WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT MAE HONG SON LOOP?
Thailand is known as a country with a very friendly way of doing tourism. Thai food is delicious, Thai people always have a smile on their lips. Most tourists who come here choose light experiences such as going to floating markets, watching Thai shows, visiting temples, or simply having Thai massage to relax their mind. But if you are an explorer, love adventure, then the Mae Hong Son Loop is definitely a very reasonable choice.
Mae Hong Son Loop is an exciting choice for backpackers in Thailand.
The route starts from Chiang Mai city, passes through Pai town, to the ancient Ban Rak Thai, passes through the long neck village of Huay Pu Keng and returns to Mae Hong Son town, receiving a certificate of completion. The main highlight of the journey is the impressive, winding road to the beautiful Ban Rak Thai.
After conquering the route, you will continue to Doi Inthanon in a circle and return to Chiang Mai to end the journey. Depending on the time and health of each person, the Mae Hong Son Loop route can end sooner or later. The trip will last for many days, and the most reasonable time is 4 days.
WHAT DO I NEED TO PREPARE BEFORE MAE HONG SON LOOP?
To complete the Mae Hong Son Loop safely and have many interesting experiences, you need to prepare the following things:
Vehicle: Most people who experience this route choose to go by motorbike. Because this is a great opportunity for you to fully admire the beauty of Northern Thailand. The price of renting a motorbike depends on the type of motorbike you rent. You can also negotiate the price with the owner of the rental shop if you go for many days.
Protective gear: With 1864 continuous sharp turns, plus some bad roads, preparing protective gear is extremely necessary.
Budget: Good finances will help you have a smooth and safe trip. Northern Thailand is very deserted in many places, so take advantage of withdrawing money in the town area before going.
To conquer winding roads, you must be well prepared.
FROM CHIANG MAI TO MAE HONG SON
I left Chiang Mai at 7am. The weather was quite cool. I had breakfast in Chiang Mai and started my journey. The highway in Chiang Mai was quite nice, paved and straight. I just kept driving on the road.
It must be said that the further you go into Northern Thailand, the more romantic the scenery becomes. On both sides of the road are wildflowers. This beauty may not be comparable to that of Northern Vietnam, but in the whole of Thailand, it is rare to find a place with such wild beauty.
Northern Thailand offers a very poetic and lyrical beauty along the way.
PEACE IN PAI
The first leg of the journey to conquer the Mae Hong Son Loop is to the town of Pai. On the way, you will see a Welcome to Pai sign. However, this sign is very unique because it is covered with stickers of many "heroes" from all over the world who have had the opportunity to pass through this route, they want to leave their own mark on the sign. I also stopped to take a photo and check in with the pure white Wave.
Near the town of Pai, there is the appearance of Memorial Bridge. This is a bridge built to connect the friendship between Myanmar and Thailand during World War II. Up to now, this bridge has stopped operating, only used as a check-in point for backpackers.
Memorial Bridge is one of the check-in points for backpackers.
Near Memorial Bridge is Pai Canyon, a wild, eroded canyon with deep, cracked gullies that create a strange natural landscape. Lush green forests cover the path. This place is one of the must-see places when visiting the town of Pai.
Along the same route, I stopped by Kho Ku So Bamboo – a long bamboo bridge. The road to get here is really difficult, because the road is seriously degraded with potholes. If you are not careful, you will lie down on the road.
The entrance fee to Kho Ku So Bamboo Bridge is 30 Baht. Inside there are buffaloes grazing, this is not the rice season, this is the season of burnt grass. I sat on the bamboo bridge to watch the strangely beautiful sunset.
Ku So Bamboo Bridge – A long bamboo bridge.
It was already 6pm, and only 5km to the center of Pai town. I stopped by the night market to have some local food. Pai night market sells a lot of things. What impressed me the most were probably the traditional products made by the ethnic people.
Pai town at night is not too lively, because this place is far from Chiang Mai city. Tattoo shops appear for customers who need new tattoos. Thai girls stand in the middle of Pai town to dance to their favorite song to ask for support. Pai town at night looks very quiet. I walked around and then returned to the homestay to sleep.
Pai town at night is not too bustling.
MIRACLE RAK THAI BAN
When the sun rose, I got up, made a plate of rice and headed to Ban Rak Thai. The distance was 120 km. Just like yesterday, no rush, no jostling. I just walked at my own pace, also to give myself a chance to slowly look at the outside world.
Of the 1,864 twists and turns of the Mae Hong Son Loop, the road to Ban Rak Thai was perhaps the most harrowing for me. Sweat was pouring down, the sharp turns were continuous, the turns were so sharp that my steering was still tired. The road was lined with pine forests, but the forest fire had burned the pines black and bare. Occasionally, I could still see smoke rising from the sides of the road.
As I approached Ban Rak Thai, the scenery favored me. There were wildflowers along the road, and the farmers' lush green mustard gardens. Passing the welcome sign were small houses of the Thai people of Yunnan, China origin. A clear lake with boats carrying tourists, and vast green tea fields. Emotionally satisfying, the past few days were hard, but arriving here suddenly made my heart flutter with joy.
Of the 1,864 twists and turns of the Mae Hong Son Loop, perhaps the road to Ban Rak Thai gave me the most trouble.
LONG NECK TRIBE OF MYANMAR
On the third day, after a bowl of rice porridge and a sip of delicious Hmong tea in Ban Rak Thai, I set off to visit the long neck village of Huay Pu Keng, where women are considered beautiful due to their long necks.
This border road has a strong haunting power. The sun is hot as fire. Crossing the bamboo bridge, you will see the houses of the long neck people. This tribe has been here for nearly decades. The villagers mainly weave scarves and sell souvenirs. There are also tourists coming here, but most of them take a boat along the Pai River. The entrance fee to the long neck village is 200 Baht.
This tribe has been here for nearly several decades. The villagers mainly weave scarves and sell souvenirs.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF MAE HONG SON LOOP
In the afternoon, after visiting the long neck village, I returned to Mae Hong Son. If you are a real backpacker, you probably also want to hold in your hand a certificate of having overcome 1864 dangerous winding curves.
I went to Feel Good Café to get my certificate. Here, you can choose from two types of paper: one is the image of the long-necked people in Huay Pu Keng village, the other is the image of monks - a characteristic of the Thai land. I chose the second type of certificate. The total price was 60 Baht. So, at this point, I had nominally completed the Mae Hong Son Loop.
After 1864 dangerous twists and turns, you will be holding a certificate of having passed it.
Mae Hong Son town is bordered, so the scenery is equally magical. Here, you must check in at Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu - where you can see the whole of Mae Hong Son town in your sight.
In the evening in Mae Hong Son, I treated myself to a nice meal after 3 days of traveling in Northern Thailand. I ordered a set meal at Bai Fern restaurant which included Tom Yum and stir-fried noodles. The price was good and the food was delicious.
On the 4th day, I ended my journey to explore Mae Hong Son by going from Mae Hong Son to Doi Inthanon - a place considered a symbol of Northern Thailand. The fragrant flowers and the fragrant garden of Doi Inthanon made my soul calm again. The 4 days of conquering Mae Hong Son Loop ended. I stood on the high tower to fully admire the mountains and mountains of Thailand with overflowing emotions.
Doi Inthanon – A place considered a symbol of Northern Thailand.
SOME MORE INFORMATION
With 1864 dangerous curves, Mae Hong Son Loop requires good health. If you are not in good health, you should not go, because you will encounter many difficulties due to the continuous sharp curves.
Riding a motorbike in Thailand is not difficult. When passing through a town, there will be a traffic police checkpoint. If you follow the law (drive on the left) and do not violate any traffic laws, you will not be stopped by the Thai police.
You should fill up your gas in town, because the mountain roads in Thailand are very winding and consume a lot of fuel. And those roads are really deserted, sometimes you only see a few tourists going on a trip but rarely see people.
Homestays on this route should be booked in advance. Because during peak season there will be no rooms available. Some homestays you can refer to: In Pai you can choose Jam Hostel & Campground, in Ban Rak Thai you should stay at Lee Wine Ruk Thai Resort, in Mae Hong Son town you can sleep at Crossroads House, and in Doi Inthanon choose Kwanlah Homestay. These homestays have high ratings on booking sites.
You can go clockwise or counterclockwise. It depends on which place you want to go first. Accordingly, we will have the following route: Chiang Mai City – Pai – Ban Rak Thai – Huay Pu Keng – Mae Hong Son – Doi Inthanon – Chiang Mai City. Or Chiang Mai City – Doi Inthanon – Mae Hong Son – Huay Pu Keng – Ban Rak Thai – Pai – Chiang Mai City.
