During my month in central and northern Thailand, this 6-day motorbike loop was one of my favourite experiences! Starting and finishing in Chiang Mai, this trip is perfect for travellers who want to see the less touristy side of Thailand, while still ticking off all the main attractions!
The tourist hot-spots in northern Thailand are popular for a reason, and they are amazing places to visit and explore. However, beyond these busy hubs are so many gorgeous spots to discover.
The route
The Mae Hong Son loop has a few different variations, and the route that we chose was one of the shorter options, and went through Doi Inthanon National Park.
Starting in Chiang Mai, the first day takes you via a unique waterfall to get to Pai, then you can explore some massive caves on your way to Mae Hong Son. Then you head down to Khun Yam, along to Mae Nam Yuang and Mae Chaem. The final stop is Doi Inthanon National Park, with the highest mountain in Thailand! Your last day takes you back to Chiang Mai to finish off the loop!
You should adjust the time you plan to spend on this loop depending on how much driving you want to be doing per day, how long you have to spare, and your driving ability. We spent 7 days on the loop, including one extra day in Pai.
Although there are many bike rental shops in Chiang Mai, I would really recommend getting yours from TBR. Their bikes are great quality and the staff are super friendly; we were very confident that if something went wrong they would be able to come and help us! Try and negotiate a deal with them consider you'll be renting for multiple days. You can also leave your big rucksacks at their office for free while you're away.
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We decided to rent one 125cc motorbike for two people in order to share the driving and also to keep our costs lower! The views on this loop are so incredible, we were so glad we decided to take it in turns driving so the other person could soak up the surroundings!
The bike shop might try and rent you a more powerful bike but we were completely fine with the lower power so just rent what you feel comfortable with.
If you're a map person, or aren't going to have reliable access to the internet for Google maps, this bookshop sells detailed but clear maps of the MHS loop. There are loads of recommendations for places to stop along the way, as well as a profile of the route.
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We used a plastic-coated A2 foldable map to plan our route and choose where we wanted to stop each night, but we didn't actually use it while we were on the road. The SIM card that we bought had really good coverage so we just used Google maps during the drive!
Setting off!
Day 1: Chiang Mai to Pai
Distance covered: 180 km
Total driving time: 3h 30
Places to visit: Namtok Bua Tong (AKA Sticky Waterfalls)
Sticky Waterfalls was a really fun stop-off during the first day's drive. Free entry, a great picnic spot (and some food for sale), swimming spots and a really unique waterfall experience! You can actually walk up the falls as well as swimming at the bottom.
This super chilled hostel had a great social area and lots going on! They help organise trips around the Pai area such as the famous Tipsy Tubing, and are in a good location to get to all the spots in Pai.
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Day 2: Pai
Distance covered: 0 km
Places to visit: Pai Canyon, Bamboo mini golf, Chedi Phra That
Pai Canyon is a gorgeous spot to walk around and explore. The sunset is always beautiful, and plenty of benches are dotted around where you can relax and watch the views. The terrain is quite dusty so if you're wearing flip flops be careful!
This activity was such a laugh, a mix between croquet and mini golf, and the chance to win prizes with a hole-in-one! We had so much fun trying to practise our shots and helping ourselves to the fresh mulberries!
This giant buddha is a so impressive and also a great viewpoint over the surrounding area! Go in the morning when the light is good and the heat isn't as intense.
This vegan Chinese restaurant was so delicious, super cheap and had so much amazing variety! We loved it here, and went back twice! They're not open for dinner so don't miss them before they close.
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Day 3: Pai to Mae Hong Son
Distance covered: 130 km
Total driving time: 3h
Places to visit: Nam Lod caves, Wat Phra That Doi Kongmu
The most incredible set of 3 caves: column cave, doll cave and coffin cave. You pay 600 baht per group to get a guide and a bamboo raft between the caves, which was so worth it; we were really blown away by the inside of the caves!
This temple was a great spot to watch the sunset and look out over Mae Hong Son. It was free entry and just a short walk up some stairs to get to the top.
We stopped at these hot springs to break up the journey! They're nothing special though so only go to fill a bit of time if you're not comfortable combining days 3 & 4.
This remote little guesthouse was a stunning place to stay for the night, with a beautiful balcony overlooking the fields. We went for a lovely sunset walk, and there are lots of food places in town to eat.
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There wasn't much to see in this part of the loop, and for this reason I don't think you need a whole day. It's quite a short day of driving, and if you start day 3 early, I would recommend driving all the way from Pai to Khun Yam if you're comfortable with this amount of driving.
We absolutely loved this waterfall, just a short walk from the path. It was fun to go for a dip and if you're feeling adventurous you can climb up to one of the higher levels!
There's so much to do in this national park, with a variety of walking trails and great views - we chose the Ang Ka boardwalk and the Kew Mae Pan nature trail.
There are loads of waterfalls to visit in Doi Inthanon park, but this was my favourite - it was probably the most impressive and it had a good little spot where you can swim!
Although there's not much in the area, the YOJI guesthouse was a great location for some eateries just 5 minutes up the road. The room was great, with really good aircon and a nice bathroom.
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Day 7: Mae Chaem to Chiang Mai
Distance covered: 95 km
Total driving time: 2h 15
Places to visit: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Wat Umong
This was one of my favourite temples in the local area. The climb up the stairs is steep but manageable, and the intricacies of the temple are beautiful. There are also lots of food stalls at the bottom where you can have some street food.
Free to enter, this old traditional stupa made a beautiful last stop for our motorbike loop.
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Finishing up
When you drop off your bike back at Toons Bikes, be sure to top up the fuel to the same amount that you had to start with - it's so much cheaper to do this than get charged the extra!
I hope you've found this blog interesting, and that it has inspired you to check out some different parts of the touristy northern region.
We absolutely loved our time on the bikes, and can't wait to go back!
Travelling the world and living the dream on a budget🎒🌎✨☀️
I'm currently on month 18 of my ‘gap year’…. and no plans (yet) to go home! I’ve been exploring Asia, New Zealand, Australia and South America on this trip, which has been an amazing variety of things to see and do. My main travel style is adventure budget backpacking, and I'd love to help share all my tips with you!!
I love the great outdoors, sunshine, beaches, the sea, not to mention the best part about travel - new food and new people!
