The Mae Hong Son Loop is nothing short of a motorbiker’s dream.

It’s a loop starting and ending (as a loop generally suggests) in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand.

Not only is the scenery breathtaking, but the mountainous terrain makes for very entertaining roads- the Mae Hong Son Loop has over 2,000 turns, and if you take detours (which you should and will), that number will only increase.

I could go on and on with my veneration, but I’ll stick to task- here are the very best stops you need to make along the Mae Hong Son Loop.

Map of the best stops on the Mae Hong Son Loop

Here’s a map of the best stops to take along the Mae Hong Son Loop. I’ll go through each of these stops in detail in a clockwise order. You can do the loop counterclockwise as well- that direction won’t change the stops you take though, so it’s not too relevant to this article. Just read everything I write in reverse.

Doi Inthanon (Specifically Kew Mae Pan Trail)

Lots of people will head straight to Mae Sariang on the first day of the loop, which I view as a mistake.

First of all, it takes over three hours to get to Mae Sariang from Chiang Mai and the majority of the ride is quite boring. No need to torture yourself when one of the best stops on the entirety of the Mae Hong Son Loop forms the perfect stopping point smack in the middle.

Doi Inthanon is the tallest mountain in Thailand, standing at a high of 2465 meters (8415 feet). Just this should make it worth a visit, in my opinion. Think about it- you’ll forever be able to say that you were at the top of Thailand. Life changing stuff.

The main reason people skip Doi Inthanon is because it’s a bit of a detour. But it’s only an extra hour both up and then back down the mountain, so unless you’re on a massive time constraint for the loop there’s no reason to miss it.

I’d recommend staying at a campsite inside the national park- there are plenty, and it’ll make it easier to see the sunrise from the top in the morning, which is a must. You can also stay near the base of the mountain in a town called Chom Thong, but you’ll have to wake up real early and drive about an hour.

And make sure you do the Kew Mae Pan Trail. It was one of the single most beautiful places I’ve been not only on the loop, but in Southeast Asia in general. And if you can do it at sunrise, even better. Just dress warm.

Mae Sawan Noi Waterfall

The road from Doi Inthanon to Mae Sariang is pretty boring for the first half, but the second half is much more enjoyable as you’re introduced to the trademark winding roads of the Mae Hong Son Loop.

But while the roads are fun, they’re aren’t too many good places to stop- at least that I know of. There’s a national park that I didn’t feel like stopping to check out, which is an option if you’re in the mood.

But the best stop has to be the Mae Sawan Noi Waterfall, about 30 minutes out of Mae Sariang.

It’s a bit of a pain to get to. You’ll have to turn right off the main road and drive for five to ten minutes before riding up and down steep dirt roads until you reach the entrance to the falls.

Then you have to hike down. At a moderate pace, it shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to reach the main waterfall. And you’re in for a real treat.

There’s a small pool of bright turquoise underneath a gorgeous waterfall about 10 meters high (maybe more). And after a long day of riding in the sun, go on ahead and jump in. It’s a perfect little infinity pool formed by nature. The water is definitely cold, but so refreshing.

Doi Khunkham

This one’s a detour on the way to Mae Hong Son (the town of Mae Hong Son, not to be confused with the whole region) from Mae Sariang. About 45 minutes from Mae Sariang you’ll take a right turn, and within minutes you’ll be greeted by beautiful rice fields and incredible steep winding roads.

I put Doi Khunkham as the location, which on Google Maps will take you to a beautiful viewpoint. However, I’d suggest continuing past this viewpoint, as the roads become even more fun to drive.

Drive until you get bored, then turn around and head back to the main road. I’d recommend that you don’t go too far- there are still a few more stops you want to hit before you reach Mae Hong Son, and unless you want to drive seven hours in a day like me you should keep this detour to about an hour.

Thung Bua Tong Fields

The Thung Bua Tong Fields are a massive expanse of sunflower fields on another detour on the way to Mae Hong Son from Mae Sariang.

If you’re driving the loop in November/December you may be in luck. This is when the fields are in full bloom, and it must be a sight to behold. I say that because I haven’t done the loop at that time of year, but even when the fields are not in bloom they’re still quite beautiful.

There’s a viewpoint you can stop at where an elevated platform will give you an incredible, expansive view over the fields.

If you’re not sure whether or not you should skip this one since you’re not doing the loop during November or December, I have good news for you. The detour that brings you here also leads to the next two stops I suggest, and luckily they’re both less dependent on the time of year.

This means you’ll be passing through the fields in any case.

Mae Surin Waterfall

You’ll reach the Mae Surin Waterfall soon after the Thung Bua Tong Fields, and this one’s definitely worth it- regardless of which season you decide to visit in, it’s one of the best stops on the Mae Hong Son Loop.

The Mae Surin Waterfall is nothing short of the tallest waterfall in the entirety of Thailand, falling about 100 meters onto the rocks below.

While you can’t swim in- or even go near- the base of this waterfall, just witnessing it from a distance is incredible in its own right. There’s a short path both up and down to different viewpoints from the entrance, but the best view can be found pretty much at the beginning.

You can spend a good amount of time here simply ogling at the massive waterfall. Maybe turn it into a picnic if you’ve got some snacks.

The entrance to the national park (yes, it’s part of a national park) is 200 baht. However, there happens to be a secret entrance to the waterfalls where you can bypass the ticket counter. Just drive a couple of minutes past the main entrance and you’ll find an unguarded entrance on your left.

I generally have reservations when scheming the system, but they really made this one a bit too easy.

Sunset Viewpoint Near Mae Surin

To get from Mae Surin to Mae Hong Son, there’s a specific route you should take that will lead you to this viewpoint.

Navigation generally gives you three options. The first is to just turn around and head back the way you came, eventually getting back to the main road and continuing on from there. You don’t want to do this- it’ll take two and a half hours.

Another option is an hour and a half route. The problem is that it leads you onto an unpaved road, which is fine until it turns into literal sand, which won’t be passable unless you’ve got a bike meant for it which I highly doubt.

Which leads to the third option. It should be around one hour and forty-five minutes, and it’s the best option. There’s a brief section of unpaved road, but it’s not bad at all. And it’ll lead you to a magnificent viewpoint.

To make things easier, just plug in the spot I marked as “Viewpoint” (not “Sunset Viewpoint) on the map above. Should take a bit more than 30 minutes to get there.

The spot I marked should be pretty accurate, but it may not be perfect. It’ll be obvious when you pass the spot though. There’ll be a little area to pull off the road to your right with a wide, expansive view of the rolling mountains below.

Sunset Viewpoint Near Mae Hong Son

Here’s another viewpoint, and this one’s even better.

I suggest you stay in Mae Hong Son for two nights. That way, you can stop at the previous viewpoint on the way to the town, then do a day trip (stay tuned for the next stop) before returning and checking out this unreal viewpoint at golden hour.

It should take around 25-30 minutes to get to the viewpoint from Mae Hong Son, and the majority of the trip takes you on a steep mountain pass, which allows you to ascend high up into the mountains in a short span of time.

There’s a viewpoint marked on Google Maps that you’ll pass when you get close, but don’t stop here- the view is completely obstructed. There were a few people here and I felt bad for them. If they’d just driven a minute further they would’ve had their minds blown.

Make sure to put in the exact spot I marked on the map above, as this is not the type of viewpoint that’s listed on Google Maps. It’s essentially just a shoulder off the side of the road, but it’s one of the only places where the trees have been cleared, allowing you an unobstructed view of the beauty below.

At sunset, this spot is truly magical and it was one of the absolute highlights of the whole loop for me.

Just be careful on the way back- driving down a mountain pass like this one at night requires a lot of focus.

Ban Rak Thai

This is a great day trip from Mae Hong Son, and one of the best stops on the loop for a large number of reasons.

First off, Ban Rak is just an incredible place with a completely unique vibe from anything else you’ll find in the region (or the entirety of Thailand in general).

Ban Rak is a tiny, picture perfect Chinese village. It’s situated at a high elevation around a small lake that you can walk around, with classical Chinese architecture every which way.

Some argue that it’s a little kitschy. And I generally despise kitschy things but there’s no denying that even if Ban Rak has become more catered to tourists, it’s done so in an incredibly tasteful manner.

Getting here will take about an hour from Mae Hong Son Town, and it’s quite the ride to say the least. I mentioned that Ban Rak is at a high elevation, which means steep and windy roads. This drive had some of my favorite sections of road on the whole loop, yet another reason to visit Ban Rak.

When you’re in town, walk around the lake and do a tea tasting at one of the little cafés (for lack of a better word). Lee Wine should do the trick. Also make sure to check out the Lee Wine Rak Thai Resort across the road. Talk about building things tastefully. I won’t explain it further, just take a look at the pictures below.

You can also drive about five minutes to a worn-down fence which forms the border with Myanmar. Stick your foot through and check another country off that list.

You’re also welcome to stay in Ban Rak overnight if that intrigues you. I certainly would have looked into it if I had more time. I heard from a few reliable sources that Ban Rak is incredibly special to see in the morning, with mist rising off the lake every day at dawn. Sounds incredible.

Ban Ja Bo

Ban Ja Bo is a tiny little village perched upon a steep mountainside overlooking the northern Thai mountains. Even calling it a tiny little village is a stretch- it’s one street that you can walk down in about a minute.

I came across this ‘village’ by accident while taking a detour off the main road, and stopped for a quick meal at the one restaurant I saw open. The food was OK, but the view was insane. The restaurant was perched right on the edge of a steep mountainside, and the restaurant had tables right at the edge with an incredible, unobstructed view.

As I was paying at the front, I saw a little sign behind the host saying ‘homestay’. I immediately pointed to it and asked if they had availability, and they gave a nod and asked for 250 baht (around $7 US). I had intended to head to Pai, but figured this would be a memorable experience.

And memorable it was. They led me to a little “house” perched next to the restaurant on the hillside. I use the apostrophes as the house was maybe 5 square meters total and made entirely out of plywood. No idea how it withstands any sort of inclement weather.

The facilities may have been subpar, but I didn’t care. The view from the balcony made it all worth it. Especially since it faced dead east, and when I woke up for the sunrise I was treated with the best start to the morning one could possibly have.

So come visit Ban Ja Bo, and find a homestay to witness the sunrise in the morning. Trust me, it’s worth it. And there are plenty homestays available by the look of it.

Now I did find out that though I found this village by accident, it’s not exactly a secret. If you come you’ll see a good amount of foreigners.

As a final note, if you continue driving down the road Ban Ja Bo is on you’ll crest the mountain and eventually reach an incredible sunset spot. I apologize for not being able to pinpoint the spot but it should be pretty obvious. Just drive down the road and don’t turn off at any point until you reach it.

Mae Lana Cave

This is a nice activity that’s right next to Ban Ja Bo. It’s literally a ten minute drive from the village.

If you haven’t been caving before, this will be quite the introduction. Mae Lana Cave is 12 kilometers long, following a little river hours into a mountain. I’m pretty sure it’s the longest cave in Thailand.

Now, you don’t have to do all 12 kilometers. By the sound of it, nobody really does. You have two options, pretty much. One is a quick two-hour journey- one in, one out. But I highly recommend you do the four-hour tour. This will allow you to see much more, including a waterfall two hours deep into the cave that will be your stopping point.

It’s a pretty intimidating thing to be deep in a cave, hours away from daylight in complete silence and darkness. But it’s also a very special experience.

You can’t go into Mae Lana Cave alone, and will have to pay for a local guide which will cost 500 baht for the four hours (and 300 for two hours, if I recall). An expensive price.

I wasn’t too happy about this with my frugal backpackers budget. But after painstakingly paying up and venturing into the cave, it became apparent why the guide was necessary. There are so many small little entryways you need to go through and other enticing openings you need to not go through that any solo adventurer would almost certainly get lost.

The guide will also point out certain rock formations in the cave and little creatures you may have missed. In general, I’d say you get your money’s worth- especially if you’ve never been caving before.

Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint

I skipped over Pai because I’m pretty sure you’ll all stop there without my saying so, and there’s been so much written about it that I don’t feel I have much to contribute. But to summarize, you’ll love it if you love to smoke weed and do nothing.

But what I want to speak about more is the drive from Pai back to Chiang Mai. It’s a famous route, traversed by throngs of tourists and locals alike, known for it’s windiness and insane number of turns (762, to be exact).

However, I advise you not to take the main route. Not that it’s not scenic or fun, but I personally don’t like a few aspects about it. Mainly the safety aspect.

In other words, I don’t like the sheer amount of idiots on the road. The tourists, in other words. Incompetents, overconfidents, and English alike. Along with the bus drivers taking the rest of the tourists who drive like madmen. Which makes sense, as they’re paid based off of how many drives they can do in a day.

A fascinating system. Economically intelligent perhaps, served with a side of a few slight problems. Only in Thailand.

In any event, you have a better option. The newly paved route 1265 to 1349, which you can read about in detail here.

Along this route you have several nice points, but my favorite by far were the vast expanses of strawberry fields about halfway through the drive. And the Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint is the best place to stop to take them in. And perhaps to pilfer a strawberry or two.

There you have it- the best stops on the Mae Hong Son Loop. Stop at most of these and the Loop is bound to be exceptionally memorable for you for years to come.

If you want more tips- about picking a bike, where to stay, and others- make sure to read my article on the best tips for the loop!