MAE HONG SON LOOP - MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE IN NORTHERN THAILAND
- riffelchristine
- Aug 23, 2024
- 7 min read
With over 1,800 bends and 600 km in length, the Mae Hong Son Loop is one of the most breathtaking motorcycle tours in Southeast Asia. Immerse yourself in the fascinating landscape and exciting culture of northern Thailand on your motorcycle for several days and collect unforgettable moments! Extensive rice fields, mystical Buddhist temples, large banana plantations and steep mountains provide a real sense of adventure. If the road conditions are good, you can easily navigate your way from bend to bend.
The starting point of our tour was Chiang Mai. From here we started the loop in a clockwise direction and rode through Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son and Pai until we finally arrived back in Chiang Mai. The motorcycle tour can easily be completed in 4-7 days so that you can visit towns, temples and night markets in between riding your motorcycle. Accommodation should be booked in advance, as there are sometimes few hotels in the rural regions of northern Thailand. We mainly found what we were looking for on Airbnb and Booking.
HIGHLIGHTS AND MUST SEES ALONG THE ROUTE
Click here for → Google Maps Route
SECTION CHIANG MAI → DOI INTHANON (136 km)
Chiang Mai
Before the actual start of our tour, we had already spent several days in Chiang Mai and really enjoyed our time here. Surrounded by city walls and moats, there are several cafés, bars and restaurants in the old town of Chiang Mai where you can eat cheaply. If you are looking for a nice café, we can highly recommend the “Fern Forest Café” with its idyllic courtyard. Outside and inside the city center, there are various Buddhist temples to marvel at, such as Wat Phra Singh, Wat Suan Dok, Wat Sri Suphan, Wat Upakhut and many other unique temples. If you are there for several days and are interested in Thai cuisine, we can highly recommend a cooking course at the Thai Farm Cooking School outside the city center on an organic farm.
Chom Café and Restaurant
Our first stop after renting the motorcycle was the Chom Café. Surrounded by tropical plants, small waterfalls and koi ponds, you can enjoy a delicious coffee here or fuel up with fresh food for your onward journey. We particularly remember the café for its beautiful gardens, which resemble a tropical jungle. The entire garden is sprayed with water mist, which looks great and also cools you down. The perfect place to unwind!
Wachirathan Waterfall
If you want to cool off in the hot temperatures of over 30 C, the Wachirathan waterfall is the place to go. The waterfall can be admired at close range, so that you forget the hot temperatures for a short time in the mist. Entry to the waterfall is free, but the last few meters to the parking lot are a bit bumpy. There are parking facilities for motorcycles and cars, including free toilets, close to the waterfall.
Doi Inthanon National Park
The motorcycle ride up to Doi Inthanon National Park alone is an unforgettable experience: winding roads, steep forests and breathtaking viewpoints of the valley. We quickly noticed that it was getting colder meter by meter. When it's still 30 C down in the valley, it's just 9 C at the top of Doi Inthanon. So you should definitely take a jacket with you.
Once at the top, you can take a relaxing hike in the national park and marvel at the beautiful nature, or visit the Doi Inthanon Summit (the highest point in Thailand). The Royal Pagodas are also worth a visit, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time.
Here you can find a short summary of the first section:
SECTION DOI INTHANON → MAE SARIANG (166 km)
Mae Sariang
On the way from Doi Inthanon to Mae Sariang, you can wind your way from bend to bend and admire the beautiful jungle-like forests. The roads are mostly in good condition and you benefit from the shade of the many trees along the roadside. Mae Sariang consists of several small villages in the middle of nature. We were impressed by the landscape with its many rice fields.
SECTION MAE SARIANG → MAE HONG SON (85 km)
Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son, the namesake of the loop, is of course a must! With its night market and Wat Phra That Doi Kongmu temple, Mae Hong Son is easy to explore in one day. The small town has its own airport and several cafés and restaurants. At the “MHS Provincial Chamber of Commerce” you can also buy a sticker as a souvenir of the Mae Hong Son Loop.
SECTION MAE HONG SON → PAI (200 km)
Thung Bua Tong Fields in Doi Mae U Kho
Unfortunately, we didn't manage to make a detour to the flower fields in Doi Mae U Kho, but we still want to recommend it to you, as the sunflowers on the hillside are said to be beautiful. The sunflowers bloom from November to December and can be admired on site.
Noodle Soup House Ban Jabo
The best noodles we've ever eaten! Here you can enjoy delicious ramen noodles in a breathtaking setting and take in the fantastic view. The way the noodles are eaten is also unforgettable: You sit on a bench at the edge of the building, which stands on stilts on a steep slope, with a small tray in front of you on which the noodles are placed and your feet dangle in the air. This is how it tastes best! There are various noodle dishes (including non-spicy noodles) and the coffee is also highly recommended. One floor below the restaurant there is also a hanging net where you can lie down to enjoy the scenery. Definitely a good place to recharge your batteries for the rest of the loop.
Pai
With its hippie vibe and many small street markets, we really enjoyed Pai. There is a wide range of alternative activities on site, such as yoga and breathwork sessions. The night market is decorated with beautiful lanterns and you can wander from one street food stall to another. We noticed that in Pai in particular there were a lot of young people in the restaurants and bars, which we liked. Overall, the atmosphere in the small town is very pleasant. Just outside the town, you can also visit the Big Buddha Pai temple.
From Pai, it's 130 km along winding roads back to the starting point of the route, Chiang Mai.
THE BEST TIME TO DO THE LOOP
December to April is the dry season in Thailand, with a tropical climate of around 30 C. However, it is important to note that many rice fields in northern Thailand are burnt down at the end of the dry season (known as the “burning season”), which results in poorer air quality and visibility. December to February is therefore a suitable time window for the tour. We did the loop in December 2023 and can recommend this time of year.
WHERE TO PUT THE LUGGAGE BEFORE THE LOOP?
A motorcycle trip can be difficult with a large trekking backpack or a large suitcase. Especially if, like us, you are carrying luggage for a year-long trip around the world and want to ride the loop as a couple on a motorcycle. Dropping the luggage off at any hotel was too unsafe for us, so we did a little research and came across the provider „Bounce“* The app allows you to leave your luggage insured with certified providers. You can easily see which providers are nearby via the app. Then enter the drop-off and pick-up dates and pay online. It cost us 946 Bath (approx. 25€) to drop off 2 large trekking backpacks for 5 days. We were able to collect the backpacks undamaged after the tour.
NO MOTORCYCLE NO TOUR - WHERE/ HOW DO I RENT A MOTORCYCLE ?
To make the trip really fun, the right motorcycle is of course essential. It was particularly important to us that we ride a modern, well-maintained motorcycle on the loop that has ABS and sufficient power. There are various large and small motorcycle rental shops in the north of Thailand. From a rickety scooter with 5 hp to a fully equipped BMW GS, you can really find everything here. As we started the loop in Chiang Mai, we quickly became aware of the motorcycle rental company „Pop Big Bike Rental“. With over 200 different motorcycles, the rental shop is one of the largest in Thailand: adventure bikes, supersports bikes, supermotos, classic bikes, scooters - there really is something for everyone here. It's also nice that the models are all fairly new and well maintained (the chain was greased and the bike cleaned before the ride).
We rented a Honda CB500X for the loop, which cost us 1,300 Bath (approx. 35€) per day. For our five-day tour, this equates to 6,500 Bath (173€). We had the option of either leaving our passport or 20,000 Bath (approx. 533€) as a deposit. As our passport was very important to us for our onward journey, we decided to go for the 20,000 Bath ;-). In order to stow both hand luggage backpacks safely, we rented two side cases for a total of 1,000 Bath (approx. 27€). Now nothing stood in the way of our motorcycle tour!
WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN ROAD TRAFFIC IN THAILAND?
If you are used to road traffic in Western countries, everything is a little more hectic in Thailand: blind street corners, tight bends, extreme gradients and overcrowded traffic in cities. Added to this is the left-hand traffic. This takes some getting used to at first, especially at traffic circles and junctions, as you have to let oncoming traffic through when turning right at a junction and, for example, practically drive into a traffic circle the “wrong way round”. This is hardly noticeable on country roads, but in urban areas it takes some time to get used to it. Especially in cities like Chiang Mai, traffic is also very chaotic due to the narrow streets. But there's no need to panic - after a few minutes you'll get over the initial shock and you'll be swimming in traffic. Road users often overtake from the right and left side of the road.
Another special characteristic in both rural and urban areas are recurring police checkpoints where police checks are carried out. You should definitely drive slowly at these narrow points and make eye contact with the police. However, we were never checked on the entire loop and had no problems at all. Even though you always hear horror stories about traffic accidents in Thailand, we got along well in traffic after a short period of getting used to the motorcycle. You should definitely drive carefully and with foresight, but enjoy your time and don't worry too much!
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