Looking for the ultimate hidden gems on the Mae Hong Son Loop?
The Mae Hong Son Loop is a motorbikers paradise in Northern Thailand.
Good on you guys to get off the tourist path and head on the Loop. It saddens me how many people will just go to Chiang Mai and Pai and call it a day.
The same is true, to a lesser extent, for those who do go on the Loop.
It almost seems like some do it just for the sake of having said they did it, which is such a missed opportunity.
There’s plenty to see just by driving through, but there’s so much more magic (and hidden gems) embedded in the mountains of the Mae Hong Son Loop that most travelers don’t care to find out about.
I won’t be covering every stop I think you should make on the Loop. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be better served here.
I’ll be covering five hidden gems that you won’t hear about in your average guide for the Mae Hong Son Loop.
As an important note, I’ll be writing under the assumption that you guys are riding the Loop clockwise. If you’re not, no big deal. I just mention it so that you won’t be confused.
Mae Sawan Noi Waterfall
Why Mae Sawan Noi?
Most travelers on the Mae Hong Son Loop don’t make too many stops before Mae Sariang. In fact, most do it in a straight shot.
The most obvious issue here is that they completely skip over Doi Inthanon, a national park that includes the tallest mountain in Thailand with some incredible hiking trails and waterfalls.
I’m not covering Doi Inthanon here since I wouldn’t call it a “hidden gem”, but make sure you stop there nonetheless.
Even if travelers make the stop at Doi Inthanon, almost nobody stops at Mae Sawan Noi on the way to Mae Sariang. It’s a true hidden gem of the Mae Hong Son Loop.
Mae Sawan Noi is an absolutely beautiful and seemingly empty hike to a waterfall and pool.
As we’ll talk about soon, it’s located about a ten minutes drive off the main road in an area that feels completely hidden.
After parking, you’ll walk down a trail that loops downwards around the waterfall for around 10-15 minutes. Eventually, you’ll arrive at a small pool of bright turquoise water being fed by a gorgeous waterfall about 10 meters high (maybe more).
The pool is so unique. It’s pretty much a perfect infinity pool- just formed by nature.
After a few hours of riding there’s no better feeling than jumping right on in. Swim around, put your head under the waterfall, and enjoy.
The trail also continues further downwards- I’m ashamed to say I didn’t check out where it led. I was too content.
If any of you check it out, please let me know what you found in the comments!
How to get to Mae Sawan Noi
To get to Mae Sawan Noi, you have to turn off the main road approximately 30 minutes before arriving in Mae Sariang (if you’re going clockwise, after leaving).
Once you turn off the main road, you’ll have to drive for 10-15 minutes before arriving to a dirt road with a sign pointing to the waterfall.
Follow this road for another five minutes. Even if it seems bizarre, you’re going in the right direction.
I give a fair warning that the last section of the road to Mae Sawan Noi is very steep. It’s important that you feel comfortable riding and that you have a bike (preferably semi-automatic, as I explain in this post) that can handle it.
A simple alternative if you feel uneasy is to park your bike further up and just walk down the steep part.
Whether or not you park further up or by the parking lot at the waterfall, all you have to do next is head down the trail.
Sunset viewpoint near Mae Hong Son Town
Why the sunset viewpoint?
The Mae Hong Son Loop is filled with a tremendous amount of incredible viewpoints.
But this viewpoint right outside of Mae Hong Son Town might be the best on the entirety of the loop.
I’ll explain how to to it in the next section, but the viewpoint is a shoulder off a mountain pass road that has a completely unobstructed view of rolling mountains continuing for miles and miles.
You have to visit at sunset. It would be incredible at any time of day but it’s just far more spectacular at golden hour.
You’re not going to find tourists here. It might just be the ultimate hidden gem of the Mae Hong Son Loop.
How to get to the sunset viewpoint
The viewpoint is located just outside of Mae Hong Son Town.
It should take around 25-30 minutes to get to the viewpoint from Mae Hong Son. 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.
Drive a minute or two further up the road from this spot and you’ll reach the real viewpoint. It’ll be obvious- the entire road will open up.
If you want to know the exact spot, you can find it on the map at the top of this post. Just look for the ‘Sunset Viewpoint’ label near Mae Hong Son Town (not to be confused with another viewpoint that is mapped there).
Be careful on the way back- driving down a mountain pass like this one at night requires a lot of focus.
Ban Ja Bo
Why 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 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’d intended to go to Pai that night, but figured I’d ask.
I pointed to the sign and asked if they had availability, and they gave a nod and asked for 250 baht (around $7 USD), then led me to a dilapidated little shack next to the restaurant on the edge of the cliff.
It was tiny, made completely of plywood, and the facilities were- em- subpar, but once I saw the view I didn’t care.
Outside the back door was a balcony that faced dead east towards the mountains, 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.
Though I found this village by accident, it’s not exactly a complete secret. If you come you’ll see a good amount of foreigners. But it’s the good type that comes to places like these.
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’ve pinned the spot on the map above.
Now you can get the perfect sunset, then simply cross to the other side of the mountains, go to sleep, and get the after-show in the morning.
How to get to Ban Ja Bo
You can get to Ban Ja Bo by taking a short detour off the road between Mae Hong Son Town and Pai.
Almost everyone who does the loop does a straight shot to Pai, but definitely stop in Ban Ja Bo. It’s a perfect base for a day with what I mentioned above, as well as the next spot on this list (hint hint).
Just plug in the spot in the map below.
Mae Lana Cave
Why Mae Lana Cave
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 ($15 USD) 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.
How to get to Mae Lana Cave
Conveniently, Mae Lana Cave is located right next to Ban Ja Bo, so you can kill two birds with one stone.
From Ban Ja Bo, you drive in the direction away from the main road, and make a right turn into the Mae Lana village after a couple of minutes.
From there, it’s a few minutes to a fun little steep dirt road that brings you to the ‘ticket office’. The quotations seem necessary, you’ll see what I mean.
Then you drive down to the cave with your guide.
I warn you- the road from the ticket office to the cave is treacherous. The terrain is really rough and I got a flat tire in a really inconvenient spot.
I’d tell the whole story but I’m a bit tired and want to go to sleep. I like to be honest.
That being said, it was a real pain in my ass. So if you don’t feel too confident, ask the guide if he can drive you down to the cave.
Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint (Strawberry Fields)
Why Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint?
The road from Pai to Chiang Mai is a famous route, traversed by throngs of tourists and locals alike, known for its windiness and insane number of turns (762, to be exact).
You shouldn’t take it. Not that it’s not scenic or fun, but I personally don’t like a few aspects about it. Mainly the safety aspect. A lot of idiots on the road.
And you’ve got a better option. The newly paved route 1265 to 1349, which you can read about in detail here.
Along the alternate route from Pai to Chiang Mai you have several nice points, but my favorite by far were the vast expanses of strawberry fields about halfway through the drive.
The Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint is the best place to stop to take them in. And perhaps to pilfer a strawberry or two.
They are truly expansive. Take your time to walk around- along with the strawberry fields, there are also an incredible array of flowers.
The Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint was my favorite spot, but there are a lot of other nearby spots where you should stop and take in the sights. For about 5-10 minutes of your drive, there’s just strawberry field after strawberry field.
The best time to see the strawberry fields is from November to February.
How to get to Mae Dad Noi Viewpoint
The strawberry fields are located about 2/3 of the way to Chiang Mai along the alternate route.
As is detailed in this awesome article, the route starts on 1265 and goes to 1349. The fields are on route 1349.
To make things simpler, just plug in Pai-Chiang Mai in your maps and add the point below as a stop. Google Maps can get finnicky, so just double check to make sure that the route takes you from 1265 to 1349.
