A British tourist who was lost overnight without food or water has been rescued from a snake-infested jungle in northern Thailand.

Gordon Dewar, 63, from London, was returning from a cycling trip across Chiang Mai province when he decided to veer off the main road 'to enjoy nature'.

The avid cyclist reportedly tried to ride through a forest trail in the Phrao district, but lost his way in the rugged terrain on January 10.

Unable to find the way out before sunset, the Brit, whose food and water supply had already run out, said he decided to camp out in the dense woodland before calling the police the following morning.

Gordon survived a night among cobras, pit vipers, bears, elephants and leopards before rescue teams traced him.

Gordon said: 'I'm very relieved they found me. Without any food or drinks, I don't think I could have survived another night. I want to thank all of thepeople that helped to bring me back to safety.'

The Chiang Mai Tourist Police received the call at around 10:30 am local time. They coordinated with local rescuers, and a team of motocross riders, volunteers, and drone operators were deployed to scour the jungle.

They followed the nature trail before finding the tourist conscious and responsive but 'exhausted and dehydrated' after spending around 15 hours without food or water.

The head of the Phrao rescue team said: ‘He told us that he had been dehydrated for around 12 hours. He called the Tourist Police, who later coordinated with us.

‘We received the report at around 10:30 am and reached him at almost 1 pm. He had been waiting for help for around three hours.

‘Around 10 of us were deployed to help him, as the steep path was the obstacle due to the mountainous terrain. We also had to carry his bicycle out.'

‘He was slightly exhausted from a lack of water and food, but his overall condition was normal.'

Gordon was given water, and mineral supplements as medics treated his abrasions and bruises. He had also suffered muscle strain from days of continuous cycling, they said.

Gordon was safely brought out of the forest on a motocross motorcycle, along with his undamaged bike.

He said he had been exploring cycling routes around Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces, but decided to take an alternative route while heading back to the Chiang Mai city centre.

After tucking into a packed meal, Gordon thanked the rescue team for their help before cycling away on his bike.