Mae Hongson What to do and where to stay?

[Oscar2]

thinking of going to Mae Hongson. in all the years i've never been there. the wife was watching a travel show a few weeks ago and it looked very nice. she's interested as well. rainy season will be here but the hot season was just too hot to travel and we couldn't handle it then. we'd like to go for 3 days or so. what is the best way to get there? what is there to do other than look at temples and markets? is there a particular place to stay that is recommended? looked on agoda.com but there seems to be little interest and most of the places advertised had few reviews. anyone been? do you recommend it? thank you.

[dickyknee]

muang maehongson is a small niche town with a lake, a market, a couple of temples, a couple of small but nice hotels.

amphoe maehongson is quite large with many caves, waterfalls and other towns... incuding Pai which is probably a bigger town than muang maehongson.

all well exploited by the NGOs, bong smoking hippies and the movie "Air America". beautifully scenic never the less.

[theblether]

I suggest flying with Kan Airlines Oscar.....http://www.kanairlines.com/web/

It's an experience not be missed ( depending on cloud cover of course ) here's your carriage......

The descent into Mae Hong Son is superb......

The town is lovely, peaceful and has a delightful beat to it. The lake is picturesque and the Burmese style temple next to it is just beautiful. There's another important temple just above the town that gives some excellent views........along the road ( about twenty minutes drive ) there's a Long Neck village which I have mixed thoughts about. I didn't like being charged for entry at the " farang " price, not that I'm tight but there was nothing polite about however once I went in ( with trepidation ) I loved it. My guide was friendly with the villagers and we spent some decent social time with them.

On the road down to the village you'll find working elephants on the way, I thought that was great, and I got out to feed them and mess about with them. The drive down to the village is quite picturesque and the last time I was there the river was quite high so it was great going through the fjords as it crossed the road.

About twenty minutes out of town heading for Pai there's the lovely Fish Cave, again very picturesque, very peaceful and a fabulous way to spend a couple of hours. When I was there the locals were selling fish food from a little pagoda, and I spotted a 6 foot green python slumbering in the rafter, great stuff.

About 20 minutes drive in the other direction towards Mae Sariang there's a delightful restaurant overlooking the paddy fields, nestled between the mountains. When you go down ( I suggest about 6.00pm ) you'll go through one of the police check points which are a feature in this area, about 3 kms beyond that you'll see a dwelling house to your left, the restaurant is behind that. The food was superb, as was the service and the view, a strong recommend.

re where to stay, I've totally forgotten the name of the guest house I was in, it was well positioned and appointed, right in the middle of town, near the temple I mentioned. The majority of the photos I have contain my companions on the trip, if you would like to see more of the area pm me and I'll send them to you.

[amexpat]

Johgkham Place is a nice guesthouse for 500 baht. Just google it.

Fern restaurant near the lake is very good. The open restaurant/bar right beside the lake (Sunrise? Sunshine? Sunset?)

is pleasant in the evening.

[rene123]

We stayed at a small Thai hotel right on the main street going through the small city. I think it cost 500 baht a night. Rooms were adequate but very simple. There were some big fancy hotels that were closed. There were others that charged 1500 baht a night. There are some quest houses off the main road but they were hard to find without a GPS. The roads seemed to go off in all directions and it was a little confusing even with a GPS.

[xen]

We travelled "the Loop" last April but we spent a few days at Pai instead but next time i will spend a couple of days at the Fern Resort in Mai Hong Son as a special treat . Looks very good . A few miles out of town and no television as an attraction but it would send the kids ga ga without television for a few nights.

[DiamondKing]

BORING AS HELL and nothing to do

Nice to ride the loop on a bike, Nice scenery that is about it

[Mangkhut]

I suggest flying with Kan Airlines Oscar.....http://www.kanairlines.com/web/

It's an experience not be missed ( depending on cloud cover of course ) here's your carriage......

The descent into Mae Hong Son is superb......

The town is lovely, peaceful and has a delightful beat to it. The lake is picturesque and the Burmese style temple next to it is just beautiful. There's another important temple just above the town that gives some excellent views........along the road ( about twenty minutes drive ) there's a Long Neck village which I have mixed thoughts about. I didn't like being charged for entry at the " farang " price, not that I'm tight but there was nothing polite about however once I went in ( with trepidation ) I loved it. My guide was friendly with the villagers and we spent some decent social time with them.

On the road down to the village you'll find working elephants on the way, I thought that was great, and I got out to feed them and mess about with them. The drive down to the village is quite picturesque and the last time I was there the river was quite high so it was great going through the fjords as it crossed the road.

About twenty minutes out of town heading for Pai there's the lovely Fish Cave, again very picturesque, very peaceful and a fabulous way to spend a couple of hours. When I was there the locals were selling fish food from a little pagoda, and I spotted a 6 foot green python slumbering in the rafter, great stuff.

About 20 minutes drive in the other direction towards Mae Sariang there's a delightful restaurant overlooking the paddy fields, nestled between the mountains. When you go down ( I suggest about 6.00pm ) you'll go through one of the police check points which are a feature in this area, about 3 kms beyond that you'll see a dwelling house to your left, the restaurant is behind that. The food was superb, as was the service and the view, a strong recommend.

re where to stay, I've totally forgotten the name of the guest house I was in, it was well positioned and appointed, right in the middle of town, near the temple I mentioned. The majority of the photos I have contain my companions on the trip, if you would like to see more of the area pm me and I'll send them to you.

I totally agree with whats written here. Mae Hong Son is one of the most beautiful and interesting places in the whole of Thailand. (Nan and Loei is very beautiful and interesting as well...)

I would like to suggest that you travel by road one of the ways at least. The scenery and landscape is spectatcular and amazing and its said to be 1864 curves from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son (Northern route via Pai), most of them 180 degree curves or at least very sharp curves..

Not far from Pai there is a huge cave called Tham Lod - wich can visited but only with guides with petrol lamps and boats. This huge cave system was a dwelling place from the several thousands of years ago and many traces from that are to be seen there. There are also enormous stalagmites and stalankites (dripstones) sorry my English skills might not be sufficient describing this cave. You have to enter the cave through a stream (full of fish) by boat and its really a nice and pleasant sight. You need to drive 8-10 km off the main road between Pai and Mae Hong Son to reach Tham Lod.

From Mae Hong Son you can drive a 50-60 km road to visit the Ban Rak Thai - a village near the boarder to Myanmar which is inhabitated by chinese People that are decendents from the Kuonmintang - the People that fighted against the Mao Tse Tung and his Communist movement back in China unrest period. And brush up Your history skills..... ;-) Tea and teahouses are abundant in Ban Rak Thai.

On the way there there are beautiful waterfalls and some detours can be done to visit local People that for example grow coffee and a taste is possible.

Spend a day or two in Pai and in Mae Hong Son - its well worth it.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Mangkhut

[hellodolly]

The temple overlooking the whole village gives you a terrific vista.

If you are feeling the need for exercise you can park below it and walk up the steps between 400 and 500 at a guess.

The lake on the middle of the village is very peaceful there are a few guest houses around it when we were there last I checked into one and it was 600 baht a night. Probably more now. We flew with I believe it was Nok Air been awhile. Last year used Kan air a to go to Mai Sot and yes it is an experience if you have never flown in a small plane. Getting on the plane in Chiang Mai they had a vehicle to drive you out to where they load passengers.

Out by Ban Rak Thai We spotted a dirt road with a sign pointing that said Burma on a dirt road.

Not a whole lot to do but a great place to just kick back for a day or twwo. They have a night market every night by the lake.