CHIANG RAI, 31 July 2018: After driving through 1864 hairpin bends on the road to Mae Hong Son I felt I had earned recognition, perhaps even a certificate of merit. Access is limited to just two highways; the longer low-road 108 from Chiang Mai (349 km) and the meandering of high-road 1095 (245 km). Chilled travellers usually break the journey in the small village of Pai, a halfway house for backpackers and youthful tourists. The sound mind is important as the brain cells are seriously stressed on the 245 km trip across mountain ridges that separate the far northwest town from Chiang Mai. The Mae Hong Son Chamber of Commerce issues the certificate that confirms a successful trip on highway 1095 for the grand fee of THB40. Mae Hong Son is probably the only provincial capital in Thailand that awards ‘certificates of conquest’ for those who arrive in one piece and with a sound mind. Mae Hong Son’s provincial capital sits in a narrow valley surrounded by forested mountains that are habitually shrouded in mist.
Seeking out the chamber’s office opposite the post office is worth the effort. Most tourists don’t bother to complete the six-hour journey across the ridges preferring to stay put in Pai famed for its nightly food-street bazaar and quaint boutique resorts overlooking the town’s river. But Mae Hong Son’s 9,000 odd residents quickly point out that their provincial capital has its own brand of traditions and heritage reflected in its distinct temples and ethnic minority groups that dwell close by. They return the way they came back to Chiang Mai. To enjoy this trip at its best, plan for October through to early December when the sunflowers bloom on hillsides mostly on the highway 108 stage from Mae Hong Son town to the junction village of Khun Yuam. The circular route through the hill country is best explored by hire-car or motorbike over a leisurely three to five-night itinerary. In truth, the contrasts between Pai and Mae Hong Son are core features of a signature trip unrivalled in North Thailand.
Hotels are packed and the village’s small lanes suffer the indignity of gridlock.
From December to early March the cooler weather attracts Bangkok residents who head for Pai in their droves to pose in winter woollies and hoodies. He’s probably covered most roads in Thailand and neighbouring countries checking scenic routes for the first-ever guides and maps specifically for motorcycle riders. But it rains and that may dampen the enthusiasm for selfie photo sessions, but never entirely if there is an umbrella handy. You have the roads to yourself, the countryside displays vivid shades of green due to the daily downpours and hotels welcome you with low-season rates. A motorcycle tour authority and founder of GT Rider, David Unkovich, knows the pitfalls and challenges of motorcycle touring on this famous loop. Hotels are packed and the village’s small lanes suffer the indignity of gridlock. Driving the route during the monsoon months June to September also has special appeal. Mae Hong Son town in contrast rarely suffers these peak season symptoms.
On the loop what’s the best bike to ride? More importantly it may have braking issues when going downhill. To be on the safe side carry an international driving permit that is essentially a transcript of your national driving licence. Ride without one and you are breaking the law People do it (in Thailand) because they can, it’s a sense of adventure or freedom; but you would never do this at home? “The Honda Wave is a better bike in the mountains for scooter riders,” he recommends. “You should have licence. He warns that when something goes wrong the absence of a driving licence usually annuls insurance cover. “The winding roads don’t allow you to carry much speed… While the automatic scooter can do the trick simple and easy to ride, he warns that when loaded up it will struggle for power on uphill stretches. Unkovich says it’s not about bike size, sight seeings at Mae Suai but what makes you comfortable. There are bloggers who laugh off encounters with highway police claiming they bluffed passage through checkpoints without having a licence or insurance.
- Visit an Island
- Pha Mak Duk
- Phra Nang Cave Beach, Krabi
- Tham So Nuea Waterfall
- Travel by Tuk-Tuk
- Khao Sok National Park
- Ko Samet
When stopped by highway police show both your IDP and national licence. After sightseeing in Chiang Mai, the preferred airline gateway for travellers exploring North Thailand, hire a car or motorbike and head north on Highway 107 for 32 km to the junction with highway 1095 where the 95 km hairpin bend marathon over the ridges to Pai starts in earnest. Mae Hong Son sits in a valley that offers spectacular forested mountain ranges that border on neighbouring Myanmar. If you are not an experienced motor cyclist the task will appear extremely daunting, but three to four hours later and considerably road wiser you will descend to the narrow valley where Pai nestles next to a river. Or perhaps you fancy an overnight in Soppong’s Cave Lodge to visit Tham Lod Cave a 10-minute walk from the lodge. Like Pai you really need to stay two nights to explore the town’s temples and the ethnic minority villages. Pai is halfway house and its tiny guesthouses and boutique hotels offer a retreat from fast-lane urban lifestyles.