Why this ride
From Pai it runs 269 km to Ban Huai I Huak; allow about 4 h 31 of riding. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 950 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mae Hong Son Loop: Pai to Mae Sariang
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 269 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 31
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Pai
Pai is a small town in a green bowl of hills in the far north-west of Thailand, near the Burmese border, and it has been a backpacker retreat for decades. The Pai river winds through a valley of rice paddies and tobacco fields at about five hundred metres, and the mountains around it hold bamboo huts, hot springs, waterfalls and the villages of Shan, Lisu, Lahu and Chinese Yunnanese communities. The town itself is a cheerful tangle of guesthouses, bars, cafes and craft shops, with a night market along the walking street, where stalls sell grilled corn, fruit shakes, noodles and handmade bags.
Read the complete Pai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pai is where the day begins. Next is Mae Hong Son.
2. Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son sits at the end of one of the best-known motorcycle journeys in Thailand, in a bowl of hills right up against the Myanmar border. The town is small, with about nine thousand residents, and its southern and western streets are overlooked by mountains that trap fog in the cool season. Locals call it the city of three mists, and on a December morning you can ride out of town into a world where the lake and temples float on white cloud.
Read the complete Mae Hong Son write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mae Hong Son comes up about 106 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mae Sariang.
3. Mae Sariang
Mae Sariang is a quiet river town in the far west of Thailand, with Myanmar a short ride away over the hills. It sits on the Yuam River, wedged between the Thanon Thong Chai range to the east and the mountains along the Salween to the west, and the feel is of a place at the edge of things. The people here are largely Karen, along with Shan and Thai, and the markets sell sticky rice, pickled tea leaves and bundles of fresh vegetables brought down from the hills. Burmese-style temples with tiered roofs and white stupas recall the teak trade, when Burmese and Shan timber workers came to cut the forests and left their religion and their architecture behind.
Read the complete Mae Sariang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 269 km.
Leg by leg
Pai to Mae Hong Son
Pai → Mae Hong Son is 106 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang
Mae Hong Son → Mae Sariang is 163 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.