Mae Hong Son

Mae Hong Son (Thai: แม่ฮ่องสอน) is a city (pop. 7,000) in Mae Hong Son Province, Northern Thailand.

By plane
From Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) to Mae Hong Son Airport (HGN) by Bangkok Airways (3 hours, including a stopover in Lampang) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

By road
Mae Hong Son is 924 km from Bangkok. Drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and then choose a route to Mae Hong Son. There are two road options from Chiang Mai, each taking 5–6 hours by car:


 * Chiang Mai—Hot—Mae Sariang—Khun Yuam—Mae Hong Son (Rte 108) totals a distance of 349 km. This is the easier drive, especially the Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang part.
 * Chiang Mai—Mae Malai—Pai—Mae Hong Son (Rte 1095), a distance of 236 km but with 1,864 curves. While this is the more scenic route, it is more demanding of the driver.

By bus
Regular bus services connect Mae Hong Son with Chiang Mai (Arcade Bus Terminal). The trip will take at least 7–8 hours. A better option is the minibus, also leaving from Arcade in Chiang Mai, which only takes 5.5 hours but costs 250 baht. If you're going by bus, you can choose the northern (Pai) or southern (Mae Sariang) route. The northern route is a little faster.

If you want to reserve a seat in advance online, you can use the Prempracha website. After payment (credit card/PayPal/7-11), an e-ticket will sent to you via email. You need to come to Arcade bus station 10 minutes before departure time, showing the e-ticket on your mobile phone to the stuff. Alternatively, you can buy the ticket at AVIA booking office in Arcade bus station.

You can also take the minibus from Pai Bus Station. It takes about 3 hours and costs 150 baht. You can buy the ticket at Pai Bus Station (cash only, credit card or Thai bank QR code not supported).

The new bus station in Mae Hong Son is about a 15-minute walk from the centre of town to the southwest. The bus station is set on a seemingly deserted street that runs parallel to the main road in town.

There is also an overnight bus to Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit) which takes about 15 hours.

Sombat Tour, operates an air conditioned bus which runs directly from Bangkok to Mae Hong Son daily. The bus departs from Chatuchak (Mo Chit 2) Bus Terminal at 15:00, 17:00, and 18:00 with a fare of 718 baht.

By train
The nearest train station is at Chiang Mai. One can travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by overnight sleeper train and then continue to Mae Hong Son by bus. For more information, call 1699, +66 2 2237010, +66 2 2237020 or visit Thai State Railways.

Get around
This is a small town so walking is the way to get around. There are bicycles for rent from Titan Internet shop (across from the 7-11 and post office). To do anything in the surrounding areas a motorbike, or at least a bicycle, is needed.

The new bus station seems like it is in the middle of nowhere and the tuk-tuk and motorbike taxi guys love that. A ride to the centre (including most guest houses) costs 80 baht, but really it's only a 10-15 minute walk to the centre of town. You should just turn left out of the bus station and walk straight until you hit the golden statue. Walking up next to the statue, the station is just a bit further towards the city center.

See
Walk around the picturesque lake and visit the surrounding wats. Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu (aka Wat Phai Doi) overlooks the town from the west and offers superb views.





Eat




Typical northern food consists of:


 * Nam phrik ong - a type of nam phrik chili paste that is made of minced pork and tomatoes. It is usually eaten with soft-boiled vegetables, pork crackling or deep-fried crunchy rice cakes.
 * Nam phrik num - another kind of paste that is popular in the north and eaten by Thais of all regions. It is often eaten with pork crackling.
 * Sai ua - a local sausage that is very aromatic and spicy, and usually is eaten with sticky rice.
 * Kaeng - a Thai curry
 * Kaeng Hang-Le - a northern-style pork curry.
 * Kaeng Om - a spicy curry made with intestines.
 * Kaeng khae - a spicy vegetable curry.
 * Khanom Chin Nam ngiao - a traditional northern chicken noodle dish.
 * Khao Soi - a noodle dish that can be made from chicken, pork, or beef. It contains coconut milk and is garnished with garlic.
 * Khao Som - cooked rice mixed with turmeric and tomato. Eaten with fried chilies and green peas.
 * Khao Lhueng - cooked rice mixed with turmeric. Made into a small ball and sprinkled with fried onion. It is usually eaten with pork balls.
 * Khaow Kan Chin - cooked rice mixed with the blood of fowls and steamed with fried onion. It is eaten with fried chilies.
 * Tua Pae Yee - dipped fried soybeans
 * Tau Pae Lau - fried soybeans with salt.
 * Souy Tamin - a dessert, made of sticky rice, coconut milk, and cane sugar.

Many restaurants are along the main road and the night market where there are also many food-stalls. There is a nice evening food market by the old jail, nowadays a table tennis club, close to the monument to the Shan king.



Sleep
Mae Hong Son has a broad range of guest houses, mainly clustered around the lake. There are several hotels within the city. If you've got your own transport there are several more resorts farther out of town. Take a look before checking in because there are always changes.

Go next

 * Mae Sariang
 * Pai
 * Pangmapha