Mae Hong Son
We’re hoping that an upcoming addition to All Points East’s range of Thai destinations will be the far northern mountain province of Mae Hong Son. We’ve been trying to work out how to include this picturesque, yet remote region into our Thai tours but have finally realised it’s impossible given time restraints and that we may as well, therefore, make it a separate itinerary, or mini-tour, in its own right.
It certainly deserves it as we hope the following picks will show; truly spectacular mountain scenery, cool climate, myriad hill-tribe villages and numerous national parks make the remote province a superb place to visit. Details of our new 6 or 7-day Mae Hong Son loop tour will be coming shortly. This will be a stand-alone mini-tour or, for those with a bit more time to spare, an add-on to our existing north Thailand tour, Hidden Thailand.
Mae Sariang We’ll start with the beautiful little town of Mae Sariang, situated on the Yuam River, not far from the Burmese border and a picturesque 1/2-day drive from Chiang Mai. Approximately halfway, however, we’ll make a short detour to visit Doi Inthanon National Park, home to Thailand’s eponymously named highest mountain. Time to check out some of the mountain’s spectacular waterfalls and a hike along a cloud forest trail before continuing on to Mae Sariang in the late afternoon. The small town has some excellent places to stay along the riverbank as well as numerous, well-situated cafes and restaurants.
The following day, we’ll head north along the route that parallels the border to the provincial capital, Mae Hong Son Town. The provincial capital and indeed most of the province’s larger settlements and valleys are a mixture of lowland Thai and Shan people, whilst the surrounding mountains are home to Lisu, Lahu, Karen and Hmong.
The road from Mae Hong Son to Pai A trip to Ban Rak Thai, a remote, border town established by fleeing Republican Chinese soldiers after their defeat by Mao’s People’s Liberation Army and today known for its scenic lakeside location and oolong tea production as well as a visit to a Padaung Karen village, are on the menu for Mae Hong Son.
From here we head east, along what is certainly one of the country’s most spectacular mountain roads to the small town of Soppong for a visit to nearby Tham Lot or Lot Cave. One of north Thailand’s largest and most spectacular. The caves can be visited by kayak or bamboo raft – depending upon the season – and are home to hundreds of thousands of swallows and bats as well as housing prehistoric burial sites and petroglyphs.
Tham Lot, Soppong After Soppong, we’ll head through the hills to the well-known destination Pai Town, for a brief look around and lunch (just so you can say you’ve been there) and on to Chiang Mai for the last day of our tour. We’re still finalising details, so this will be something of a watch this space situation.
