tourists. Yet it’s a wonderful green oasis, lovingly designed, with open water areas and little seating islands where you can watch the many animals kept here.

Ozone Café is a garden café surrounded by greenery, with ducks, geese and peacocks. Part petting zoo, part chill-out spot. Ideal if you’re out with children, who’ll have fun with the animals.

After a relaxing bite to eat, you can set off from here through the mangrove forest. It’s a unique experience to cycle along narrow walkways, some of them up to 1.5 meters high, through this special natural environment. Feel free to stop at a fork in the path and scan the swampy area for wildlife. I’ve often spotted beautiful water monitors there.

After a while, you’ll reach Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park. There are small gazebos, benches around the lake, and grassy areas to relax. If you’ve bought something to eat at the market, this is the perfect spot for a picnic.

The bird tower marked on my route is especially worth visiting early in the morning, when the birds wake up and take flight above the treetops to hunt.

After the park, the route continues through an expansive mangrove forest. Every so often, a small clearing opens up, with a house and a few vegetable plots beside the path. The people who live here often belong to the Mon ethnic group. Their families settled in this swampy, hard-to-reach area around 200 years ago to build a new home here.

At the end of this path, you'll come back to the Chao Phraya and a ferry pier. But before you do, take a little more time and turn left. A few meters further on, you'll reach Uncle Ooh. If it's already late afternoon, enjoy the sunset from the terrace before taking the ferry back to bustling Bangkok.