Visit Mae Hong Son

Former governors of Chiang Mai used to organize the rounding up of wild elephants which were then trained before being sent to the capital for work. Today, Mae Hong Son is one of the dream destinations for visitors. Daily flights into its small airport bring growing numbers of tourists, attracted by the spectacular scenery, numerous hill tribe communities and soft adventure opportunities.

Soot Sanuk Teak Tour - Through The Hills to Mae Hong Sorn
This wonderful three day tour takes you through the hills to Mae Hong Sorn - a sleepy village boasting just one set of traffic lights! With two nights at a superior hotel, experience the surrounding area, including a ride through the countryside on the back of an elephant and visit the Long Neck Karens and other hill tribe villagers.

Mae Hong Son has several tourist attractions, both natural and cultural. Being mountainous, the province has many waterfalls and caves. Some interesting ones are:
Mae Surin Falls National Park. The waterfall is about 100 m high. It is probably the highest waterfall of Thailand and is considered one of the most beautiful in the country.
Phasua Falls, located in the Phasua Forest Park, is large and always full of water. The luxuriant mountain forests and the peaceful surroundings attract a large number of tourists to visit there every day.

Caves in the province are also worth visiting. Of these, two are prominent -- Tham Lot and Tham Pla. Tham Lot is a large cave about 20 m wide and 50 m high, full of stalagmites and stalactites. One cannot walk through the entire length of the cave (about 1 km) without a lamp because the cave is very dark inside. There was a discovery of some ancient utensils around 2,000 years ago in the cave. Tham Pla or Fish cave is so called because the stream inside the cave, which is only 2 m wide and 1.5 m deep, is full of big fishes all year round. They never go elsewhere, though there is nothing to stop them from swimming up or down the stream and nobody dares to harm them, because people believe that they belong to the god of mountains and forests.

Thung Buatong is a place you should never miss. If you travel from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son by Highway 108 in the period from November to December, about one hour after passing Khunyuam county, you will be fascinated to see a sea of golden Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia Diversifolia) blooming along both sides of the road over the rolling hills for miles. These wild flowers, called Buatong in the northern dialect, look exactly like sunflowers but are much smaller. There is a lesser Thung Buatong in Mae Sariang county, also along Highway 108.

Apart from natural attractions, cultural attractions are abundant in Mae Hong Son. Wat Phrathat Doi Kongmu on the top of Doi Kongmu Hill only 3 km to the west of the provincial town contains a relic of the Buddha and comprises two pagodas of Shan style. The temple is considered the holiest wat of Mae Hong Son. It takes only a few minutes to go by car to the hilltop, from which you can have a panoramic view of the town and its beautiful surroundings. Wat Hua Wiang or Wat Klang Wiang contains a crowned Buddha image which is the most highly treasured image of the province. But it is a replica of the original image which is enshrined in Mandalay, Myanmar. Wat Chong Kham was built in Shan style. The roof of the temple is in the shape of a castle because it was believed that a castle is a sacred place, whose resident must be a king or representative of a religion. Located beside Wat Chong Kham,Wat Chong Klang is also worthy of visiting for it houses 33 wooden dolls from the story of the Last Incarnation of the Lord Buddha, carved by Burmese artisans and also paintings on mirror which are admired for their beauty.

Mae Hong Son's 'night bazaar' is no comparison to its much bigger neighbor Chiang Mai. There are a few interesting souvenir shops along Khunlumprapas street near the center of town, but our favorite shop would probably be best described as a 'junk' shop, with old clocks, temple urns, and assorted other useless but charming bric-a-brac. Further down Khunlumprapas street, in the Mountain Inn hotel, is the official outlet of the government's 'one village one product' program.

Not particularly renowned for its food, Mae Hong Son does still possess some excellent eateries. The most popular of these are the Kai Muk and the Fern Restaurant, other popular spots include the morning markets and the Thai vegetarian food restaurant situated near the tourist police offices. Western food can be found and as Mae Hong Son develops, more and more are springing up.

Rafting from Pai to Mae Hong Son is a challenging and eventful excursion not meant for the faint-hearted. From Pai to Mae Hong Son by raft is an interesting choice for those who feel sick in the stomach negotiating road curves up and down mountain slopes. Rafting the 70-km stretch of the Pai River takes two days but it is worth the challenge and fun.