TBB Tours would like to introduce you to what has often been described as “one of the world’s top ten motorcycle rides”. We are fortunate as this is right on our doorstep so we have built a great four day tour for your enjoyment. Mae Hong Son province is officially the most mountainous province in Thailand so as you may imagine, that means it’s under-populated and has great roads with stunning scenery! The tour is run over four days and three nights with the itinerary as described below:
The Mae Hong Son Tour
“Legendary”, “Awesome”, “Phenomenal” – these adjectives and more are frequently used to try and describe the experience of riding the Mae Hong Son Loop. One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixty Four curves between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son and double that in total on a route 600km long – that’s a lot of bend-swinging!
ABOUT TOUR
Tour Dates 2024 / 2025
07/10/2024 - 10/10/2024 21/10/2024 - 24/10/2024
04/11/2024 - 07/11/2024 18/11/2024 - 21/11/2024
02/12/2024 - 05/12/2024 16/12/2024 - 19/12/2024
30/12/2024 - 02/01/2025 13/01/2025 - 16/01/2025
27/01/2025 - 30/01/2025 10/02/2025 - 13/02/2025
24/02/2025 - 27/02/2025 10/03/2025 - 13/03/2025
24/03/2025 - 27/03/2025 10/04/2025 - 13/04/2025
CUSTOM DATES AVAILABLE FOR GROUPS. PLEASE ENQUIRE Chiang Mai to Pai
Depart TBB base after completing the necessary formalities and getting kitted up and head north out of the city. The traditional route to Pai would have us arriving by lunchtime so to extend the day and throw in some great curves, we first head to Phrao before taking an exquisite small road back to the main route 107. After a lunch stop we continue south back towards the city and about 30km from Chiang Mai we turn onto the Pai road and the start of the Mae Hong Son loop. This is truly a riders dream – a mix of fast flowing curves and tighter switchbacks to keep you on your toes. We’ll stop for snacks and lunch along the way and aim to arrive in Pai by approx 4pm to take advantage of the fact that the hotel we use there has a pool*. The evening can be spent wandering the “walking street” market and/or shacked up in one of many bars/restaurants serving an excellent choice of dishes.
Pai to Mae Hong Son
In this writer’s view, probably the sweetest section of the loop will be ridden today. It’s my favourite for the combo of fantastic roads, lack of traffic and beautiful scenery. It’s not that far (about 150km) but as with all our tours, we try to avoid going directly. We’ll take you to a picturesque Chinese village right on the Burmese border for lunch at a restaurant situated on a lake and then back track to the main road and arrive in Mae Hong Son mid to late afternoon as again, the hotel we normally stay at has a pool*.
Mae Hong Son has a very ethnic feel about it as it is close to the Burmese border and the Shan state. There’s a good choice of restaurants and again, as in Pai, a nightly walking street (much smaller than Pai).
Mae Hong Son to Mae Sarieng
After breakfast we’ll leave MHS and head towards the border where we’ll swap the bikes for a long-tail boat which will ferry us to a village where the Karen “Long Necks” (Padaung tribe) live. These are the ladies with the brass rings on their necks and there is an interesting article on their background here.
Leaving the Karen people we head south, stop for lunch and a trip around the Japanese War Museum then make our way again, along fast, grippy tarmac to our final overnight stop at Mae Sarieng. Once more, the hotel has a great pool and is situated on the Salween River and also hosts a nice restaurant.
Mae Sarieng to Chiang Mai
After breakfast by the river we start our journey back via peaceful remote pine forests before heading to the foot of Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain at 2565M. It’s a lunch stop at a beautiful waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park then we aim to have you back in Chiang Mai for approx 4pm. That’s it, congratulations, you have now completed the famous “Mae Hong Son Loop”
Total distance covered is approx 750km.
This tour is “all inclusive” meaning that everything apart from evening meals and alcohol is supplied. Bikes, riding jacket & helmet, fuel, insurance, accommodation for 3 nights (single occupancy), breakfast, lunch and any admission fees. This is a tour suitable for anyone with a reasonable amount of “big bike” experience and pillions are welcome. We don’t ride extremely fast and definitely not recklessly but you must be competent and comfortable with speeds averaging between 80 – 120kph.
BOOK YOUR TOUR TODAY!
We are affiliated and bonded with the Tourist Authority of Thailand for both inbound and outbound tours and all of our tours are run within the legal guidelines of local laws and all of our bikes are insured. You’ll normally be riding with either Jeff or Duncan and be accompanied by a T.A.T licensed guide and support vehicle for your luggage (where applicable), enabling you to travel unburdened for maximum enjoyment of the routes we have chosen for you. If your partner does not wish to ride pillion there are limited seats in the support vehicle available on a first come, first served basis.
