If you need up-to-date information on the roads, you can try asking in GT-Rider forum (requires registration).

GT-Rider Mae Hong Son map provides an accurate travel map of Mae Hong Son region. The laminated map can be found in at some book stores and bike shops in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.  The publisher also provides overseas shipping. You can find more details at GT-Rider website. Note that GT-Rider also provides Mae Sa Valley map.

GT-Rider Mae Hong Son Map

If you need some help packing for your trip, head over to Motorcycle Trip Packing Checklist.

To prepare yourself for the trip, I also recommend reading and watching some related literature. Not only does it provides greater insight into the country, it also helps to get you into the ‘mood’. Here are a few recommended books and videos:

Books

1. You’ll Never Walk Alone by Debbie Singh
   
2. Welcome to Hell by Colin Martin
3. The Bridge Over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle
4. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig

Videos

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

With a long day ahead of us, we set off early at 630am.

I have learnt to appreciate riding in the morning. The world is silent except for the comforting rumbling of your engine.  The roads are empty except for the occasional excited rooster dashing across. You may let your thoughts wander but the cold keeps you alert. The fine tarmac and twisting roads to Mae Hong Son only made the ride more enjoyable.

En route to Mae Hong Son

In a regrettably short one and a half hour later, we reached Mae Hong Son town. Ever the welfare IC, Al reminded us about breakfast. Parking our motorcycles by the roadside without worries of traffic summons, we entered a non-descript restaurant which seemed well-patronised. We ordered what most of the other patrons were having and ended up with 3 bowls of steaming beef noodles, one plate of rice with minced meat and egg and a packet of crunchy pork lard (or pork rinds?). The food was great except for the pork lard which J and I declined. Of course, it suited Al just fine.

At 9am, we rode our motorbikes all the way up to Doi Kong Mu, a 1500m hill situated at the western side of Mae Hong Son town. At the top of the hill, there is the Wat Doi Kong Mu (aka Wat Phai Doi), a shan-built temple. We took a stroll, admired the bird-eye’s view of Mae Hong Son, and visited the souvenir stalls, careful not to disturb the praying monks.

Wat Doi Kong Mu at Mae Hong Son. Notice how the white clouds cover the whole sky?

View of Mae Hong Son

We pushed on ahead to Tham Lot caves which is located 8km north of Soppong town. Supposedly one of the largest limestone caves in Southeast Asia, Tham lot requires riding on a raft to visit the different caverns. In total, we paid 210Baht for our entrance inclusive of lantern, guide and raftmen.

Tham Lot cave, off the small market town of Soppong

At 1230pm, we set off from Tham Lot. At about halfway to Pai, Al skidded at a sharp turn. Fortunately, he escaped with some superficial injuries. However, the same cannot be said of the motorbike. The bike is leaking petrol and the throttle broke off. We decided to leave the broken down bike here and reach Pai first to find transport. A passing Thai driving a Toyota sedan saw our situation and offered Al a ride to Pai. We gladly agreed.

Once we reached Pai, we thanked the helpful Thai and went in search of transport. We tried our luck at Aya Motorcycle which is listed on the Lonely Planet. The staffs spoke English and we managed to arrange a pickup. As the pickup was large enough to accomodate 2 motorcycles, it’s decided that J with go with Al on the pickup. I was to continue back to Chiang Mai.

A 130km ride from Pai back to Chiang Mai

Back at Chiang Mai, I returned my bike to Mr Mechanic and notified them that the other bikes would be coming in later. Then, I went in search of a room for the night. It wasn’t too hard. There were plenty of guesthouses and I picked a budget room with 3 beds. It cost 330Baht.

I took a stroll around the area and bought some maps for potential future trips.

Soon, Al and J returned. We paid Mr Mechanic a reasonable amount for the repairs. The friendly staffs pillioned us back to our guesthouses. We washed up, bought some medications at a pharmacy and picked a restaurant. At the restaurant, we ordered too much food and toasted to the completion of our ride.

Day 3 (Chiang Mai)

We had a very early flight, inconvenient timings usually associated with budget airlines. But that’s to be expected for the low prices. After buying some breakfast from street vendors, we quickly hailed a tuk-tuk to the airport. Except for a running event taking place along the streets, traffic was smooth. At the airports, we bought many packets of local flavoured Lays Potato Chips much to the amusement of airport staffs, and later, fellow flight passengers.

Well, that’s all folks!

We flew into Chiang Mai airport and boarded a taxi at 915am. Mr Mechanic is just a short 15 minutes and 120B drive away.

Sunrise from the plane

As arranged, Mr Mechanic already had 3 scramblers prepared for us – 2 Honda Degrees and 1 Honda AX-1. The staffs at Mr Mechanic spoke good English and were very helpful in setting us up for the journey. The bikes were checked, backpacks mounted using bicycle hooks and a GPS receiver mounting unit fixed onto the AX-1. We paid for the rental including insurance at 1300B per person for 2 days of rental. We also had to leave 1 passport as deposit.

It was 10am and we decided to have some food at KAFE, a small restaurant located a few shops away from Mr Mechanic. Having read about Kao Soi in the guidebooks, I gave it a try. It’s wonderful!

Kao Soi

Our plan for the day was to first head for Doi Inthanon national park before continuing the journey to Khun Yuam (or Mae Hong Son if possible). As we do not have the luxury of time, we were going to be selective of the places we visit. The first point of interest to visit is the Mae Ya waterfall, reputed to be best of the numerous waterfalls in the region.

The roads out of Chiang Mai were easily navigated with map (GT-Rider Mae Hong Son map) and compass. As usual, without any detailed maps, our GPS receiver only served to log the journey and provide directional information.

Highway 108 consists of flat and straight roads in excellent tarmac condition. Traffic was light. My friends took the lead and we were sometimes able to go as fast as 100km/h. However, the side road to Mae Ya deteriorated to pebbles and soil. It’s still manageable and we proceeded slowly. We soon reached a ticket office for Doi Inthanon national park and paid 420B for a ticket. The ticket allows you to visit all parts of the reserve. The amount we paid also included a permit for our motorcycles.

After a short trek, we reached Mae Ya waterfall at 1pm. Mae Ya Waterfall, believed to be the highest in Thailand, is quite impressive.

Mae Ya waterfall

After some photo taking and a rest, we continued our way to the highest point (2590m) in Doi Inthanon national park.  In fact, the park is named after the highest mountain in the country – Doi Inthanon. Needless to say, it was a chilly ride. But the view from the top was well worth the effort.

Doi Inthanon National Park, also called “Roof of Thailand”, shelters a huge variety of flora and fauna.

We returned downhill and took the right fork for Khun Yuam. It was a long ride and not soon after, J took a fall. Luckily, it was nothing serious and he was already up before we could capture the moment with a photograph. Taking about photography, I dropped and broke my camera (Canon A75) which had accompanied me for numerous trips.

The sky turned dark and rain drizzled. We put on our ponchos and rode in miserable moods. We were wet, hungry and tired and knew we were too ambitious trying to cover such a distance in 2 days. Tomorrow would be a long and exhausting ride back to Chiang Mai. But we also knew that satisfaction always followed hardship.

We finally reached Ban Farang guesthouse at Khun Yuam at 8pm. Ban Farang had an interesting layout with interconnected buildings in a garden-like surrounding. The place felt like a chalet.

We ordered dinner and went back to our room to wash up. The room was adequate – clean but a little squeezy with 3 beds. The friendly staffs soon informed us that dinner was ready. After a huge meal with beer, we paid in advance for the food and room which cost 1330B in total. Always a fan of massage, Al tried the in-house massage service to soothe his sore muscles. J and I were too tired and went back to sleep.

The Mae Hong Son Loop of North Thailand takes us from Chiang Mai through Doi Inthanon to Khun Yuam and finally to Mae Hong Son. From Mae Hong Son, the route continues to Pai before taking us back to Chiang Mai. As a short weekend ride, there is not enough time for adequate sight seeing. The time is just about enough to finish the loop with minimal stops. More days are certainly advised for Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Pai. The total distance we traveled was around 640km.

Map of North Thailand and route taken

The roads are twisty but well-paved. There is no off-road riding if you keep to the main routes. The only non-tarmac roads we encountered are the junction before Mae Ya Waterfall and the junction before Tham Lot. Even then, any motorcycle should be able to handle these roads easily.

This is about as bad as the road goes

If you have rode in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos before, you should not have any problems navigating the roads in North Thailand. Road signs are available through out the loop, especially at major junctions. Petrol should not be a problem as well. If you do not see petrol stations, you can still find stalls by the road sides selling bottled petrol. Remember to top up your tank whenever you can, especially if you are not sure of the distance to the next town/village.

Since I brought along my Garmin GPS receiver during this trip, I tracked my routes and took down my waypoints. If you would like a copy of the files, just post a comment and I will send the download link to your email. The size of the file is around 712KB.

Motorcycle

The bike rental scene is well-established in Chiangmai. You would find a great variety of bikes from Honda waves, Honda Phantoms, Honda Super 4, Honda scramblers to BMW tourers. We decided to go for scramblers at the most popular bike rental shop in Chiangmai – Mr Mechanic. Mr Mechanic is located at 4 Soi 5, Moonmuang Rd. T.Sri Phum, A.Muang, Chiangmai. They can be contacted at (+66)53-214708 (tel), (+66)53-41837 (fax), (+66)1-8824402 (mobile) or mrm@yahoo.com. Because of our tight schedule, we booked three honda scramblers in advance at 600B per day for each bike. Upon arrival, we received 2 Honda Degrees and 1 Honda AX-1. Both models are quite similar but Honda AX-1 is much more fuel efficient.

Mr Mechanic (Photo taken from Mr Mechanic website)

The Mae Hong Son loop provides a good opportunity to visit North Thailand’s rugged north-west frontier. There are many possible side rides to places such as Mae Sa valley or even Chang Rai of golden triangle fame. This region of Thailand is also home to the famous Karen hill tribe. If the name does not ring a bell, the images of women with long necks adorned with brass rings would probably be familiar to you.

Two friends, Al and J, decided to join me on this short weekend getaway. We have rode together in Thailand and Australia many years ago in a controlled environment. So it is a slightly different game for us this time. No trucks or mechanics would be as readily available as before.

Having rode alone for my previous trips, I am glad for the company. Riding solo can be a lonely affair at times. It’s great to have friends who think that long distance riding can be fun.

The Mae Hong Son Loop, North Thailand report is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction (You are here)
2. Route & Motorcycle
3. Journey Day 1 (Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon to Khun Yuam)
4. Journey Day 2-3 (Khun Yuam to Mae Hong Son to Pai to Chiangmai)
5. Resources

Disclaimer: This trip was taken in October 2007. The information is provided ‘as is’ with no warranties and confers no rights. Please feel free to post a comment.