Mae Hong Son City

Mae Hong Son is the capital of the Mae Hong Son province, 1 of the 5 Provinces this tour operates.

Mae Hong Son Province occupies a 13,000 sq kilometers of rain forests and the largest montain range in Thailand. Mae Hong Son city itself is a small but very unique city hemmed in by the mountains and known as the city of mist as especially between November and January the city will be covered in mist until mid morning.

Mae Hong Son Province shares an international border with Burma (Myanmar) and many of the residents are 'Shan' coming from the Shan State in Burma. 

Our Visit

We do not have a planned over night stay in Mae Hong Son though we can do if the group decides.  Our visit will be a short stop for a mid morning coffee break alongside the centrally located lake in the city center.

The Mae Hong Son Loop

Riding Thailand on bikes is just not complete until you've ridden the Epic Mae Hong Son loop.  You'll experience this amazing road on the first 3 days with more twists, loops, curves, bends than you can image.  The traditional loop is 1863 twists from Chiang Mai just to Mae Hong Son city.  Your ride? We can pretty much quadruple that amount but who's counting?

Why it's a Bikers Dream 

During WW11 the Japanese who briefly occupied Thailand needed arms in Burma to attack british forces but until this time Mae Hong Son was almost completely cut off from the rest of Thailand so a road was needed.  In a rush to complete quickly, the Japanese simply carved the road around the natural mountain lines.  Today it has evolved to be a roller coaster of a ride, well maintained and still the only road access to Mae Hong Son city. Most countries would have blasted the mountains and created more straight sections but not on this road, hardly any straight sections, amazing views over the mountains  and elevation levels from 350 to 1800m above sea level.

You gotta ride it to believe it.       

Karen Hill Tribe Lodge

We visit this unique and stunningly beautiful lodge on our first days ride and highly enjoyed by all our customers

One of the highlights of stopping at the lodge on our first days ride the lodge offers a tranquil evening to relax and unwind from your flight and escape the modern world, with no telephone service and no wifi just pure nature surrounded by forests. The Karen will be our hosts for the evening preparing our food and taking care of all our needs. The lodge itself is 'rustic' blending in with the tradition of the village very comfortable, with shared bathrooms and hot showers.

The ride to the Lodge from Chiang Mai involves mountain passes, very twisty up to 1800m (5900ft) above sea level. At the time of writing a very small stretch of the journey will be on dirt trails (5km).  Arriving at the lodge around 3-4pm to enjoy the local village life and even take a plunge in the cool waters of the natural lagoon. 

Bring a warm fleece between November and February as the mercury can drop into single digits at night but chill out by the log fire after dinner under the stars and enjoy the tranquility.

Listen out for the call of the wild Gibbon in the morning.

Ban Rak Thai

Commonly kmown as little Yunnan settled by former Kuo Min Tang (Nationalist) fighters from Yunnan Province, China, after the Communist takeover of China. The population is about 800, mainly Chinese-born or Thai-born Chinese. Many signs are in Chinese, and much of the population speaks a heavily accented version of Mandarin Chinese. If you speak Chinese, try it out, especially on some of the elderly people. They will be happy to speak with you, and can share some rather interesting stories of their lives pre- and post- exile, as well as about the drug trade that used to dominate the economy here now a major tea growing region.

Our Ride & Visit.

We overnight in Ban Rak Thai after an outstanding ride from Karen Hill Tribe Lodge.  We travel from the lodge through Pai city getting more remote as we ride parrallel to the Burma border.  Today we travel around 240 kilometers on the famous Mae Hong Son loop over 1000, twists, bends , curves and hairpins before climbing high into the mountains directly on the Burma and ban Rak Thai.

Food will be delicious Yunnanese food served in traditional chinese style with a choice of locally made fruit wine alongside the central lake.

Accommodation is quite basic this evening but comfortable and with all amenities.  Bring a fleece for the evening as this is one of the coldest locations we visit on our tours between November and February dropping to just over freezing on occasions.

Me sam Laep

Mae Sam laep is one of the off shoots we'll make from the amazing Mae Hong Son loop.  Leaving Mae Sariang (day 4 ) early we ride to the border port with Burma an ex refugee camp for people fleeing the Karen State of Burma many years previously.  Possibly one of the most unique places in Thailand. 

Mae Sam Laep lies on the banks of the Salween river the largest un-dammed river in Asia with it's origin from ice melt in Tibet.  The Salween has been victim to many wars against illegal logging of Teak on the Burmese side and actions against the plan of numerous Dams along it's path.  The Salween take a sharp right turn from Mae Sam Laep heading into Yangon (Rangoon) the old capital of Burma before making it's way into the Indian Ocean. 

The main roads in Thailand are often far better quality than many western countries and without a doubt the best in South East Asia.

We've rated this tour as a 70% difficulty rating due to the iincredible amount of bends.   All participants must be experienced riders in most situations with the ability to corner correctly on a multitude of often severe bends in quick succession without crossing the center line on corner exit is of upmost importance.

There maybe some off road sections though very little and extremely easy on any bike even with a pillion. Some remote mountain passes with cliff edges to one side and twisty. Some of the passes maybe broken concrete, single lane and with a high chance pot holes and obstructions.  Slow riding on 90 degree bends on very steep inclines and decents is possible and only when we ride off the main highwayto visit hill tribe villages and other sights.

The majority of this tour is on Route 1095 (Mae Hong Son Loop) Route 108 & Route 105 and the quality of these roads are difficult to beat.

Riders with Pillion Passengers: There maybe sections (very few) where we would not recommend taking a pillion. Your tour leader will advise and have other arrangments in place in this instance. Only bring a pillion if you and they are experienced.  Pillion riders always have the option to ride in our support vehicle at any point.

The best times of the year to ride Northern Thailand is the Cool Season and most evenings staying at quite high altitudes so leaving at 07:30 is not part of the itinerary.  The evenings and early morning temperatures may shock some of you but we will inform you of expected evening temperatures and what to bring when you speak with us.  Due to temperature, fog, mist, we usually head out at a respectable 8:30 to 9am each morning shortly after breakfast and aim to ride in at the latest around 5pm, but we have included a few earlier afternoons to relax and see some sites..

Some people look at a 250 Kilometer per day and think it's a breeze but without calculating in the enormous amount of twists and bends!

We stop for coffee breaks and scenic spots on route, most finding around a 70 kilometers stint on these roads requires a short 'Bum Break' and we try to do this at interesting locations.

It's not a race and you can stop at any time for photo opportunities, you won't get left behind.

This tour is about the stunning scenery, the forests, mountains and the unique culture in the region. There is very little tourist infastructure and therefore no "Tourist Traps" and thank goodness for that.

Our tours are about seeing the real Thailand and avoiding manufactured tourist traps and this tour doe's it beautifully.

Chiang Mai is the place to visit temples and see the sights Thailand's famous for, one reason we recommend to add extra days there if you can.  On tour you will see  regions unspoilt by western influence and the tourist dollar witnessing the plight of refugees fleeing Burma for sanctuary in Thailand, mutiple ethnic hill tribe groups,  lush jungles, stunning mountain vistas, rivers and waterfalls and enjoying nature at it's best.