Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son and (hopefully) back again

Text : Merin Waite
Images : Merin Waite and JC

Chiang Mai is not without charm. The area within the moat is quiet, the temples are numerous and the schools offer many courses. However once you've learnt how to Thai massage, gained a proficiency in Thai cooking and purchased enough Thai handicrafts to open a small shop, you may tire of the city. This is not to imply that the area close to the city doesn't have much to offer. Doi Suthep/Pui is a wonderful park to explore and you shouldn't leave Chiang Mai without a trip to some of the waterfalls and peaks that are within an hour of the bustle of the town.

I particularly enjoy staying at the coffee plantation and walking along the peaceful paths that lead to the top of Doi Pui. But for the more adventurous 'The Loop' beckons, and it's a great journey, whether in a hired car or on a motor-bike.

My own favourite way is to begin via Pai. The route after the town of Mae Taeng really is a delight for motorbikes. The road loops endlessly and the views of really good forest are splendid. A pleasant stop on the way for lunch is the Mushroom Farm - an odd place by a lake which sells fried mushroom rice and other such delicacies. Rest assured you will not be hallucinating after such a lunch though you might think you are when you see some of the scenery to come. Should you find the time, there is an excellent national park with accommodation at Huai Nam Dang. Here there are hot springs besides the 'Noisy Waters' waterfall which give the park its name. The final approach to Pai is steep and treacherous. I once took my hand off the handlebars for three seconds to rest my wrist and hit some gravel. The next moment I was travelling along the road on my chin, elbow and knees with the bike on top of me, so you really need to concentrate, especially if you are a novice on two wheels.

Pai itself is becoming very well known and justifiably so. To spend time soaking up the scenery is pleasant and there's plenty of music and lots of bars to visit. The area around is wonderful too. Trekking is popular and much of it can be done on your own. My personal favourite is the waterfall on the Mae Nam Yen. It is about eight kilometres upstream from Pai and usually fairly deserted - most people give up before they reach it, but it's worth the effort and there's a good pool for swimming once you reach the falls themselves. Pai does have a certain timeless feel to it and perhaps a day or two is enough if you don't want to wake up one morning and find yourself eligible for a pension. It's all too easy to let the years slip by in such a place.

Girding up your loins and mounting the bike will lead you on to Sop Pong and a very pleasant detour to the right. There's a large limestone cave with spectacular bat manoeuvres at dawn and dusk but since this involves more description than there's room for here, let's leave that for a later article.

Mae Hong Son used to be the outpost to which civil servants who had not been civil enough to their superiors were sent to mull over their incivility for a year or two. Not so any more. The town has a flight to Chiang Mai so the three-week elephant trek of yesteryear is a thing of the past. Not that the intrepid biker will be interested in such a luxury mode of transport, but will have descended into the town from the north along the beautiful route 1095. There are numerous detours along the way from Sop Pong but I leave these to the discretion of the motorcyclist. The great joy of a bike is that it facilitates stopping and starting much more than a car; somehow the effort is far less and the parking so much easier. Mae Hong Son itself is a scenic little town built round a lake. In the evening it's pleasant to sit and enjoy a meal and perhaps a cleansing beer - after all you've earned it, halfway round as you are.

The road from Mae Hong Son offers two possibilities - down to Mae Sariang and back via Hot, or short cutting - take a left at Kun Yuam - via Mae Chaem and visiting Doi Inthanon. I choose the latter and to this day have never been to Mae Sariang. Twenty years ago I travelled the same short cut when the road was under construction and stayed in a village and smoked a few pipes with the head man. Times have changed and 'pipes' are no longer so easily available - the war on narcotics seems to have been a 'success'. Though whether or not it's treating the symptom rather than the cause remains rather contentious. What is not contentious is the beauty of Thailand's highest peak, Doi Inthanon. At 2,565 metres the top of the mountain has a very different climate to the base. Because there is a road to just under the summit it is not as wild or dramatic as Chiang Dao or Pha Hom Pok, the third and second highest peaks in the country and both in Chiang Mai province, but it has much to offer. Personally the waterfalls and forests surrounding the park headquarters were the nicest part for me. I especially enjoyed NamTok Wachiratan - a cascade of some 100 metres forming deep, crystal clear pools for swimming. But there are many other parts to visit and bird-watchers are in for a very special treat. The park is home to a vast number of species. After a night spent around Doi Inthanon at one of the many guesthouses it's quite possible to return to Chiang Mai, but after a week or so out of the town you might well not be relishing a swift return. For those dragging their feet an option is Ob Khan near Hang Dong. Though distance wise not far from Chiang Mai this is another world. A canyon formed by the river running though soft rock makes it a worthy place for a stop off. Though not Grand Canyonesque in its dimensions it has great charm and the road to it is a bit of an adventure, becoming almost off-road at times. This is where your frolicsome Honda Dream will come into its own and those who have hired rather more phallic models Honda Stead ( or is it Stud ) and the like will regret their choice. Nothing is heavier than a big motorbike stuck in mud or one that has run out of petrol. There is accommodation at the park headquarters but you will need to bring your own food. A night in this pristine environment might well make the perfect finale to the loop though.

This is only a brief introduction to the possibilities of the 'loop'. Mae Sariang and the Salween river offer many attractions, treks and rafting abound in both Pai and Mae Hong Son, and the walks in the national parks along the way have only been touched upon. The great thing about having your own transport is that you can come and go as and when you please; tarry a while or hasten on. Just try to make sure you catch the good weather and don't take your hands off the handlebars when going round a steep corner covered in grit.