The Mae Hong Son Loop is the ride people fly to Thailand for. A main loop of about 600 km of mountain road and, by the most quoted count, 1,864 curves, through the far northwest of the country: the laid-back valley town of Pai, limestone caves you float through on a bamboo raft, a pine-ringed lake that looks like Switzerland, a Yunnanese tea village on the Myanmar border, Shan temples reflected in a lake, and wild sunflower hills in November. It starts and ends at our door in Chiang Mai.
- Main loop: about 600 km
- With day trips: about 750 km
- Plan: 4–6 days
- Best: November–February
At a glance
- Route: Chiang Mai → Pai → Pang Mapha (Soppong) → Mae Hong Son → Khun Yuam → Mae Sariang → Chiang Mai
- Direction: counterclockwise (Pai first) is the most popular: the twistiest road, Route 1095, comes first; the south is less tight but still mountainous
- Level: for riders who are already comfortable on mountain roads. Ride the Samoeng Loop or Doi Inthanon first
- Bike: 150 cc and up: Honda Click 160 or Yamaha NMax alone; Honda ADV350 or CB300 for two people with bags
- Pack light: light, well-secured luggage within the limits of your bike, plus a rain jacket and a warm layer. We have a few top boxes (500 THB per rental): ask early
The loop at a glance
| Day | From → to | Distance | Riding | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiang Mai → Pai | 135 km | 3–4 h | Route 1095, Mok Fa Waterfall, Pai Canyon |
| 2 | Pai → Mae Hong Son | 110 km | 3 h | Kiew Lom viewpoint, Tham Lod cave |
| 3 | around Mae Hong Son | 100–130 km | 4–5 h | Pang Ung, Ban Rak Thai, Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge, Doi Kong Mu |
| 4 | Mae Hong Son → Mae Sariang | 165 km direct, about 215 km with Bua Tong | 4 h direct, a long day with side trips | Khun Yuam, Bua Tong sunflower hills, Mae Surin Waterfall |
| 5 | Mae Sariang → Chiang Mai | 190 km | 4 h | Op Luang canyon; Doi Inthanon only as a separate long day |
Distances are approximate. The main loop is about 600 km; with the day trips on days 3 and 4, the five days add up to roughly 750 km.
Day 1: Chiang Mai to Pai (135 km)
The first day is the famous one: Route 107 north to Mae Malai, then left onto Route 1095 and its 762 bends over the mountains to Pai. Stop at Mok Fa Waterfall and the coffee shops along the way, and be in Pai in time for sunset at Pai Canyon. We have a whole guide to this day: Chiang Mai to Pai by motorbike.
Day 2: Pai to Mae Hong Son via the caves (110 km)
West of Pai, Route 1095 climbs again into wilder country. About 40 km out, the Kiew Lom viewpoint in Pang Mapha looks out over a sea of forested ridges: in the cool season, mornings here are often above the clouds. Then the road drops into a valley of limestone karsts around Soppong (Pang Mapha), the caving capital of Thailand.
Tham Lod (Lod Cave)
A river runs right through this huge cave. A local guide with a gas lantern leads you through caverns of stalactites and ancient teak coffins, and at dusk large flocks of swifts return to the cave. Part of the way is on a bamboo raft. Guide and raft are paid on the spot (roughly 150 THB for a guide with lantern, about 400 THB for a raft for up to three people; check on site).
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Coming out into the light
The cave exit opens onto the river and forest. If you are continuing to Mae Hong Son the same day, visit the cave earlier and leave enough daylight for the remaining 65 km: the descent into Mae Hong Son is long and twisty. To see the swifts return at dusk, stay overnight in Soppong or at Tham Lod and add a day to the plan.
Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Day 3: around Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son is a small, quiet town in a valley ringed by mountains, close to the Myanmar border, with Shan temples, Burmese-influenced food and morning mist. Leave the luggage at your guesthouse and ride light. The day has two parts: the border villages in the north, and the town itself.
Pang Ung: the "Switzerland of Thailand"
About 44 km north of town, Pang Ung is a royal forest project around a reservoir ringed by pine trees. At sunrise in the cool season, mist rises off the water, bamboo rafts drift out, and swans glide through the reflections. Thais come here to camp and to see exactly that. For sunrise, stay near the lake the night before; if you are staying in Mae Hong Son, leave after daylight and plan a daytime visit instead. The road is narrow and steep in places; ride it in daylight.
Ban Rak Thai: tea on the Myanmar border
In the same border hills, on its own road, Ban Rak Thai (also called Mae Aw) is a Yunnanese Chinese village of tea terraces around a lake, settled by Chinese soldiers who came over the border after 1949. Today it is famous for oolong tea tastings, Yunnan food (try the braised pork leg with steamed buns) and adobe guesthouses on the slopes. Choose one place for sunrise and stay the night there; the other makes a daytime stop.
Pang Ung → · Ban Rak Thai →
Back in town: lake, temples and the bamboo bridge
- Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge, about 10 km from town: a long bamboo footbridge over the rice fields to a forest temple, built by villagers and monks. Most beautiful in the morning, green from August to October and golden in November.
- Wat Chong Kham and Wat Chong Klang: two white-and-gold Shan temples on the shore of Chong Kham Lake in the center of town. Come at dusk, when they are lit up and reflected in the water, and stay for the night market on the lakeside.
- Your 1,864-curves certificate: the Mae Hong Son Chamber of Commerce, a few minutes from the lake, prints a souvenir certificate for riders who made it to town, with your name, while you have a coffee. Recent visitors paid about 60 THB; stickers and T-shirts are sold there too, and it opens at 9:00. There is no official stamp collection along the road: this certificate is the trophy everyone brings home.
- Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu: the hilltop temple above town, with two Shan stupas and a view over the whole valley and the airport. Ride up for sunset.
Su Tong Pae bridge → · Wat Chong Kham → · Doi Kong Mu → · 1,864-curves certificate →
Day 4: Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang (165 km)
South of Mae Hong Son the loop changes character. Route 108 runs down long valleys with wider curves than Route 1095, though it is still a mountain road with climbs and tight sections. With the side trips below, this is a long day: consider a night in Khun Yuam.
- Khun Yuam (65 km): a quiet market town with a small World War II museum about the Japanese soldiers who passed through.
- Bua Tong fields at Doi Mae U Kho: from mid-November to early December, the hills above Khun Yuam turn yellow with wild Mexican sunflowers (bua tong). The side road climbs about 25 km into the mountains: worth every bend in season, skip it the rest of the year.
- Mae Surin Waterfall, in the same national park: one of the highest waterfalls in Thailand, a single drop of around 100 m into a forested gorge.
- Mae Sariang: a sleepy riverside town on the Yuam river, good for an evening walk and a cheap, quiet guesthouse.
Day 5: Mae Sariang back to Chiang Mai (190 km)
Route 108 continues east through pine forest to Hot, then turns north along the Ping valley to Chom Thong and Chiang Mai. The last 90 km are a straight, busy highway: take a break before it and ride it fresh.
- Op Luang National Park (also spelled Ob Luang), on Route 108 west of Hot: a narrow rock gorge with a footbridge over the Mae Chaem river, a 10-minute walk from the road. A national park fee applies.
- Or finish over Doi Inthanon: from the Mae Chaem side, Route 1192 climbs to join Route 1009 below the summit (around km 38–39); ride up to the top and back, then down Route 1009 to Chom Thong. This is a separate long day with a lot of extra climbing: add a night in Mae Chaem rather than squeezing it into the ride from Mae Sariang. See our Doi Inthanon guide.
When to ride the loop
- November to February is the season: dry roads, cool clear days, misty mornings. Nights in Pai, Pang Ung and Ban Rak Thai can drop below 10 °C in December and January; bring a warm layer. Book accommodation ahead around Christmas, New Year and Thai long weekends.
- March to April: hot and often smoky from forest fires and field burning; views disappear and the air is poor. Not recommended.
- May to October: green and beautiful, but rain makes the bends slippery and landslides can close roads for hours. Possible for experienced riders who keep a spare day; check the weather every morning.
Which bike for the Mae Hong Son Loop
Five days in the mountains with luggage: the bike matters more here than on any day trip. You want power for long climbs, good brakes, a comfortable seat and room for a bag.
| Riding | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Alone, light luggage | Honda Click 160, Yamaha NMax 155, GPX Drone 150 | proven loop scooters, easy on fuel; the NMax has ABS and a bigger seat, the GPX Drone is the budget pick (smaller 7.5 L tank: refuel in every town) |
| Two people with bags | Honda ADV350 | the most comfortable choice: strong, stable, long-travel suspension, big under-seat storage |
| Experienced rider | Honda CB300 | a manual motorcycle with engine braking for the descents |
We do not recommend 110–125 cc scooters for the loop, especially with a passenger, and a bigger bike only helps if you are used to its size and weight. Refundable security deposits: 2,000 THB for scooters up to 160 cc, 5,000 THB for the CB300, 20,000 THB for the ADV350. Every rental includes two helmets and a phone holder and a full tank of Gasohol 95; please return it with the same fuel level. Ask for a top box when you book, as we only have a few. See all prices, with weekly rates that suit a loop.
Practical tips for the road
- Fuel: every town on the loop has petrol stations. Fill up whenever you are below half. Small roadside pumps and bottled fuel in villages are a back-up only, not something to plan around. Our bikes run on Gasohol 95.
- Cash: ATMs are in Pai, Mae Hong Son, Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang. Caves, guides, small guesthouses and food stalls take cash only.
- Ride in daylight and plan to arrive by 17:00. Mountain roads have no lights, and animals, potholes and fog are hard to see after dark.
- Short days beat long ones. Fatigue makes mountain riding harder. Stop regularly, drink water and shorten the day if your concentration drops.
- On the descents reduce speed before corners and use both brakes smoothly and progressively. Avoid dragging the brakes on long descents, as they can overheat. On a manual motorcycle, select an appropriate low gear before descending. If braking feels different, pull over safely and contact us before continuing.
- Checkpoints: police and military checkpoints are normal near the border. Carry your passport, your license and International Driving Permit; see what you need to ride legally.
- Mobile signal is good in towns and patchy between them. Download offline Google Maps for the region before you leave.
- Pack: rain jacket (even in the dry season), warm layer, sunscreen, a small first-aid kit and a phone power bank.
Make yourself and others safe first. Medical emergency: 1669. Tourist Police (English): 1155. Police: 191. Then message us on WhatsApp.
Your rental includes Thailand’s compulsory insurance (Por Ror Bor), which covers injuries up to the legal limits but not damage to the bike. Check that your travel insurance covers motorbike riding, the engine size and a passenger. Details are in our rental terms.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need for the Mae Hong Son Loop?
Five days is a comfortable pace with time for the sights. Four is possible if you skip side trips; three means long days on the bike and little time off it.
Which direction should I ride the loop?
Counterclockwise, via Pai first, is the most popular: the twistiest roads come while you are fresh. Clockwise works too.
How many curves does the Mae Hong Son Loop have?
The figure usually quoted is 1,864 curves for the classic loop, and 762 for the road from Chiang Mai to Pai. Treat them as famous numbers rather than an exact count: it depends on the route you take.
Can I ride the loop on a scooter?
Yes, most people do, on a 150–160 cc scooter such as the Honda Click 160 or Yamaha NMax. For two people with luggage, the Honda ADV350 is much more comfortable.
Is the Mae Hong Son Loop dangerous?
It is a long mountain ride for riders who are already confident on mountain roads. The main risks are fatigue, speed on descents, weather and riding after dark. Keep the days short, ride in daylight, take breaks and turn back or wait when conditions are bad.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Distances are approximate; fees, opening hours and seasons change, so check locally. Fleet CNX prices and deposits as of October 2026. Cover photo: Mr.Peerapong Prasutr / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ride the loop
Honda ADV350, CB300, Click 160 and NMax, with weekly rates. 2 helmets and a phone holder included. Reserve for free, pay at pickup.
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