I'm thinking to rent a car for a about a week in Chiang Mai and then do the Mae Hong Son loop during Christmas New Year. Self-drive!

1. Can you recommend a car rental company? I wad thinking of one of the big ones like Avis, Budget, Hertz. How is their staff's English and generally their service?

2. Saloon car ok to see all the attractions along the loop?

3. Useful to rent a GPS with the car to guide me around?

4. How will be the traffic situation on the loop during Christmas and New Year?

5. How bad is it to get out of CNX until start of 1095 road

6. I live here but have never dribrn on my own in Thailand though I do have plenty of driving experience in other Asian and African countries with crazy traffic conditions. Any advice?

I've done this loop a few times over the years. I think it's fantastic. I'll put in my answers below:

1. Can you recommend a car rental company? I wad thinking of one of the big ones like Avis, Budget, Hertz. How is their staff's English and generally their service

Can't help you here as I just rented with a local company. I even broke a window one time and the charge was very reasonable. My wife was rolling down the window and it just went all the way with one small touch. Not really our fault, but the repair bill was only 2k baht or so. Hardly worth arguing about.

2. Saloon car ok to see all the attractions along the loop?

I've rented those small 4x4's both times. First time it wasn't really needed. Second time, we got off the beaten path near Pai and had a great time cruising around some dirt back roads. The extra clearance came in very handy!

3. Useful to rent a GPS with the car to guide me around?

It's a pretty well defined route. I just used a paper map and a guide book. But then I'm not a real techie kinda guy.

6. I live here but have never dribrn on my own in Thailand though I do have plenty of driving experience in other Asian and African countries with crazy traffic conditions. Any advice?

If it rains, that road can get very slippery. Probably won't have any that time of year, but it is a very winding road. Drive slowly, there's lots to see!!!

Some suggestions:

Stop off at the national park along the way, it's up in the mountains. Beautiful views from the HQ. You can even sleep there if desired, but I'd bet it'd be cold then.

One time, I did that raft trip from near Pai down the river to MHS. It was great fun. I stayed at the Cave Lodge and they arranged for my car to be delivered to MHS. Cave Lodge is pretty cool also, lot's of stuff to do there.

I did a one night trek up into the hills near MHS and did a home stay there. Great fun, beautiful walk. Ended up at some waterfalls for a well deserved swim at the end.

Hope this helps. It's a beautiful drive. Have fun!!

P.S. we might want to move this over to the CM forum at some point. I'm sure you'd get a lot of help from the people following that forum also. Let me know if you want to do this later.

Let's move it to CM forum!

Anyone else with advice?

North Wheels has been well recomended in the past. make sure you have full insurance whatever you do.

It's a great ride. Rent a 4-wheel drive if you want to explore off the pavement, and make sure the rental has the 4-wheel drive feature available. Years ago I rented from Hertz and they had disabled the 4-wheel drive feature. Go buy the GT-Rider MHS loop map. You can probably find a copy at the Mr. Mechanic motorcycle rental shop on Moon Muang, north of Thapae Gate. Take a day trip from MHS to Mae Aw (Baan Rak Thai) and to the Pang Ung resevoir. And I would also reccommend taking the 1263 from Khun Yuam to Mae Nachon and Mae Chaem. There are other route options to choose from.

Did this trip last april - hired a toyota Vios thru Hertz i think . it went very well but i have driven a lot of mountain roads and drive differently to the locals and if you are a good driver you should be able to get most places without 4x4 if you stay on road or track and watch the weather.. I noticed on the CMX to Pai part the big 4x4 would pass us on the straighter sections and then slow us down by spending far too long on the wrong side of the road doing the curves like formulae one drivers . Hug the curve is safer . Bloody scary the way they drive in the mountains so watch out for vehicles on your side of the road especially on blind corners. . We stayed two days in Pai at a great hotel but April is the low season so i would definitely book hotels now if you are going Christmas time. I will do it again but spend more time and spend a few days in Mae Hong Son .

Enjoy it.

Edited August 24, 201312 yr by xen

I have used North Wheels on 4 occasions, very good service and attitude by their staff.

Unless you plan going off road a 4 wheel drive is not required.

john

Just drove the route last month ( 4th or 5th time) in a Honda civic. don't worry about gps, can't get lost,

lots of cool places to stop.

check the brakes before u go!!!!

1,864 curves

On the outside of town is the Mae Hong Song tourism office, across the street is the chamber of commerce office, stop in their and get ur certificate an sticker showing u have done it!!!

MHS is great,out of all my trips have never stopped in Pai other than to eat, to many backpackers and internet cafes an in the high season i would imagine its packed.

MHS is much nicer, also if u want stop for the night in the middle check out the Soppong River inn. Towns not much bu the inn is great an the rooms are right over the river and great food...

Also make a stop at Tham lot ( not far from Soopong) and visit the caves, there right near the road.

Mae Aw is nice as well as its way out there an some nice places to try local tea.

Don't agree about not stopping in Pai. Each to their own 'n all that but it is a beautiful part of the north and always will be no matter how many hippies/backpackers/hill-billies/Bangkok Thais/Shan people, etc

Have had good experiences with Northwheels (usually older cars), Budget and Thai Rent A Car.

Cut through from Khun Yuam (south of MHS) to Doi Inthanon. All can be done with a saloon, easily, but the higher the better for better views.

Don't forget to acknowledge above people that have replied.

Pai is indeed beautiful. That's where we did a bit of off road driving. But nothing serious. Lovely cruising around there.

I've been a few times and the last trip seemed to notice more cheap backpackers. Many screaming up and down the streets in rented scooters, etc. Kinda ruins the ambience a bit, at least for me. Last time we stayed out of a town a bit and that seemed to help.

As was mentioned above, there are many places to check out along the way. Easy to spend more than a week just doing that loop.

Remember if you take a rental car on a dirt road the conditions of most companies will invalidate all insurance. You may also be liable for a huge bill for underbody cleaning etc. Please read the fine print.

This is from Avis australia and I am sure the Thai is worse but I cannot find it.

Avis vehicles must only be use on a road which is properly formed and constructed as a sealed, metalled or gravel road.

Vehicles are not permitted to be taken to:
* Kangaroo Island
* Bruny Island
* Fraser Island
* Into or out of the Northern Territory, Tasmania or to any points in Western Australia north of Carnarvon
* In Queensland:-Highway No.27: Beyond Chillagoe in a Westerly direction; Highway No.1: Beyond Normanton in a Southerly direction and no further North than Karumba.
* If the Vehicle is a Passenger vehicle or truck, beyond Cooktown to the North or Lakeland to the West and no further North than Cape Tribulation on the Coast road.
* On the Coast Road from Helenvale to Cape Tribulation, or from Laura to Lakeland, unless the vehicle is a Group W, 4WD above the snow line in Tasmania, New South Wales and
Victoria (being Jindabyne in New South Wales and Bright in Victoria) from the beginning of June until the end of September.
* On beaches or through streams, dams, rivers or flood waters.

Edited August 25, 201312 yr by harrry

You just got there before me Harrry. Was going to mention the very same thing.

Being caught in the dark in an entirely flooded Isaan village with a rented 2x4 Toyota Tiger was a memorably & scary experience. In the flood you cant see where the roadside finishes and the dykes begin. Headlights almost useless on the water. No idea how deep the water ahead of you is.