Ride planner
Mae Hong Son Loop Map
126 places we'd actually pull over for: coffee, food, beds and the sights between Chiang Mai, Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son and Pai.
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Sights36
Op Luang National Park
Hot
The river squeezes through a rock gorge here, crossed by a footbridge you can walk out onto. Right on the 108 west of Hot, so it costs almost no detour.
Thep Phanom Hot Springs
Hot
Hot water rising into stone pools on a lawn, steam drifting through the trees. Off the road between Hot and Mae Chaem, and a good excuse to get off the bike.
Phachor (Mae Wang) National Park
Chom Thong
Wind and rain have cut the sandstone here into pillars and fins, reached by a stepped path from the car park. The last few kilometres in are rough and hot by mid-morning.
Saturday Buffalo Market
Hang Dong
Stalls of plants, tools and second-hand gear spread along the road on market day, south of Hang Dong. Worth timing a Saturday start around if you like a rummage.
BEES Elephant Sanctuary
Mae Chaem
Elephants spend the day out in the forest at this small sanctuary in the hills near Mae Chaem. It sits well back from the highway, so allow time on dirt to reach it.
Wachirathan Waterfall
Doi Inthanon
The big one on the Inthanon road, wide enough that the spray reaches the walkway and soaks whatever you leave out. Parking sits right beside it, so it is an easy stop on the climb.
Mae Sakut Nature Trail
Mae Hong Son
A short forest trail south of Mae Hong Son following a stream over broad rock slabs. Shady, level and a quiet hour when the town feels busy.
Wat Luang Khun Win
Samoeng
A carved teak temple standing under tall trees in the Mae Wang hills, reached by a narrow road off the Samoeng backroads. Usually nobody else is there.
Thai-Japan Friendship Memorial Hall
Khun Yuam
Khun Yuam is where the Japanese army fell back to in 1945, and this hall keeps the photographs, vehicles and letters from that retreat. Small, and more affecting than it looks from the road.
Thung Bua Tong Sunflower Fields
Khun Yuam
Whole hillsides turn yellow with wild Mexican sunflowers up on Doi Mae U Kho, usually in November. The climb from Khun Yuam is steep and the traffic thickens at weekends in season.
Erotic Garden
Mae Rim
A private art garden in Mae Rim behind a walled entrance, with work that lives up to the name. More curiosity than landmark, and easy to fold into a Mae Rim loop.
Mok Fa Waterfall
Mae Rim
A tall waterfall in Doi Suthep-Pui national park, signed off the 1095 on the way to Pai. Ten minutes down a path from the car park, and cool even in April.
Tiger Kingdom
Mae Rim
The tiger attraction on the Mae Rim road, where visitors are taken into the enclosures with the animals. Well signed and hard to miss; whether you go in is your call.
Bai Orchid and Butterfly Farm
Mae Rim
Rows of vanda orchids hanging under shade netting with a butterfly house alongside, on the Mae Rim tourist strip. A short, easy stop between the bigger attractions.
Darapirom Palace Museum
Mae Rim
The teak residence of Princess Dara Rasmi, kept as a museum with her rooms and belongings much as they were. Signed a short way east of the highway at Mae Rim.
Fish Cave Namtok Pha Suea National Park
Mae Hong Son
Carp crowd the pool at the mouth of the cave, thick enough to watch them turn in the dark water. Part of Pha Suea national park, north of Mae Hong Son on the 1095.
Su Tong Pae Bridge
Mae Hong Son
Villagers built and rebuild this bamboo walkway across the paddy to the hilltop monastery. Monks cross it at dawn; the rest of the day it is yours.
Nam Lod Cave
Pang Mapha
A river runs right through this cave, so you take a bamboo raft and a lamp-carrying guide to see it. Swifts pour in at dusk, which is worth timing for.
Santichon Village
Pai
A Yunnanese settlement west of Pai, laid out with stone walls, red lanterns and shops selling tea. Touristy, and a short easy ride from town.
Pai Canyon
Pai
Narrow sandstone spines you can walk out along above the valley, signed off the 1095 just south of Pai. The drops are real and the sand is loose, so keep your boots on.
Siam Insect Zoo
Mae Rim
Cases of pinned butterflies and beetles alongside live tanks, in a low-key museum on the Mae Rim road. Better than it sounds if you have any interest in what is flying past you.
Khun Wang Royal Project
Doi Inthanon
A royal project station on the western flank of Inthanon, known for wild Himalayan cherry that flowers pink in January. The access road is steep and narrow in places.
Pa Bong Piang Rice Fields
Mae Chaem
Terraces stepping the whole way down the valley, greenest in the weeks before harvest. The road in off the 1192 is steep and part dirt, so think twice on a road bike in the wet.
Agriculture Education Centre
Doi Inthanon
A hillside station with a terrace of potted flowers looking west over ridge after ridge, out on the Inthanon side roads. People ride up for the sunset.
Huay Sua Thao Karen long-neck village
Mae Hong Son
The closest of the Kayan villages to Mae Hong Son, laid out as a row of craft stalls along a dirt lane. Read up on how these places work before you decide to visit.
Huay Pu Keng Karen long-neck village
Mae Hong Son
A larger Kayan village on the Pai river, reached by longtail boat rather than by road, and run more on the community's own terms than the roadside ones.
Gloselo Viewpoint
Mae Sariang
A bare ridge deep in the hills south-west of Mae Sariang where people camp for the sunrise. The track in is long and rough, and no place to be alone on a heavy bike.
Old Tha Ta Fang Police Station
Mae Sariang
A weathered timber police post left standing above the Salween, west of Mae Sariang near the border. The ride out to it is the point as much as the building.
Namtok Mae Surin National Park
Khun Yuam
A single ribbon of water falling the full height of the cliff, seen from a viewpoint across the gorge. Signed off the road up toward Mae U Kho from Khun Yuam.
Pong Dueat Geyser
Pai
Steam and spouting water come straight out of the ground here, walled off behind a rail and reached by a boardwalk. Signed off the 1095 on the Pai side, down a few kilometres of side road.
Yod Doi (Inthanon) Nature Trail
Doi Inthanon
The boardwalk at the summit, running through moss-hung cloud forest that stays wet all year. It is cold up there, so wear the jacket you have been carrying.
Angga (Inthanon) Nature Trail
Doi Inthanon
The other short trail at the top of Inthanon, ending where the ground drops away and cloud sits in the valley through the morning. Level, and a few hundred metres end to end.
Baan Nai Soi town
Mae Hong Son
A border village north-west of Mae Hong Son under a long forested ridge, at the end of a quiet road through the fields. Little to do but ride out and look.
Kho Ku So Bamboo Bridge
Pai
A bamboo walkway laid across the paddy west of Pai, built by the village and rebuilt each year. Greenest in the wet season, and quiet if you get there early.
Pang Oung Lake
Mae Hong Son
A reservoir ringed with pines in the hills toward the border, mist on the water at dawn. About an hour up from Mae Hong Son on a road that keeps climbing.
Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
Mae Rim
Glasshouses and a canopy walkway spread over a hillside in Mae Rim, big enough to lose half a day in. You can ride the internal roads between the sections.
Coffee37
Ganesha Cafe
Hang Dong
A farm cafe reached down a bamboo-lined lane in the Hang Dong flats, easy to fold into a warm-up ride before the loop proper starts. The last stretch in is dirt, so take it gently in the wet.
Baan Suan Din Dee
Hang Dong
Coffee poured from a bare concrete counter in an open shed west of Hang Dong, on the flat road out toward Mae Wang. Quiet enough to sit with a map before turning west.
Lazy Man
Doi Inthanon
Small grower's cafe on a wooden deck under banana trees, with bagged green beans stacked beside the tables. Worth a slow cup on the way up toward Inthanon.
Wabi Sabi
Doi Inthanon
Reclaimed timber and corrugated iron make up the counter here, with paper lanterns overhead. It sits on the road up to the Inthanon summit, so it is a useful last stop before the climb.
White House Coffee
Mae Hong Son
Long communal tables behind glass, north of Mae Hong Son town on the road toward Pang Mapha. Good for a proper sit-down when the valley cools off in the evening.
Landmark 1864
Mae Hong Son
Teak rooms and open decks looking into the garden, up in the hills north of Mae Hong Son. Shutters fold right back, so you can sit with a coffee and watch the weather cross the ridge.
Tawan Riverside Elephant Resort
Hang Dong
Timber pavilions strung with lights among tall trees beside the river west of Hang Dong. An easy detour off the Mae Wang backroads for a long lunch.
Papa’s Home and Rabbit Cafe
Chom Thong
Shipping containers stacked into a cafe with a giant white rabbit out by the road sign, just north of Chom Thong. Hard to ride past without noticing, which is rather the point.
kwamsukh cafe
Samoeng
Brick counter and a couple of wooden tables in an open shed, out on the quiet roads west of Samoeng. Bagged snacks on the shelf and rarely a queue.
MUKHU Coffee
Pai
A white kiosk on the pine-forest road running south from Pai toward Wat Chan, with bikes usually parked outside. There is very little else out here, so stop even if you are not thirsty.
Pha Bong Viewpoint
Mae Hong Son
Coffee at a lookout on the 108 south of Mae Hong Son, with forested ridges falling away to the river far below. The light across the gorge is best late in the afternoon.
Stay Wild & Cafe
Mae Rim
Decks and a thatched sala built out over the boulders of the river, off the 1095 in Mae Taeng. Somewhere to shed the helmet for an hour before the climb toward Pai.
Elely Cafe
Mae Rim
Chairs on a deck right above the brown water of the Mae Taeng river, a short way off the main road north. Order at the counter, then take a table at the rail.
Air Diamond Cafe
Mae Rim
Built to look like an airport terminal, check-in signs and all, this is a novelty stop rather than a coffee pilgrimage. It sits just off the road north through Mae Taeng.
Pankled Coffee
Mae Rim
Timber-fronted place with the drinks list chalked up under the gable, on the winding stretch of the 1095 north of Mae Taeng. Shade, a cold drink and somewhere to stretch.
Him Huai Cafe
Mae Rim
Dark timber frontage hung with lanterns and a row of teddy bears on the bench outside, right on the roadside north of Mae Rim. Easy to spot at speed, easier still to stop.
Coffee We/Witch’s House
Pai
Picnic tables under a tin roof with painted witches propped along the rail, on the 1095 between Mae Taeng and Pai. A daft and welcome break in the middle of the curves.
Dekdoi Coffee Jabo
Pang Mapha
Tables open straight onto the drop at Ban Jabo, where cloud fills the valley below at first light. The access road is steep and narrow, so ride it in the dry if you can.
Flying Turtle Cafe
Pang Mapha
Adobe and bamboo cafe with the prices chalked on a board by the door, near Soppong on the road between Pai and Mae Hong Son. Espresso, smoothies and a farm out the back.
Coffee in Love
Pai
The valley view that ends up on everyone's photographs, seen from a covered deck of red tables just south of Pai on the 1095. Busy in the middle of the day, quieter early.
Countryside Resort Pai
Pai
Adobe bungalows sitting right on the edge of the paddy just outside Pai, with a garden cafe to match. Greenest in the wet season, when the fields come up around them.
Reverie Siam Resort
Pai
A garden resort on the west side of Pai with a spring-fed pool and a deck for lounging. Worth knowing about if you want a soft night in the middle of a hard week.
Rab-a-bit
Mae Rim
Brick, glass and a turquoise sign on the Mae Rim road, with bikes usually lined up outside. A tidy first or last coffee if you are riding out of Chiang Mai to the north.
Rimthan Coffee
Doi Inthanon
Carved timber sign over a brick service window, on the road between Chom Thong and the Doi Inthanon gate. Small, quick and useful before you start climbing.
Carrot on the Moon
Pai
Long tables in a lantern-lit courtyard just off the Pai walking street, laid up for the evening. A sit-down meal and a drink rather than a grab-and-go coffee.
Maela Food & Coffee
Mae La Noi
Roadside counter on the 108 with a photo menu, a coffee board and bags of dried noodles for sale. Handy on the long quiet run between Mae Sariang and Khun Yuam.
Lan View Coffee
Khun Yuam
Riders pull in here on the 108 south of Khun Yuam, leaving loaded bikes on the gravel while they take a cup on the terrace. The name is the view, out over the valley.
Posaho Cafe
Khun Yuam
Bamboo benches on a terrace looking down over the fields, up the 1263 above Khun Yuam. The road there climbs and twists, which is half the reason to go.
Jojo’s Cafe
Khun Yuam
Open-sided counter on a ridge along the Khun Yuam to Mae Chaem road, one of the emptiest stretches anywhere near the loop. Coffee, a plate of food and a long look at the hills.
Kikokor Coffee
Pang Mapha
Run out of a tin-roofed village house north of Soppong, the sign hand-painted on the wall. Shoes come off at the door and the pace is entirely the village's own.
Araksa Tea Garden
Mae Rim
A working tea garden in Mae Taeng where you can sit down to a pot under a high bamboo roof, or walk the rows first. A change of pace from the coffee stops.
Elefin Farm and Cafe
Samoeng
Farm cafe on the Samoeng loop with an open counter and tables out under the trees. A natural halfway point if you are riding the loop anticlockwise from Hang Dong.
WTF Coffee Camp
Samoeng
Crates of fruit stacked along the counter and coffee poured behind them, on the Samoeng loop road. Simple, cheap to stop at and set up for people arriving on two wheels.
Di Bosco Coffee Specialist
Samoeng
A proper specialty bar in a tall brick and timber room, on the Samoeng loop near the Mae Rim end. Come here if you care which farm the beans came from.
Oui Kaew Coffee
Samoeng
Timber pavilion buried in ferns in Samoeng itself, lit with lamps once the light goes. The obvious place to regroup before heading back over the hill.
Ice Cream Cafe at Samoeng
Samoeng
Ice cream as well as coffee, with cactus pots on the window table and a yellow deer standing guard outside. A few kilometres west of Samoeng town.
Max Coffee on the Hill
Samoeng
Terraces of timber tables stepping down the hillside above the valley, on the 1269 between Hang Dong and Samoeng. Best on a clear morning before the haze settles in.
Food24
Mae Chaem Gate Restaurant
Mae Chaem
Courtyard tables under an awning in Mae Chaem, with Thai dishes and home-made pizza chalked up side by side. A civilised way to end a day of mountain roads.
Inthira Restaurant
Mae Sariang
A corner shophouse on the main street through Mae Sariang, tables out on the pavement and a long Thai menu. Easy to find, and easy to park outside.
Coriander in Redwood
Mae Sariang
Teak floors, a long shared table and doors open to the garden, a few steps from the Mae Sariang riverfront. Dinner rather than a quick plate of rice.
Khao Soi Kalong Coconutland
Chom Thong
Khao soi from a barn hung with coconut shells, next to a petrol station on the 108 at Chom Thong. Fill the tank and the rider at the same stop.
Yunan Grill Chicken
Khun Yuam
Chicken turning in clay jars by the roadside, sold to families at plastic tables under the eaves. Out on the 1263 between Khun Yuam and Mae Chaem.
Inthanon Restaurant
Doi Inthanon
Teak tables on an open terrace at the bottom of the Doi Inthanon road, set up for groups coming down off the mountain. Straightforward Thai food and plenty of it.
Bai Fern Restaurant
Mae Hong Son
One of the long-standing restaurants in Mae Hong Son, in a teak building close to the lake. A proper sit-down dinner after a day on the 108.
Pizza Primavera
Mae Hong Son
Pizza and pasta with a lawn and a couple of tables out front. The place to know about after a week of rice and noodles.
Dad’s Garden
Khun Yuam
Teak chairs and parasols on a deck looking over open fields at Khun Yuam. Somewhere unhurried to eat in a town most riders pass straight through.
Sukantara Cascade Resort
Mae Rim
A resort restaurant built beside a rocky cascade in the Mae Rim hills, with a suspension bridge over the stream. Worth coming for lunch even if you are not staying.
Noodle Soup House Ban Jabo
Pang Mapha
The noodle shop at Ban Jabo, where you sit with your legs over the edge and the valley in front of you. Shoes off at the step; the bikes stay up on the road.
Nong Beer Restaurant
Pai
A Pai standby just off the walking street, easy to spot from the food mural covering the front wall. Thai and western on the one menu, all day.
Lost Texan Restaurant
Pai
Open-sided bar in Pai with a pool table, screens on the back wall and a menu leaning heavily American. A reasonable refuge when the rain sets in.
Two Huts Pai
Pai
Log swings hanging from a covered deck above the fields south of Pai, with food and drinks to match the view. Quieter than anywhere in town.
At Home Pizza
Doi Inthanon
Pizza served from a bamboo terrace at the edge of the paddy below Doi Inthanon. Camp chairs, cold drinks and the mountain going dark behind you.
Salween Home Restaurant
Mae Hong Son
Low bamboo tables and floor cushions on a red mat floor, set up for a long breakfast rather than a quick one. A gentle start before the ride north.
Fineday
Mae Hong Son
Carved teak shopfront near Jong Kham lake, coffee bar behind the glass and the menu chalked outside. Breakfast, cake and somewhere to sit out the midday heat.
Saki Curry
Mae Hong Son
Japanese curry ordered off a photo board at a counter window, eaten at a table or taken away. A few people are usually waiting outside, which tells you what you need to know.
Mae Rong Son Restaurant
Mae Hong Son
A home kitchen with the day's dishes chalked on boards at the gate and old-style roti made to order. Unfussy, and run by the family living behind it.
Baan Song Thai Restaurant
Mae Hong Son
Timber tables crowded with orchids under an awning advertising Mae Hong Son arabica, on the southern edge of town. Coffee and a plate of food in the same stop.
Nong Porch
Mae Sariang
An evening food stall in Mae Sariang working off a couple of tables and a grill, bikes pulled up at the kerb. Order, wait, eat, and be gone in twenty minutes.
Nut Rim Nam
Hang Dong
Open-sided dining room with woven fish-trap lampshades over the tables, in the hills west of Hang Dong. Cool once the sun is off the valley.
Ban Mon Muan Hotel
Samoeng
A viewing deck above flowering shrubs and open hills, up on the ridge between Mae Rim and Samoeng. Food and a bed are both available, but the view is what people come up for.
Ozark by Food4Thought
Hang Dong
Checked tablecloths and cane chairs on a shaded veranda among the trees at Hang Dong, on the way out of the city. A civilised place to eat before or after the loop.
Stay29
Fern Resort
Mae Hong Son
An older eco resort in the forest south of Mae Hong Son town, reached through a lantern-lit timber arch. Quiet, green and a fair way from the night market.
Cave Lodge
Pang Mapha
The long-running lodge above Tham Lod, run by the family who mapped much of the local cave system. Beds fill with cavers and riders in high season, so book ahead.
Huen Kham Kong Guesthouse
Mae Sariang
A small guesthouse set into a planted garden in Mae Sariang, lantern-lit after dark. Walking distance to the riverfront and the morning market.
Above the Sea Boutique Hotel
Mae Sariang
Brick pillars, prayer flags and a pool, a couple of streets back from the Yuam river in Mae Sariang. Somewhere to wash off a long day on the 108.
In box guesthouse Maesariang
Mae Sariang
Rooms off a planted corridor in the middle of Mae Sariang, simple and clean. Handy for an early start north when you want nothing more than a bed.
Mr. Deang’s Shop
Doi Inthanon
Part roadside shop and part sit-down, with a long timber table under the tin and racks of orchids along one side. Sits on the approach road to Doi Inthanon.
YeeLee Inthanon
Doi Inthanon
A row of small cabins with their own verandas on a lawn near the foot of Doi Inthanon. Cool at night, and close enough to be at the summit gate early.
Piya Guesthouse
Mae Hong Son
Long-standing guesthouse a short walk from Jong Kham lake in Mae Hong Son, rooms opening onto a tiled veranda. Central without being on top of the night market.
Rimtarn Resort
Mae Hong Son
Timber-fronted rooms behind a clipped garden in Mae Hong Son town, a few minutes from the lake. Parking is off the street, which matters when you are loaded.
Crossroads House
Mae Hong Son
Teak house on the edge of Mae Hong Son with room for a row of bikes on the forecourt. Popular with people riding the loop, so it fills up in cool season.
Good View Guesthouse
Khun Yuam
Rooms in Khun Yuam that face east, so the sun comes up over the mist in the valley while you load the bike. A useful halfway stop on the western side of the loop.
Butsaba Garden Resort
Mae Rim
White and teak Lanna buildings around a rock garden, off the road north through Mae Taeng. Quiet, and close enough to Chiang Mai for a short first day.
Him Naam Pai
Pai
Thatched bungalows on the bank above the Pai river, a few kilometres out of town. The name means riverside, and that is exactly what you get.
Pen Cave Homestay
Pang Mapha
A homestay in the village by Tham Lod, hammocks slung across the cabin verandas. Simpler than the lodges, and a short walk from the cave mouth.
Tulip Resort
Pai
Bamboo salas and floor cushions among the banana trees north of Pai. Set back from the road, so the nights stay quiet even in high season.
Arch Casa Design Hotel Pai
Pai
Brick and white villas set around palms and a small pond, a short walk from the middle of Pai. More design hotel than backpacker guesthouse.
Ai Pai Hotel
Pai
A pool, loungers and an iron pavilion right in Pai town, a couple of minutes from the night market. Useful for the hottest part of the afternoon, when riding stops being fun.
Pai River Mountain Resort
Pai
Lawns running down to the Pai river with hills behind, a few kilometres south of town. Set up for people who came for the river rather than the bars.
Rangbondoi Mountain Nest
Doi Inthanon
Cabins on stilts stepping up a grass slope below the forest, on the lower slopes of Doi Inthanon. Cold enough at night in cool season to want the extra blanket.
Sangpoy Cottage
Mae Hong Son
A timber cottage among flowering shrubs out at Ban Sang Poy, north of Mae Hong Son. Mist sits on the fields in the mornings, which is the reason to be out here.
Thanachot Resort
Mae Hong Son
Bungalows around two pools on the edge of Mae Hong Son town, palms between them. A short ride from both the night market and the lake.
Charoensuk Guest House
Mae Hong Son
Old teak guesthouse on a Mae Hong Son back street, wind chimes along the front and a drinks machine by the door. Basic, central and easy to find.
The Quarter Pai
Pai
White villas with timber balconies along a garden path in central Pai. Close to the walking street without being in the thick of the noise.
The Teak House (Riverhouse Hotel)
Mae Sariang
A long teak building on the Mae Sariang riverfront, bikes lined up on the street outside. Rooms are plain; the river and the sunset are the draw.
The Sameeyor
Mae Sariang
Modern timber and concrete rooms set back behind a lawn in Mae Sariang. Newer than most of the town's guesthouses, and quiet at the back.
Bueng Pai Farm
Pai
Huts around a fishing pond on a working farm just south of Pai, with salas out over the water. Slow and green, and a long way from the walking street in spirit.
Herntai Resort
Mae La Noi
Teak buildings at the edge of a rice paddy in Mae La Noi, strung with lights after dark. A sensible place to break the run between Mae Sariang and Khun Yuam.
Kowit Farmstay
Mae Chaem
A hut on the bund between terraced fields near Mae Chaem, hills close behind. Plain farm accommodation, best in the months when the terraces are green.
Hot Coffee Guest House
Mae Chaem
Timber cabins on stilts among the trees on the 1088 north of Mae Chaem, along the quiet road toward Wat Chan. Coffee and a bed in the same place, which is rare out here.