Mae Hong Son Mountain Inn & Resort - Thailand Travel Guide

Mae Hong Son Mountain Inn " A QUEEN OF PEAK". The garden style hotel at center of town in Mae Hong Son completes with facilities required for its operation.



As its names implies, the Mea Hong Son Mountain Inn & Resort is surrounded by highland -- home to ethnic groups that bring to the valley a colorful way of life and an abundance of culture and handicrafts.

Mae hong son - Thailand Travel Guide

Maehongson, Thailand's northern border city, hiding itself in between the towering mountains with densely forested slopes, stretching to the Burmese border. Maehongson is known for its charm of scenery and culture. The people of Maehongson consists of the Shans who live in the city and the hilltribe people who live in remote villages on mountain tops where elements of lifestyle have changed little in hundreds of years.
The Shans' ancestors came from Shans region in Burma. The hilltribe people consist of Karen, Lisu, Mhong, Lahu, and Lua. Both the Shans and the hilltribemen have their own distinctive cultures. They have their own lilting dialect, their own architectural lifestyles, their own customs and traditions, and their own delicious cuisine. Throughout the year, Maehongson holds many festivals and events. Tourists can observe the distinction cultures from these events. There are different dances, rituals, and ceremonies for different events and festivals. Even the foods are different for each event.
The most remarkable tradition and also the most important event for the Shans is "Poy Sanglong Festival" which is the ordination ceremony for the Shans' boys. The event is held in March and there is one big celebration throughout the city.
The city is covered with the mist all year long. Maehongson gains its nickname of "the City of Three Mists" from the fact that it has dewy mist in the winter, forest fire mist in the summer and rainy mist in the rainy season.

Mae Hong Son - Thailand Travel Guide

This quiet town by the Burmese border makes a great base for nature treks and visits to hill tribes such as the long-necked Padaung people.

Temple Architecture
Although tourism is increasing in Mae Hong Son, the town remains reasonably serene. The townspeople are mostly Shan, and local temple architecture shows their influence: one exquisite example is the picture-perfect Wat Jong Kham, set beside a large pond. Another is Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, which offers charming views from its hilltop location.

Hill Tribes
Various ethnic groups are scattered throughout the province, including Karen, Lisu and Lahu, and guided treks from Mae Hong Son pass through their villages. Some are near the town and easy enough to reach by yourself. Of all the hill tribes, the long-necked women of the Padaung from Myanmar are probably the most photographed: they wear brass coils that make their necks and limbs appear unusually long. Nai Soi, Hawy Sen Thao and Huay Ma Khen Som are well-frequented Padaung villages.

Festivals
In March, the colorful Poi Sang Long festival celebrates the ordination of Shan boys into the monkhood. The elaborately dressed boys are carried around the temple, usually Wat Jong Kham or nearby Wat Jong Klang. Folk dancing and drama are a major part of the Buddhist Jong Para festival in October, and local people release small decorated floats onto ponds and rivers during Loi Krathong in November.

Soft Adventure
A quaint place to visit in Mae Hong Son province is the small, endearing town of Pai. The surrounding area offers trekking, bamboo rafting and elephant riding. After a trek, you could try the services of Pai Traditional Massage, close to the Pai River.

Pai River Mae Hong Son - Thailand Travel Guide

Pai River
Mae Hong Son

The Pai River originates in the Thanon Thongchai and Daen Lao mountains and is 180 kilometers in length. The river runs through a number of provinces in Mae Hong Son and because of swift flowing waters during Thailand’s rainy season, it has become a destination of choice for white water rafters. Rafting takes place throughout the length of the river, and most tours are half- or full day. As it is the only route into Mae Hong Son’s main wildlife sanctuary, rafting the river offers a pretty unique experience. The full length of the river offers around fifteen sets of rapids passing waterfalls (the Suza Waterfall is of particular interest) and hot springs. Tours can be organized from guesthouses and hotels in and around Mae Hong Son, but they can also be booked in advance through agencies. Typical tours start at Pai River Pier. Some tours stop at Kairang Padawang Kekongdu – a village inhabited by long-neck women on the Thai-Burmese border. Trips to the Thai- Myanmar often leave from Ban Huai Dua or Tambon Pha Bong. Trips are often combined with elephant riding.

Details: The rainy season (mid-May to mid-October) is probably the best time of year to go rafting on the Pai. Trips to the Burmese border are often not possible because of fighting between the Burmese government and Shan armies.

Mae Hong Son Info - Thailand Travel Guide

Known to some as Thailand’s ‘Switzerland’ because of its excellent scenery, Mae Hong Son is a frontier province bordered by Myanmar and almost entirely surrounded by mountains – it was for a long time almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world. The area is famed for mists and fog that lie in its mountains and valleys throughout most of the year (but particularly in winter). It is also home to waterfalls, forests and national parks. The area has a strong connection with elephants and there are many places where elephants are trained for a variety of tasks. Alongside its beauty and nature, another draw for the tourist is the region’s culture. Home to the ‘Long Neck Women’ Karen tribes, visits to tribal villages make up a key tourist activity in the area. The province also has a good range of temples, many in splendid mountainside locations.