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Region: Northern Thailand> Province: Mae Hong Son>Location: Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son sights and attractions
Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu - Tremendous views
Atop Doi Kong Mu, Mae Hong Son
Description
This hilltop Wat is better regarded for its splendid views over the surrounds than the actual wat. Constructed in the early 19th century, the Burmese-styled wat includes two chedis containing the ashes of a couple of well-regarded Shan monks. But if you're up here, you're more likely here to admire the views. Get up here at dawn to see Mae Hong Son bathed in mist, while late afternoon allows tremendous views of the surrounds, including Burma in the distance -- haze allowing. You can reach the summit either by climbing the steep staircase running up from beside Wat Phra Non or come by motorbike/bicycle by road.
Wat Jong Klang and Wat Jong Kham - Stunning setting
Beside Jong Kham Lake, central Mae Hong Son
Description
The twin wats of Wat Jong Klang and Wat Jong Kham and their reflection across Jong Kham lake forms the classic Mae Hong Son photo. The wat's brilliant white and golden chedis mesh with the green roofs and their yellow edgings to form a glistening mirage across the surface of the lake -- broken only by the lake's fountains. Wat Jong Kham is the elder of the two wats and is best known for its large wooden throne, but it's in Wat Jong Klang that you'll find the real attraction -- a collection of paintings on glass and, in an adjoining room an impressive collection of teak statues and dolls -- all of Burmese origin. Note that some sections of Wat Jong Klang are off-limits to women. Local rumour holds that the stone lion statue next to the lake faces Burma and is meant to scare off invading Burmese armies. The two wats sit on the southern bank of Jong Klang Lake and are best seen in February when their immaculate gardens are in full bloom.
Tham Pla Forest Park - The fish cave
17km from Mae Hong Son on road to Pai
Description
Tham Pla (Cave Fish) Forest Park is around 17km from Mae Hong Son on the road to Pai. It's a very pleasant little spot with the river in the cave feeding a number of creeks that run through the grounds. The main attraction is the aptly-named fish cave which is packed with Phluang fish. These fish are similar to carp and have to be some of the best fed ones in Thailand. You can buy small bags of fish food to feed them, a popular activity for those on location making merit. The park is easy to spot from the main road, and if you are travelling under your own steam it is a pleasant way to break the trip to Pai. Otherwise it makes for a reasonable half-day trip from Mae Hong Son. Be sure to bring some food and make a picnic of it. Free camping is also available.
Sunday Market - A bit of shopping
On the right hand side of the road to Mae Sariang
Description
If you are in Mae Hong Son on a Sunday morning, practise your bargaining skills at the market, located on the right hand side along the road to Mae Sariang right before Rooks Resort. All the locals shop there for household goods and clothes. If you look hard enough you can find T-shirts with English phrases like I am a scum.
Wat Phra Non - Home to big reclining Buddha
At the base of Doi Kung Mu
Description
This small wat sits at the base of Doi Kong Mu and houses a 12-metre long reclining Buddha. Dating back to 1875, it was cast on the request of the wife of the first governor of Mae Hong Son. Note the two stone lions that lay together. It's thought that they're on location to provide safe passage for those paying homage to the Buddha relic up on the hill. Unless you hold a particular fascination for reclining Buddhas, this temple probably isn't worth visiting. But if you're planning on walking to the summit of Doi Kong Mu anyway, then it's along your route so you may as well swing past.
Mud Spa and Hot Springs - Supposedly health giving mud
132/2 Mokjampae, Mae Hong Son
http://www.pooklon.com
Description
The owner of a property to the north of Mae Hong Son has discovered supposedly health giving mud on his land. It is not clear exactly where the mud itself comes from, as it is found only in large terracotta pots beside a large natural hot spring pool. Photos show people lathering themselves from head to toe, but the main business at the site is products to take home or use in their on-site beauty salons and for massages. A natural hot spring wells up, creating a pool that is too hot to bathe in, although a bathing hut is currently being built for dips into the mineral-laden waters. Mud products available include a facial mask (50 baht), body mask (400/600 baht), face scrub and face massage (200 baht), as well as Thai and foot massage (200 baht an hour).Open from 08:00 to 18:30, there is also a golf driving range on the grounds. Take the road north out of Mae Hong Son and eventually turn off to the left at the corner marked with a blue Unseen Thailand sign, saying Mud Spa. Follow the signs, and find the hot springs just after the golf course.
Visiting the Kayan (Long-neck) people - A personal decision
A scattering of camps in the surrounding area
Description
The Long Neck women are one of the main reasons why tourists come to Mae Hong Son. Often called Long Neck Karen, the women (and their male family members) are actually refugees from Karenni State, located just over the border from Mae Hong Son.
Long Neck Karen is therefore a misnomer and not only because it over-simplifies the rich and complex culture and history of this ethnic group. In Burmese they are called Padaung, but this is also an inappropriate name because the Burmese are an occupying army in Karenni State. In their own language, this ethnic group is called Kayan.
The price for visiting these villages is 250 baht (plus the cost of taking a boat in the case of Huay Phu Keang). Half of this money goes to the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP, which is the main opposition force to Burmese control in Karenni State). Half of the money goes to the Thai Ministry of the Interior. The women receive 500 baht each month for wearing the rings as children and 1,500 baht when they reach adulthood. It is a level of financial security unheard of for the average refugee family.
The decision about whether or not to visit the village can be a difficult one. Many people believe that paying to see and take pictures of women physically disfigure themselves is wrong. The tradition of donning the neck rings is largely dying out in the Kayan areas of Karenni State.
If you talk to many of the Kayan people, however, you will find that despite the difficulties they face in Thailand, for now, their prospects in tourist villages are better than their prospects inside Karenni State. At the same time, most of them would like to return home to Karenni State when there is peace or a cease-fire.
The refugees in these villages represent only a small handful of the 20,000 living in the refugee camp on the other side of the mountain. They are allowed a great deal of freedom compared to the non-Kayan refugees and some of the money that they earn goes to help all the refugees. Some people believe that it is the tourist money that these women attract that allows all the Karenni refugees to stay in Thailand. A lot rests on those neck-rings.
If you do decide to visit this or other local villages, you may find that it feels like you are visiting a human zoo. This feeling is only exacerbated if you are in or near a large tour group, snapping and taping away with little or no regard for the fact that the village is somebody's home.
If this human zoo feeling bothers you, then try to not encourage it. Plan to spend a day or a few days in one village and actually sit down and talk to people and learn about their lives. Take pictures only after you've asked, ask for an address, and send copies to the person in the picture. Buy locally-made products. Donate to the school (but don't interrupt the lessons).
Don't hand-out sweets to the children (you probably wouldn't walk around handing out sweets to children on the streets of your own country).
If you want to make a donation, bring books, paper, pencils, crayons, soap, toothpaste, and other stationary or toiletries in bulk to the Head Teacher at the school or the village leader (ask around the village, everyone knows each other). All the villages also have monetary donation boxes.
Day Tours - A range of options
Around Mae Hong Son
Description
Everywhere you look in Mae Hong Son there is someone promoting tours taking in the surrounding scenery. One of the most popular places to visit are the villages of the so-called long-neck Karens, but other stops include combinations of Tham Lod, Fish Cave, Mae Aw village, Mae Surin Waterfall, local temples, trekking and boat trips.Groups generally range from two to eight people, costing between 500 and 1800 baht per day, depending on the company, the number of passengers and where you go. Half-day trips can often be organised, and the itinerary tailored to your needs.
Night Market - A lively night market
Sinhanat Bamrung Rd, Mae Hong Son
Description
When darkness falls, Sinhanat Bamrung Rd is blocked off to through traffic, and stalls of products are set up to create a lively night market. A number of different ethnic minorities are represented, including Lisu and Hmong, and items for sale range from clothing to bags and embroideries, to souvenir knick knacks and sesame oil products. At the base of the road, spreading slowly along the edges of the lake are a number of food stalls selling a fairly limited (but tasty!) range of grilled meats, Shan style noodles and drinks. You may also be able to find hill-tribe souvenirs here, from bracelets to handbags, all in magically vivid colours.
Rafting trips - Many possibilities
Description
Rafting trips can be arranged to a variety of locations in Mae Hong Son including up towards Pai or west to the Burmese border. The best place to attempt to organise a boat trip is at Ban Huey Deua, eight km to the southwest of town. From here a day trip will cost 400B to 500B per person. Longer and more involved trips can also be organised in Mae Hong Son, or alternatively you can start in Pai and take a 2 days raft trip to Mae Hong Son.
Boat trips - Go for a float
Baan Toong Bang Moo
Description
In Baan Toong Bang Moo, on the edge of the Ping River, there is a small sala where elderly boat men sit and wait for business. They can take you on either bamboo rafting or on a ride in a wooden speedboat along the picturesque river. The going price is 450 baht per hour per vehicle, including the boat man's fee.
Trekking - Many options
Description
Trekking is a major attraction in Mae Hong Son, and can be done as part of a day tour for a few hours or for a full day or longer. Longer treks will take you into the mountains towards the Burmese border, where you will visit Karen and Lisu villages.
Generally you need a minimum of two people for a departure, but if you're alone and flexible with your time the agencies can often find others to share the costs with you. Prices vary depending on the number of people going, the distance travelled and the activities covered.
In picking the right trek, a lot swings on the quality of your guide. Not only will he or she guide you through the jungle, they'll inform you about the ways of life for the hill tribes, and teach you basic survival techniques.
The trekking experience generally starts with a drive out of Mae Hong Son for an hour or two to your starting point. This is followed by several hours of walking into the mountains, broken up by visits to villages. At the village, you may stay overnight in someone's house, perhaps the chief of the village, a normal village family or even a relative of the guide. Some companies have their own huts, but either way you will sleep dormitory-style on the floor with a thin mattress, sleeping bag or blanket and a mosquito net.
Guides will occasionally speak the local language, and sometimes come from the village you stay at. These are often the best experiences, when the guide can help you to interact with your hosts. Meals are prepared by the guide, using produce carried in by them or bought locally where practical. Food is usually banquet style, with a few dishes to choose from, and foreigners' tastes kept in mind. Vegetarian is available by prior request.
Evenings are spent interacting with the tribe people, and good guides will help to teach you a little about their ways of life. Some treks will spend the second night camping out in the jungle where your guide will teach you a whole array of jungle survival skills, including how to prepare and cook a whole banquet using only bamboo as cooking and eating tools. Most agencies can also offer bamboo rafting and elephant riding as optional extras to tack on to your trek for around 3-500 baht per person per activity.
Just Happy Tours, Long Time Tours, Nam Rim Tour,and Sunflower Cafe, have all been recommended as reputable, with enjoyable, well-priced trips.
Long Time Tours run by the excellent Mr Long is our pick of the bunch. He speaks at least nine languages including fluent English and French, and is about as generous and friendly a chap as you will meet.
Expect to pay between 600 to 1,000 baht per day at some of the more backpacker-oriented tour agencies around the lake, dependant on how many people you're trekking with. Some tour agencies catering to the more upmarket travellers (such as Rose Garden Tours) charge up to 1,500 baht per day.
Contacts:
Long Time Tours: (089) 838 6865
Sunflower Cafe: (053) 620 549
Rose garden Tour: (053) 611 681