Golden Triangle & Mae Hong Son Loop

From Chiang Rai, you head in an eastern direction towards the mountain of Phu Chi Fa, where you enjoy lunch. Phu Chi Fa is located on the border between Thailand and Laos. It’s a great ride up there, the scenery is spectacular, lots of photo opportunities. The road is local and not much traffic, take your time and enjoy your ride on this leg of your solo motorcycle tour of Thailand. Since Phu Chi Fa is fairly remote, there are not many tourists who make it to this part of Thailand. If time permits and weather is clear, ride up to the viewpoint and walk to the cliff on the border to Laos, enjoy the valley in front of you. Descending from Phu Chi Fa towards the mighty Mekong River. Stop at the View Coffee, a beautiful spot. Continue along the Mekong River to Chiang Khong and further in the afternoon you arrive at the legendary Golden Triangle where the three borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. Drive up to the temple Wat Sop Ruak where you have a great view over the Golden Triangle.

If you like you can swap the motorcycles for a boat and explore the river region (per boat approx. 600-800 THB). You can even take a short break in Laos (no visa needed) before returning to your motorcycles. Alternatively, visit the small but interesting local Opium Museum (Entrance: 50 THB per person) to learn more about Khun Sa and the opium trade in the past. The Pier and the Museum are in walking distance. Siwan is a nice local restaurant located just by the river a little bit further up the road. A good option for dinner trying something local. Overnight at the Golden Triangle.
(240 km/149 miles)

Your first destination today is Mae Sai, the main border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar. Mai Sai is also the most northern point of Thailand. Stroll around the local market on the Thai side, quite an experience. Once back on the motorcycles, ride the narrow and windy road up to Doi Tung. This is a military road, snaking its way along the Thai – Burma border. There are some steep and narrow switchbacks, be careful. Stop at the viewpoint, which is a military post, enjoy a coffee and the spectacular view of Myanmar in front of you. From Doi Tung, continue over the mountains towards Mae Salong on yet more amazingly twisty mountainous roads. Doi Mae Salong is a Chinese settlement which was built by a division of the Chinese Nationalist Army that refused to surrender to Chinese communists after the Nationalist Kuomintang government was routed in 1949. Today the village still offers a native Chinese cuisine, lovely houses with flowers and countless tea plantations as far as the eyes can see. Have a break with a glass of tea here in one of the many Tea Shops. The last stretch of the day is along gentle hills through rice paddies and farm villages on Road 107 towards Thaton and your resort. Thaton is a small town on the banks of the Kok River, bordering with Myanmar. Enjoy a cold drink and stretch your legs by the pool. Overnight at Thaton.
(180 Km/112 miles)

Another great riding day is ahead of you. From the resort ride couple of kilometres to enjoy the splendid view from Wat Thaton over the valley, Kok river and the vicinity. Make the effort and visit the Wat. (It’s well worth taking off your riding boots….)

From Wat Thaton, you follow the main road Nr. 107 and have a coffee break at the Hua Luk Royal Project. Lunch can be held at The Nest Resort with a beautiful view at the Limestone Mountains in the back.

At Mae Tang turn right on 1095 and cross the mountains to Pai. This is the beginning of the road to Mae Hong Son, famous for having 1864 bends of varying sharpness. Before we reach your hotel stop at an Elephant Camp near Pai. Once in Pai, enjoy the pool at the resort. After the sunset stroll down along the walking street, taste food from the street food stalls or enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants.

Note:
Pai is the hippie capital of South East Asia. It’s a town full of diversity and contradictions. There are backpackers, tourists with suite cases, people who once came and never left. Mixed from all corners of the earth, all walks of life and age groups. This little town is full of bars with live music. Enjoy this unique stopover on your solo motorcycle tour of Thailand! Overnight in Pai.
(260 km/162 miles)

Today is a very scenic riding day. Even if the distance is not that much, there are plenty of mountains and switchbacks to negotiate.
This is also the second part of the road famous for its 1864 bends of varying sharpness. You pass two mountains with 2 great scenic View Points en route. The journey takes you through some beautiful mountainous scenery. Around mid-day arrive Ban Rak Thai where you have lunch in one of the local Chinese restaurants by the little lake. They serve delicious Chinese specialities. Ban Rak Thai means literally "the Thai-loving village", built around a lake on the Myanmar border. About 800, mainly Chinese settled here after the communist takeover of China and some of the buildings have a distinctively Chinese appearance.
After lunch, you continue to Mae Hong Son and up the hill to visit the Wat Phrathat Doi Kongmu. From here you have a great view of the city and its surroundings.

Next destination is the pier where you park your motorcycles. You can leave helmets, jackets etc at the ticket office. Enjoy a scenic boat ride on the Pai River for about 20 min to the Karen Long Neck village (http://www.huaypukeng.com/info_visitor.htm). The Karen, a tribal minority, historically lived in the hills on the Myanmar side of the border. Some of their women wear heavy brass rings around their necks, forearms, and shins. Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested. Some have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves by making them less attractive to other tribes. Another theory is that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive.
Return by boat to the pier and ride to the nearby Resort. Enjoy first a drink at the sunset bar overlooking the rice paddies. Overnight in Mae Hong Son as the last stop on your solo motorcycle tour of Thailand.
(180 Km/112 miles)

In the morning ride the Road 108 from Mae Hong Son to Khun Yuam. It is a great winding road with wide twists. In Khun Yuam visit the local War Museum. The Imperial Japanese Army troops were stationed in Khun Yuam during the construction of a highway intended to cross Burma to India. Tip: Ask the museum staff to show the video about history (approx. 10 min, included). Besides the museum, there is a Coffee Shop and a 7/11 store. From Khun Yuam continue to Mae Chaem on Road 1088 and 1263 on nice twisty back roads. Here is a little local restaurant where you can have lunch. Drive on Road 1192 and turn left on Road 1009 up to the top of Doi Inthanon, which at 2,565 meters is the highest mountain in Thailand. Park your motorcycles and walk up to the absolute peak and the little museum.
Next stop is the Vachiratharn Waterfall - an impressive and powerful 80 m high waterfall. Continue on Road 1009 until reaching the intersection 108. The last 50 km or so, drive on Road 108 until reaching Bike Tour Asia Service Centre where you end the ride. Kindly arrive at our Service Centre no later than 5 pm, wrapping up your solo motorcycle tour of Thailand.
(300 Km/186 miles)