French · 7 years on Samui
French motorcycle tour guide living on Koh Samui for 7 years. Marc leads group rides across southern Thailand and knows every road on the island.
Updated: June 2026
I always start a WR155R explorer on the rough tracks that branch off behind Na Muang Waterfall. Riding them last February, the dry red dirt wound up through jungle to little clearings the tour vans never reach. The trails are technical enough to be fun but rarely dangerous when dry. It is the most rewarding introduction to Samui off-road I know, with a waterfall to cool off at when you are done. Every WR155R day should include this stretch.
Climbing the fire roads inland of Maenam one clear morning, I followed graded dirt tracks that the plantation workers use, opening onto views across the north coast. These are wider and less technical than the Na Muang trails - perfect for a rider building confidence on loose surfaces. The WR155R munches them easily, and the gradient gives the little engine a proper workout. For a first taste of Samui dirt without anything frightening, the Maenam fire roads are where I send people.
Out on the quieter southwest, the hill tracks above Lipa Noi reward riders who want solitude with their dirt. Last dry season I spent an afternoon there and saw nobody, just rubber plantations and the sea glinting below. The surface gets rockier higher up, so I take it steady, but the WR155R picks through confidently. This corner of the island feels genuinely remote, and on a light dual-sport that isolation becomes a pleasure rather than a worry.
A word of caution learned the hard way: I once rode a Na Muang trail two days after heavy rain and spent more time pushing than riding through slick clay. Samui dirt transforms with weather. Before heading inland I check when it last rained and turn back the moment a track turns to grease. The WR155R is capable, but no bike beats Samui mud. Pick dry windows, tell someone your route, and treat the conditions with respect.
After years of mapping the island's dirt, my favourite WR155R loop strings them together: out to Maenam's fire roads first to warm up, across the interior on linking tracks, then down to Na Muang to finish at the falls. It takes a dry morning and a full tank, and it shows a side of Samui most visitors never imagine exists. I sketch it for keen renters and send them off early - the island's hidden interior is best had before the heat.
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