Things to do in Mae Hong Son
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Mae Hong Son
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, cool and dry with morning mist, Walking Street and the November sunflower bloom.
Early February can still be good, watch air quality as regional burning begins.
Green rainy season, full waterfalls and low prices, with muddy roads and possible landslides.
Wettest months, flexible slow travel only and no motorbike riding in downpours.
Worst months, severe smoke and heat from regional burning, avoid unless coming for Poy Sang Long.
What's on
- Poy Sang Long late March to early April
Shan novice ordination festival with bright processions, the province signature festival.
- Bua Tong Blossom Festival November into early December
Mexican sunflower bloom at Doi Mae U Kho in Khun Yuam with a local market.
- Loi Krathong and Jong Para October to November, full moon
Shan end of Lent merit making and krathongs on the town lake and at Doi Kong Mu.
- Ban Rak Thai Tea Tasting Festival February
Tea tastings, demonstrations and cultural shows in the tea village.
- Songkran mid April
Thai New Year, smaller and more local here than in Chiang Mai.
Best things to do in Mae Hong Son
Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu
Hilltop Shan temple with the best valley view in town, worth visiting at both sunrise and sunset.
Wat Jong Kham
Older lakeside Shan temple that forms half of the famous illuminated reflection on the lake.
Wat Jong Klang
Lakeside temple known for Burmese glass paintings and a wicker Buddha image unlike other Thai temples.
Nong Chong Kham Lake
The town living room, a flat lake circuit for dawn mist, sunset light and evening strolls.
Mae Hong Son Walking Street Night Market
Small seasonal lakeside night market where the food and lit temples beat the shopping.
Morning Market (Talat Chao)
Resident morning market and the best place to try Shan breakfast dishes like warm tofu noodles.
Wat Hua Wiang
Quiet central Shan temple with a fine bronze Buddha that most visitors miss.
Wat Phra Non
Calm temple with a large reclining Buddha that balances the busy lakeside temple circuit.
Where to stay in Mae Hong Son
Around Nong Chong Kham Lake and the old centre
first trip, walkers, no car
Walk to the lakeside temples, markets and most restaurants, with lit temples after dinner.
West side and Doi Kong Mu foothill
drivers, modern rooms
Larger modern hotel stock and easy parking, a short drive from the lake.
Pang Mu and the out-of-town resort road
couples, families, longer stays
Garden resorts with pools and quiet among rice fields, using shuttles or a car for town.
Ban Rak Thai
one night satellite stay
Sleep in the tea village for its misty reservoir dawn, not as a base for town sights.
Think twice about
- Isolated properties on Highway 108 and Highway 1095
Far from any restaurant and stranded on unlit highway shoulders after dark without a car.
- Pai as a base for Mae Hong Son
Five to six hour mountain round trip that misses dawn mist, hilltop sunset and the lakeside evening.
Best restaurants in Mae Hong Son
Salween Home Restaurant
The best Shan and Burmese dinner in town, order tea leaf salad and pineapple beef curry.
Little Good Things
Tiny highly rated cafe for healthy Thai food with strong vegetarian and vegan options.
Fern Restaurant
The town classic formal dining room, with Thai dishes and live music on some evenings.
Open-Air Restaurant at Fern Resort
Garden restaurant at Fern Resort known for northern curry and sunset terrace views.
Bai Fern Restaurant
Comfortable wooden dining room for northern Thai dishes like chicken in pandan leaves.
Kai Mook Restaurant
Straightforward local Thai diner with honest spice and small bills on ordinary nights.
Pizza Primavera
Reliable Italian and pizza night for Loop travellers who need one non Thai dinner.
Lee Wine Yunnan Restaurant
Lakeside Yunnanese lunch in Ban Rak Thai, with pork dishes, hill mushrooms and house tea.
Outdoor things to do in Mae Hong Son
Pang Oung
Pine fringed reservoir with cool air, bamboo rafts and dawn mist near a Shan village.
Ban Rak Thai
Yunnanese tea village on a border reservoir, best with a slow morning, tea tasting and lunch.
Su Tong Pae Bridge
Thailand longest bamboo bridge across rice fields, best at sunrise when monks cross it.
Tham Lod Cave
Huge river cave explored by lantern and bamboo raft, passing ancient teak coffins.
Tham Pla Fish Cave
Sacred fish cave in a shaded national park, an easy and peaceful short nature stop.
Pha Suea Waterfall
Wide waterfall in the same park as the Fish Cave, strongest in and after the rainy season.
Phu Klon Country Club health Mud Spa
Mineral mud facials and hot pools at a rustic local spa, the town signature wellness stop.
Pha Bong Hot Spring
Simple local hot spring baths south of town for a cheap one hour soak.
Best hotels in Mae Hong Son
Fern Resort
Beloved garden eco resort with two pools, rice field views and a sunset terrace bar.
Imperial Mae Hong Son Resort
Classic large Lanna style resort with pools and a town shuttle, characterful and slightly faded.
B2 Mae Hong Son Premier Hotel
Modern chain style hotel with clean spacious rooms, a pool and easy parking for drivers.
Gims Resort
Smaller quiet garden resort to compare when Fern Resort is full in peak season.
Piya Guesthouse
Best value lakeside guesthouse, with garden cabana rooms, porches and a small pool.
Johnnie House
Simple friendly budget guesthouse in a walkable central base when Piya is full.
Lee Wine Rak Thai Resort
Tea plantation rooms above the Ban Rak Thai reservoir for the misty village dawn.
Is Mae Hong Son expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 1,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 2,800 a person |
| Splurge | THB 6,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Private Shan Heritage Day With a Local Guide: a few days ahead
- Pang Oung: a few days ahead
- Ban Rak Thai: a few days ahead
- Phu Klon Country Club health Mud Spa: a few days ahead
- Pai River Rafting and Longtail Boat to Huay Pu Keng: weeks ahead
- Bua Tong Fields at Doi Mae U Kho: weeks ahead
- Fern Resort: weeks ahead
- Imperial Mae Hong Son Resort: a few days ahead
- Flights, Fern Resort and Ban Rak Thai stays in November to January, private drivers, Phu Klon and rafting all need booking ahead.
Is Mae Hong Son safe?
- Roads are the main hazard, not people. Do not ride the Loop as a first motorbike trip, avoid mountain roads at night, and carry insurance. Police 191, medical 1669, tourist police 1155.
Mae Hong Son travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The one night Loop rush that misses dawn and dusk, photo stop village tours with no context, and luxury prices for a product that does not exist here.
Getting around Mae Hong Son: public transport and more
- Walk the flat lake centre. Songthaews, hotel shuttles and rentals cover excursions, plan transport the night before.
- Fly Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son in about 35 minutes or drive five to six hours via Pai or Mae Sariang. Take motion sickness medication before the road.
Who Mae Hong Son suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Mae Hong Son your trip
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