THE CITY OF THREE MIST
Situated on the northwest of Thailand, Mae Hong Son is the least inhabited province. It shares borders with Myanmar and Chiang Mai Province. You will not have many solutions to go this wonderful province. But the journey worth it. From Bangkok, you will have a choice between a 3h30 plane without stop, a 10-hour journey by plane to Chiang Mai followed by a van or, taking the bus for a journey between 16 hours and 21 hours.
We recommend you take the bus. But this long journey is not for everyone, we understand that. A more sustainable way is to take the bus from a nearby city. Instead of going from Bangkok, you can go from Chiang Mai and take a minivan for a 6-hour drive. Those 6 hours drive could be used to sleep, watch the countryside scenery, read a book or talking with the person sitting next to you. Mae Hong Son can easily become an extension of 2 days from Chiang Mai.
The province is known for its mountain and natural resources. You will be amazed by their mountain range called Dan Laos and Thanon Thon Chai. The province got the chance to be located inside Salawin River Basin and Ping River Basin. For those wanting to do birdwatching, hiking or simply being in connection with the nature, it is your place !
Bonus: the cool season to visit the province starts from the middle of October to the middle of February. Avoid the busiest month which is January.
MAIN SUSTAINABLE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Mae hong Son walking street
The location is mesmerizing with the market situated just next to Wat Chong Kham, a temple. At night, the temple gets illuminated and offer you real opportunity to take breathtaking pictures.
The real attraction here is the vendors selling traditional food (local dishes from Mae Hong Son cooked with fresh products from the fields). For those looking for gifts and traditional object, you are at the right place. This is a small market, intimate, situated next to a lake, so why not trying ?
Your visit will participate in economic development of the area.
War Phra Non
The highlight of this temple is its reclining buddha. Madein 1875, it has got the image of buddhain Thai Yai style. They are a Thai Chinese group known for coming from Yunnan region.
Morning Market
Likeany city, Mae hong son got a morning market? There you will find fresh products, vegetables, and homemade street food. Most of them are hard to find outside of the province , so take the opportunity to taste every dishes.
Mae Sakut Nature Trail
This7 km trails can be done in 4 hours more or less. These trails propose many waterfalls to see. During your hiking, you can observe the birds, listening to the nature and simply taking time for yourself to resource your body and mind.
Baan Rak Thai
Baan Rak Thai is the name of a small village. Its particularity lies in its identity : it’s a Chinese village. The first Chinese family came to settle in order to flee Chinese Communist. Since then, they stayed there and created their own Chinese Thai culture.
In this community, various experience can be done here. For families, couples, and even solo traveler, we recommend you try the boat tour. We recommend you this 40-minute rides tour when the sun is down to be able to capture the beauty of this village. For tea lover, there is a tea garden, providing you a beautiful scenery. Of course, you will have the possibility to taste the tea as well as taking pictures with locals and sharing stories with them. Also, there is other shops selling excellent tea quality leaves. You can even drink the tea there and be assisted by a local tea expert.
At lunch, take your time to review small shops around the lake selling foods. Go toward small shops with a decent amount of customer (but not busy) to experience a peaceful meal.
All the other activities can be done on-site as well as nearby.
Lastrecommendation is to do 2 days 1 night, as you will be able to enjoy a sunset, a sunrise, and a full day trip in this marvelous small village.
Baan Num Piengdin
This one is a long-neck villages. Sometimes you can find the village with another name which is Baan Huay Pu Keng. The particularity is that they have two distinct group : the Kayan and the Kayaw. The Kayan use jewelry to grow their neck while the Kayaw use it to grow their ear lobe.
Your journey will start since the beginning as the only access to the village is by boat.
There you can enjoy, homestay experience, workshops (make a bamboo cup, …), and even assist to a traditional dance show.
Be aware, thanks to the remote area, the village doesn’t have access to any electricity and signal.
LOCAL FOOD
Inside Mae Hong Son province, you can eat Khao Soi which is a Thai coconut curry noodle soup. As you may know it is available everywhere in Thailand, but each province tends to have its own version of the recipe. Then, you can try to find tea leaf salad, which is something to taste at all costs. Originally, it appeared in Myanmar and become popular before going in Thailand. The ingredients are fresh with cherry tomatoes, green cabbage, friend garlic, chopped toasted peanuts and other delicious ingredients. What is special here is the dressing. The tea leaf that has been dropped in hot water a few minutes are served as a dressing. The dressing change everything when you eat it with all the ingredients mixed.
We let you discover the other type of food during your trip. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment about your experience in Mae Hong Son as a solo/family/friend traveler.
We hope that you will include Mae Hong Son in your trip.
Want to find ideas for your next visit ? Then, read other articles on the blog !