What's up guys, we're doing the Mae Hong Son Loop in Northern Thailand. In this video,
we're going to show you how you can do it yourself and all of
the beautiful highlights you can expect to see along the route. So hope you enjoy it.
Located in the Mae Hong Son Province, the Mae Hong Son Loop is one of the most beautiful routes in
Northern Thailand. With vast mountain landscapes, cascading waterfalls, and authentic Thai villages,
this is one of our favorite regions in the country. Starting and finishing in the interesting
city of Chiang Mai, this 600 kilometer or 372 mile loop takes at least four days to complete.
In this video, we share a complete itinerary for the Mae Hong Son Loop along with all the
info you need to do the trip yourself and the must-visit stops along the way.
Make sure to watch until the end of the video because we'll also share some travel tips,
such as the best type of scooter that you should rent. Now let's dive in!
We are Zac and Ine. We make helpful videos about
destinations around the world so you can easily plan your own adventures.
After exploring Chiang Mai for a few days, which we have another full video about as well,
it's time to start the loop. Heading to the northwest, this is the steepest part of the
entire journey with 762 bends in the road to get to Pai. You can find a stunning waterfall
during this part of the route as well as a national park with elevated views. But the
real star here is the town of Pai itself, which is a popular and laid-back tourist destination.
You can easily spend a few days exploring the cute town as well as its surrounding attractions,
such as the Tha Pai Hot Springs, where you can find locals boiling eggs.
Other highlights in Pai that you can't miss include the night market in town,
the Memorial Bridge, Pam Bok waterfalls, the Big Buddha, and Pai Canyon.
Our favorite part of the entire loop is from Pai to Mae Hong Son City. This section takes about
two and a half hours if you drive without stopping, but there are some places along
the way that you can't miss which adds to the distance and the time. One of these highlights
is the Nam Lod Cave, the most impressive cave system in all of Thailand in our opinion. Here,
a guide will take you for about two hours through different chambers with an old-school lantern.
So we just explored the first two chambers here in the cave which were really beautiful, lots of
crazy formations of stalagmites and stalactites. And now we're about to go to the third chamber,
but you can only access that by these traditional wooden boats, so it should be an adventure.
After the cave you'll pass a few more beautiful viewpoints before reaching Mae Hong Son City. This
is actually the capital of Mae Hong Son Province but it feels more like an authentic small Thai
town. That said, there are some sights that you should not miss. In the city itself you can find
a great sunset viewpoint on the lakefront, looking towards the Chong Klang Temple.
Watching the sky change color here is amazing and the lights on the temple are the icing on
the cake. And after the sunset, you can take in the atmosphere at the cute local Night Market.
Other highlights in this area include a Burmese
Temple standing on a hill and the Su Tong Pae Bridge set amidst scenic rice fields.
And if you give yourself enough time in the area, it's also worth visiting Ban Rak Thai,
an old Chinese settlement located right at the border with Myanmar. You can find bright
colored Chinese-style accommodations, cozy cafés, and shops selling locally-produced teas here.
On your way out of Mae Hong Son City, make sure to stop by the long-neck tribe village
of Huay Pu Keng. Within the village, you'll find five different ethnic groups who fled from Myanmar
and now live together harmoniously in Thailand. They found this village in 1985 and among them is
the long-neck Karen who traditionally wear brass rings around the neck, knees, and ankles. When you
visit the town, you can walk around the streets and interact with the locals. And by paying the
entrance fee and buying some products from the women, you support the people of the tribe.
The drive to Mae Sariang is probably the most relaxed and quiet one along the loop
because there's barely any traffic. You'll pass by some gorgeous green farmlands and
more beautiful mountain viewpoints before reaching the sleepy town of Mae Sariang.
Due to its remoteness, you won't find many tourists and there isn't a whole lot to do here.
But embrace the slowness of life and visit one of
the temples on the surrounding hills to get a panoramic view of the area. For dinner,
you can try some local food at the restaurant we went to and enjoy another beautiful sunset.
The drive from Mae Sariang to Chiang Mai is about 200 kilometers or 124 miles.
But since there isn't anything interesting to do on the direct route, we highly recommend
making the hour detour to Doi Inthanon Park. Home to Thailand's highest mountain,
this park is filled with beautiful hiking trails and viewpoints.
There are also twin pagodas near the summit of Doi Inthanon, which are surrounded by a
gorgeous flower garden. Make sure to stop at some of the impressive waterfalls in the park as well.
When you walk down from the viewpoints,
you can get a closer look of the waterfalls and you can also really feel the mist.
If you have some time to spare you can also head to Pha Chor Canyon,
a stunning orange rock formation and Mae Wa National Park.
As you approach Chiang Mai, you'll notice the road becomes flatter, straighter, and more busy.
Congratulations! You've completed the loop! And now as we promised at the start of the video,
we'll highlight a few travel tips that we learned after doing this trip ourselves so
hopefully it helps you too. First, the Mae Hong Son Loop is best undertaken on a 150cc scooter,
a larger motorcycle, or a car rented from Chiang Mai. This is because the
road is extremely windy and steep cutting 1,864 curves. And if you're an inexperienced driver,
the roads can be especially tricky. You can find a scooter rental in many places around Chiang Mai so
it's best to ask around. And if you're interested in renting a car, we recommend picking it up from
the Chiang Mai Airport. Find a link to the booking platform that we used in the description below.
Second, if you're a relatively inexperienced driver we recommend doing the loop in a
clockwise direction. Heading through Mae Sariang first. This part has less steep
curves so it's a great way to get used to your scooter or rental car and build confidence.
And finally, there are many hotels along the route and you can find links to the places we
stayed in the description below the video. But for an authentic mountain experience,
bring your camping gear and camp at one of the most beautiful viewpoints if you can.
In this way, you can catch the sunrise and morning clouds.
We hope you enjoyed our video on the Mae Hong Son Loop.
If you're planning your Thailand trip, we recommend keeping things organized with our
interactive travel planner. Find a discount code below. We've also included important
links that you'll need for your Mae Hong Son Loop adventure in the description below, such
as an interactive map to get to each spot that we mentioned. We'll catch you on the next adventure!