Six ways to ride the same 16 km of private trail behind Pattaya: two ATV routes, two elephant combos, a buggy for anyone who would rather hold a steering wheel, and a private upgrade you can add to any of them. Compare them here, then book the one that fits your morning.
Book the 1.5-hour Beginner ATV Ride at ฿2,890 if you have never driven a quad. Choose the 3-hour ATV & Elephant Experience at ฿3,990 for feeding and walking with the herd, or the 5-hour Ultimate Jungle Adventure at ฿5,990 for the mud bath and river. A passenger sharing the same vehicle pays ฿990, ฿1,490 and ฿2,990 respectively, and hotel pickup is included in all three.
Every tour on this page begins the same way: an 08:30 hotel pickup from Pattaya, Jomtien and Na Jomtien, a gear fitting, a briefing and a practice loop before anyone touches the real trail. Groups are capped at 8 vehicles, so nobody is left behind on a corner. Only two things really separate the six: how long you stay out, and whether the morning includes elephants.
Ride length is the honest first filter. Ninety minutes is enough to learn the controls, get properly muddy and still be back at your hotel before lunch. Two hours buys the technical half of the 16 km network (the climbs, the ruts and the water crossings) and only makes sense if you already know how a quad behaves under you. Five hours is a different sort of day: deep trail, a long stop with the herd, and lunch in the middle of it. The safety rules and rider requirements decide who in your group drives and who rides along.
The second filter is elephants. Two of the six tours include the programme, and the programme is hand-feeding, walking, a mud bath and the river; nothing else. No saddles, no shows, no painting, and we will not arrange riding somewhere else if you ask us to. The ethical elephant experience page explains how a morning with the herd actually runs. Still torn between two tours? Send us both on WhatsApp; someone is on the other end Daily 07:00–18:00 ICT.
Side by side
Compare all six tours
Same trails, same inclusions, same early start. This is the whole range in one view: what a driver pays, what a passenger pays, what a buggy costs instead, and who each tour actually suits.
Pattaya ATV, buggy and elephant tours compared, in Thai baht. ATV prices are per person; buggy prices are per vehicle and are listed in the second table.
Every figure is in Thai baht and already covers hotel transfer, gear and a guide. Quad prices are per person; a buggy is a separate, higher price charged per vehicle, from ฿3,190 for the two-seater on the shortest tour, and only the 4-seater carries passengers at no extra charge. ATV vs buggy in Pattaya and renting an ATV yourself versus joining a guided tour both walk through the trade-offs. For a group total, send the ages and dates through the contact page.
The six tours
Every tour in detail
Each card opens the full page for that tour: the route, the timings, what to wear and the questions people ask before they commit.
Easiest
Beginner ATV Ride
1.5 hours
฿2,890
Full briefing, a practice loop, then an easy jungle circuit. The tour most families and first-time riders book.
No licence is asked for, because none of the 16 km is public road; the trail is private land from the first metre to the last. The camp wants a passport copy and a driver who is 16 or over. Passengers ride from 4, and up to 8 vehicles go out behind one guide.
Astride, not strapped in
Vocabulary
Quad, ATV, buggy, UTV: what the words mean
People arrive here searching four different words for two machines. Here is which is which, so you book the one you actually pictured.
ATV and quad bike are two names for one thing. Four wheels, a saddle you sit astride, handlebars, a thumb throttle. You steer with your arms and lean into the corners, which makes it the more physical of the two and the reason your shoulders know about it the next day.
A buggy is the other shape, and it gets sold under three names: dune buggy, side-by-side, UTV. All three mean the same vehicle: a seat, a steering wheel, pedals, belts and a cage overhead, in a two-seater or a four-seater. You sit in it rather than on it.
The route does not change between them: same 16 km, same guide, same timings. The price does. A quad is charged per rider, while a buggy is charged per vehicle and costs more, from ฿3,190 for a two-seater, and more again for the four. The buggy page covers the seat plan and who ends up driving, and ATV vs buggy in Pattaya puts the two side by side on the trail.
Decision help
How to choose in thirty seconds
Six situations cover almost everyone who writes to us. Find yours and go straight to the tour that answers it.
Driver prices run ฿2,890 for the 1.5-hour ride to ฿5,990 for the 5-hour one. A passenger on the same quad pays ฿990 on the ATV rides and up to ฿2,990 on the five-hour tour. Buggies are priced per vehicle, from ฿3,190. Hotel pickup, helmet and guide are included; going private adds ฿2,000 per group.
How booking works
No deposit, and no online checkout
The whole thing runs in one WhatsApp thread, and no money moves until you are standing next to the vehicles.
Send three things: the date, the tour, and how many people are driving and how many are riding along. We come back with the total in baht and the pickup time for your hotel. That is the booking. There is no card form, no account to make and nothing held against your name.
You pay at the camp on the day, in cash or by card, after the briefing and before the trail. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. If a flight moves or someone wakes up ill, tell us and the date moves with it.
The missing checkout button is deliberate rather than an oversight. A group total depends on who drives, who rides and how old they are, and a payment form cannot ask those questions. It also means nothing leaves your account before you have seen the machines, the helmets and the guide taking you out. Every published figure is on the price list, and the contact page has the other ways to reach us.
No deposit
Holding a date costs nothing and commits nothing.
Cash or card at the camp
Paid on the day, once you have seen what you are riding.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup
Cancel or move the date; there is nothing to claw back.
One thread, Daily 07:00–18:00 ICT
The same conversation from first question to pickup time.
4 languages
The languages we answer in
English
Русский
עברית
ไทย
Messages are answered in English, Русский, עברית, ไทย. Write in whichever of those you think in and you will get the total, the pickup time and any question about ages or medical conditions back in the same language.
Be clear about what that covers, because the two things are not the same. Booking, prices, pickup and everything before and after the ride are handled in all 4. On the trail the guide works in English. That is exactly what “English-speaking guide” on the inclusions list means, and we are not going to imply more than it says. If someone in your group needs the briefing in another language, put that in your booking message and we will tell you honestly what is possible that morning rather than after you arrive.
Getting there
Where we pick you up
Hotel pickup and drop-off are included from Pattaya, Jomtien and Na Jomtien, and the standard pickup is 08:30. Send the hotel name with your booking message and we confirm the time back to you rather than leaving you to guess it. The van comes to the lobby.
Staying outside those three areas? Ask. We will quote the transfer instead of turning you away, but we would rather give you a figure in writing than a vague yes.
Coming down from Bangkok is a separate job and a paid add-on. If that is you, the 5-hour Ultimate Jungle Adventure is the one worth the drive; a short ride makes a thin day out of a long journey. Bangkok to Pattaya as an adventure day trip sets out how people usually put that day together. We do not publish journey times here, because they depend on your hotel and on the traffic that morning. Ask, and we will tell you what we know.
Included from Pattaya, Jomtien and Na Jomtien
When to come
Every month of the year, with one trade-off
We run year-round. The months with the best surface underneath you are the wet ones, which is the opposite of what most people assume when they plan the trip.
May to October is the rainy season, and it is when the 16 km rides best. Rain packs the surface down and takes the dust out of the air, so you can see the rider in front and the ruts keep their shape instead of crumbling into powder. You will finish the morning covered in it. That is rather the point, and there are showers at the camp.
The drier half of the year is the busier half on this coast. The riding is quicker and cleaner, and easier on anyone who would rather not be hosed down afterwards, but the dust hangs behind the vehicle in front and the hard ground gives less back. Neither half is a wasted trip. They are simply different rides, and the 08:30 start does not change for either.
How the Pattaya jungle trail changes through the year: a description, not a forecast
Season
What the trail is like
What to expect
May to October
Wet, heavy and grippy. Mud instead of dust, and the water crossings run properly.
You finish filthy. Showers at the camp, so bring a change of clothes.
November to April
Drier and dustier as the weeks pass. Firm, fast, far less mess.
The busier half of the year. Same routes, same 08:30 pickup, less to wash off.
The list below is identical on all six tours. Nothing on the left is sold back to you at the camp as an extra.
Included in every tour
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Helmet, gloves and safety briefing
English-speaking guide
Drinking water on the trail
Third-party insurance
Not included
Personal travel insurance
Tips for the guide
Anything you buy at the camp
No deposit. Pay in cash or by card at the camp. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. The rest of how a morning runs (gear, guides and what to wear) is on the Pattaya ATV and elephant tours home page.
Before you book
Questions about choosing a tour
How do I choose between the six Pattaya jungle tours?
Decide two things: how long you want to be out, and whether you want time with elephants. 1.5 hours is the easy introduction, 2 hours is the technical route, 3 hours adds elephant feeding and walking with lunch, and 5 hours adds the mud bath and the river. A buggy takes the same route as the quad, but it is charged per vehicle rather than per driver and costs more, from ฿3,190 for the two-seater.
Do I need a Thai driving licence to drive an ATV or buggy?
No. The whole route runs on private land rather than public roads, so no Thai driving licence is required. Bring a passport copy for the camp register. Every tour starts with a briefing and a practice loop, so you learn the controls before the trail begins.
What are the age limits for drivers and passengers?
Drivers must be at least 16. Passengers are welcome from 4 years old if they can sit still and hold on. On a quad each passenger is charged separately, from ฿990; in a 4-seater buggy the single vehicle price already covers up to 3 of them. The same age limits apply on all six tours, and every seat gets a helmet.
Do the tours run in the rainy season?
Yes. Tours run year-round, including the May to October rainy season, when the 16 km of trail is at its muddiest and most interesting. A departure is only called off for a storm, and when that happens you can move your date or take your money back.
Do you take a deposit, and can I cancel?
There is no deposit. You confirm a date and a pickup time on WhatsApp, then pay in cash or by card at the camp on the day. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup, so holding a date early costs you nothing if your plans change.
Which areas do you pick up from, and at what time?
Hotel pickup and drop-off are included from Pattaya, Jomtien and Na Jomtien, and the standard pickup is 08:30. Send us your hotel name when you book and we will confirm your pickup time with you.
What happens if it rains on the morning of the tour?
You ride. Wet trail is better trail: the surface packs down and the dust disappears. Expect to come back muddier than you left, and pack a change of clothes. Helmets and gloves are supplied whatever the sky is doing.
Can I book for tomorrow morning, or for the same day?
Send the message and we will tell you. There is no online checkout to hand you an instant yes, so a short-notice booking depends on what we can answer. The line runs Daily 07:00–18:00 ICT and pickup is 08:30, so an evening message gives us the most room. No deposit either way.
Is there anywhere to shower and change at the camp?
Yes. There are showers at the camp, which is where the mud comes off before the van takes you back. Bring a change of clothes and footwear you do not mind ruining. If you want a towel, or somewhere to leave a bag while you ride, message us before the day and we will tell you what is there.
Can a solo traveller join a tour?
Yes. Quad prices are per driver, so one person books one vehicle and rides with everyone else behind the same guide. Groups are capped at 8 vehicles, so it stays small either way. If you would rather not share the trail at all, the private upgrade is ฿2,000 for the group, however many of you there are.
Something not answered here? The full FAQ covers gear, weather, photos and payment in more depth.
Booking
Tell us who is riding and we will pick the tour
Send your dates, your group size and the ages of anyone under 16. We will come back with the tour that fits, the total in baht and your pickup time.
