Mae Hong Son, Soppong & Pai?
 

I posted this as part of another thread but didn't receive any specific answers so here it is again.

As part of my Thailand/Laos trip this Oct/Nov I will be flying from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son and then making my way back to Chiang Mai via Soppong and Pai in 10-12 days.

For those of you who have spent some time in the area around Mae Hong Son, Soppong and Pai, what were the highlights for you? Did you do any cave exploring? White water rafting trips, etc? Is 10-12 days ample time to explore this area? Has anyone stayed at the Cave Lodge just outside of Soppong? I am sure Gloria will be able to answer some of my questions for this area!

Thanks!

Tamara

ttt

Can it be that there isn't anyone other than Gloria that has travelled in this area? It sounds like this area is so beautiful!

I leave in 4 weeks and would appreciate some first hand experience from others who have travelled in this area.

Thanks!

Hey Eurotraveller
I have been reading this site for awhile, and making plans from some of the regulars wonderful advice. Anyway, my husband and I are doing the same trip in November also staying at the Cave Lodge. If you get an opportunity to post from Thailand, let us know what you thought of that area and the Cave Lodge. I plan on relaxing, getting massages, caving and there are weaving classes you can take. Good luck and have fun!!

Evangelina, when will you be there? I will be at the Cave Lodge somewhere between Nov. 8-12. I don't have the dates set yet. Perhaps we will be there at the same time?

we did teh "Mae Hong Son Loop" fro CM vias Mai Sariang, MHS and Pai a couple of years ago and had a great time . we rent a 4WD in Chiang Mai and using the Budget Cars - "Great Drives of the world" map & guide found some beautiful places. the drive is through truly spectacular mountain scenery and is around 600km with "allegedly" 600 hairpin bends!

Highlights of the trip were driving up some track off the main road and finding some non toutist minority villages (Lonely Planet's Thai phraesbook is helpful as it conatcins the basics of the hill tribe languages and a few words makes a world of difference).
Particular highlights were the Fern Resort outside MHS - a great NewYears Eve BBQ around the bonfire (bring some warm clothes!) and the also have a number of "guide dogs" which take you on pre arranged walks into the surrounding hills. Ours was supposed to be 3 miles but either the dogs got lost or they enjoyed it so much that they decide to take us on the scenic route which closere to 10 miles - neverless a great experience.

The night market in MHS was also a nice experience as were the restarants around the markets.

Pai was a different experience, very quiet and laid back. the sort of palce to enjoy massages, alternative therapies and the cafe culture. Some great food to be had in Pai. we stayed at teh Belle Villa resort and were very pleased with the room and location.

can't comment on Soppong as we did not stay there but if it is the same place as the "Fish Cave", I found this disappointing as it was a bit of a theme park - we stayed for a couple of hours.

All in all this is a great area in which to travel. The scenery en route from CM - Mai Sariang - MHS - Pai is truly specatcular and from Pai bak to CM it can get a little monotonous.

Have a great time!

eurotraveller we won't be arriving at the cave lodge until november 28 or 29th. We are staying 4 days however. We have a month so we are going slowly and enjoying it more. We visited Bangkok several years ago and it was a rush trip. Sorry that we will miss each other though.

Thanks for the tips, crellston.

Evangeline, you are taking a month to do the Mae Hong Son loop?! Wow! Nice luxury! I only have 4 1/2 weeks for my entire norther Thailand route and Laos.

I Was in Thailand in Feb of this year so won't need to spend as much time in Bangkok or Chiang Mai although I think they both deserve a second visit.

Gloria? Are you around these days? I have read your report but it would be nice to hear some of your highlights.

Thanks!

Evangeline,

We have a month for the entire trip. We are spending one week in Chiang Mai, Lampang area, one week in Bangkok and the rest in Mae Hong Son(the loop). Last time we were here, we visited beaches and decided as pretty as they were-we just didn't enjoy that as much. I've heard so many good things about the Mae Hong Son area. I can't wait. We leave Nov.16th

We have actually taken the Mae Hong Son loop twice...one two years ago, and then once just a little more than a month ago.

First of all, it is really a lovely drive and certainly qualifies in our best drives of the world (although we live in suburban Washington DC, so not many great drives here!). The road is very good, and perfectly drivable in any sort of sedan. There were a few rough spots between Pai and Soppong, apparently due to a mudslide some time in the past. The drive has a really nice combination of scenic and natural beauty, as well as being culturally interesting, passing through many small villages, some with hilltribe people doing their day to day life.

We would definitely give Pai a miss. Pai looked more like backpacker central, and it was really odd to see what it has grown into. The village is now packed with tourists, and nearly all the business have become tourist oriented. There was even some sort of rock and roll club on the way in to town. OK, so maybe we are getting to be geezers in our 40s, but that's not exactly what we travel halfway around the world for, and then drive across hours of mountain roads! Sure, it's laid back and I bet there are some great parties there too, and probably some excellent burgers, but not exactly what we are looking for.

Soppong on the other hand is completely different, although it is just acorss the mountain from Pai. There are maybe five places to stay, and the village is mostly a market town serving locals. The only "tourist shop" that we saw was an internet cafe with local kids playing games in it.

We did visit Cave Lodge and the cave there. Cave Lodge is in a nice spot at the end of the road to Tham Lot cave. It is sort of "rustic" and mainly seemed to contain a group of budget traveller backpackers, not that there was anything wrong with that of course. The lodgings (a dormitory and some simple bungalows) were maybe a bit less comfortable and basic and damp than we were looking for. The food in the "restaurant" was quite good the two times we ate there. If you were staying there, I guess the Lodge food would be the only food, since we did not see any other places to eat within walking distance, and it is about 12 km down the dead end road to Soppong, which would be the nearest real village with food or shops or anything else for that matter.

We could however recommend the Soppong River Inn, which is where we have stayed both times. The River Inn is sort of a rare find as far out as Soppong, with very nice, clean and nicely decorated bungalows and some of the most comfy beds we found upcountry. They only have a few rooms and they are sort of spread out in the property. Best part was the large wooden deck hanging over the river. Food was excellent too at their little cafe next to the gate. I was surprised to get real coffee from an espresso machine rather than instant Nescafe for breakfast. If you have travelled upcounty in Thailand, you will know what I mean! You can also walk about five minutes to the center of the village and check out the market there and maybe have some noodle soup with the locals, but it is very quiet at night.

Yes, there are a lot of caves to see, but we get caved-out quickly. There are plenty of good day hikes from Soppong, and you can visit maybe four different ethnic groups. The River Inn people were nice enough to connect us with a gentleman who had retired from the local agriculture station and he was kind enough to take us around the better part of a day to show us all sorts of "natural" things (including a good lesson on all sorts of trees) and also explaining about the agriculture in the area. No, he was not a guide and did not want money...he was just a very nice man who loved his interests and wanted to share them (and he spoke good English fortunately). That is exactly how we found the people there. Yes, you could eaily spend two weeks and just sort of blend in with the local relaxed culture there and the beauty of the area. By the way, Soppong is about 40 km or so from the Fish Cave, which is indeed sort of a tourist draw, mostly Thai groups who come to make merit by feeding the fish (as we were told).

Azuresky, thanks so much for the detailed info on your experience in this area! I think I may check out Pai on my way to Soppong to see if it is a place I would care to spend a couple of nights in. Soppong sounds like it is a nice alternative!

What are your thoughts on Mae Hong Son?

As a solo traveller, would I find plenty of other travellers or locals to socialize with?

Thanks!

Tamara - hmmm...I guess it depends on whether you want to socialize with western tourists or with local people. If you are out to socialize with other western tourists, then Pai would be your place. There are dozens of cheap guesthouses there, and the town was filled with western stule coffee houses, beer bars, and then there was the live rock club that we saw on the way in to town. The main road was absolutely packed with tourists/backpackers when we drove through in the early evening. We had to remind ourselves that we were in a fairly out of the way village in Northern Thailand rather than Khao San Road in Bangkok. But if it is a paarty atmosphere with all western conveniences you are looking for, then Pai would be a good place for that.

Mae Hong Son is considerably less touristy than Pai and has far fewer tourists and the town is not almost competely geared towards some sort of western tourist Disneyland as Pai is. There are some low key places to meet people, and there are plenty of locals, a few of which speak some English. We found the culture interesting there, and the local people we very warm and friendly. To be honest, we were not looking to hang out with other western tourists...there is plenty of that back home!

Soppong really does not have much of a western tourist scene, but you might meet some people at the market or maybe at one of the eateries or lodgings. Again, the local people (mostly Burmese Shan) are very warm and friendly, and there is zero pressure from people trying to push you to buy souvenirs.

I guess Tham Lot where Cave Lodge is would be the least likely place to meet anyone, tourists or locals alike. There is not much of a village there, and Cave Lodge is the only place to stay or eat as far as we could tell, and it's a very, very long walk if you want to go into Soppong village!