Attractions and distractions
Thanks to its surrounds being dotted with traditional Karen villages, a stunning mountainous setting plus rivers and streams ideal for rafting, Mae Sariang does have trekking potential. At present this potential is tempered by the relatively high cost of tours and the small number of tourists coming here. If you don’t mind paying a supplement in order to get going, then Mae Sariang is a great ... Read more about Trekking .
In 20 years’ time there will probably be a new Friendship Bridge and a four-lane highway linking Chiang Mai to Mandalay through Mae Sam Laep, but for now this remote little border outpost is the end of the road. Head west from Mae Sariang town along Route 1194 for what is officially 45 kilometres but which, with all the hills and bends, certainly feels like a lot more, until the road runs out. ... Read more about Mae Sam Laep .
Though not as famous as the Mekong, Yangtse or Irrawaddy, the Salween (or Salawin) is one of Asia’s mightiest rivers. Originating in the Tibetan foothills before flowing through Yunnan, northeastern Burma and out into the Gulf of Martaban and Bay of Bengal at Mawlamyine, it is the 26th longest river in the world, stretching an impressive 2, 800 kilometres. A short stretch of it in southern Mae ... Read more about Salween (Salawin) National Park .
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