Things to Do in Mae Hong Son

Top Things to Do in Mae Hong Son

Things to Do in Mae Hong Son


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Top Attractions in Mae Hong Son

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What travelers are saying

  • Wingfield73
    Chiang Mai, Thailand966 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    This small town originated from the region's Chinese tea plantations and all the hotels and shops are built in a similar Chinese style. The many shops sell more or less identical products and it is noticeable that there are no 7 11s or other grocery/general products shops common to almost all other Thai towns and villages.
    The attractive lake apparently (now an important reservoir) began as a small pond and there had been many disputes over the water necessary for agriculture, particularly the tea plantations. To resolve the problem the previous King, Rama 9, created the extensive modern day reservoir, solving the water shortages and also having the side effect of establishing a popular tourist resort with several thousand rooms as well as a clutch of unsightly camping sites.
    The surrounding area is extremely beautiful - forested mountains, spectacular roads and a dam as well. This is part of the old Shan area, ceded to Thailand by the Anglo-Siam Treaty of 1909 and the many temples reflect Shan, rather than Thai traditional architecture.
    Written February 24, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Wingfield73
    Chiang Mai, Thailand966 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great monastery with a lot to see (spend an hour there). Several Shan style stupas with clear descriptions in English. One odd reminder of the Vietnam war: a small memorial from a couple of Rotarians but a mention of Air America, the infamous CIA airline active at the time! And who are Mike and Ray - Air America pilots?
    Written February 21, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Dan K
    The Hague, The Netherlands7,389 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We were here in the week of Christmas 2023. There was a small light show which (of course) included the coupes of the Thai flag. Very fun to have a quick walk and look at the temple opposite the lake.
    Written January 1, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Dan K
    The Hague, The Netherlands7,389 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very beautiful temple overlooking Mae Hong Son and the lake. Rather steep climb up, so take note when you’re driving yourself. The view from the top is very nice. I would love to have seen a plane land or takeoff at the airport below.
    Written January 1, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jeep
    1,154 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge located on the outskirts of Mae Hong Son City. Spanning several rice paddies connected Tham Poo Sa Ma temple to the village, this 500 m bridge is supposed to be the longest bamboo bridge in Thailand. The name "Su Tong Pae" translates to ‘successful prayer’ in Tai Yai language, as locals believe, if you walk along the bridge you may wish, and your wish will come true.

    Highly recommend!
    Written December 31, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Wingfield73
    Chiang Mai, Thailand966 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    As another poster has suggested, this is a wonderful temple for taking photos. The monks are friendly and informative, Don't miss the museum beside the main stupa; there are lots of ancient sculptures/statues demonstrating Buddhist philosophy touching the Buddha's meeting with the old, the sick and the dead and which had such a profound influence on his teachings. (No, nothing heavy but easy for non-Buddhists to understand).
    Written February 21, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Weemaflintstone
    Singapore, Singapore158 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited pang oung in late january, the mornings are really cold (12 deg when we were there), so bring a jacket. The bamboo boats start at 7am and cost 150baht each for 30mins. Max 2 pax per boat, just pay them in cash. The boats are near the public carpark but if you are going into the national park it’s additional 200baht for foreigners and 20baht for locals. Would recommend to just take the boat and take pictures if you’re not keen to hike or camp inside the national park.
    Written February 5, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Wendy P
    Essex44 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visited as part of a tour. Very interesting visit to this village that mostly relies on tourism. Very keen to explain the significance of the neck bracelets worn by some of the women in the village.
    Written February 29, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Dan K
    The Hague, The Netherlands7,389 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very nice night market to walk around. Best to avoid the public toilets, though. In the end we should’ve eaten here instead of Baan Fern, which was very disappointing.
    Written January 1, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Adam S
    Nepal26 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The pros first:

    This place is run by real life practicing monks. I can’t underline just how crucial this is.
    Some are old and funny, some are young and sweet, one is persnickety, another is half german and understands what the predominantly german students are thinking

    The location is lovely. It’s not really in a forest..it is more of a plantation. They grow papaya and banana in neat rows

    They have met foreigners before. You can arrive any day before noon and stay for one day, three, five, seven, for any amount up to ten days. This make teaching a little wonky.

    It is on the tourist trail. You can get a minivan from Pai, a hippie destination you should see.

    Cons

    The combination of all of us coming and going means there is never any..sit down here are the rules day. You are very much left on your own to figure the many many many MANY rules on your own

    Combine this with a Thai reticence to ever say anything directly &
    Combine that with westerners who either over or under prepare for the environment:
    Many take their first class seriously, are perfectly in white ( a requirement), in silence and going to all classes and extra teachings..
    Others come for the free food, which I wouldn’t recommend..when there are no rich Thai patrons around the food is mostly glop.

    Sleep is on the floor. It is cold. The sleeping mats are slippery. There are fire ants. On the floor. Of the dorm, which is a big room with a lot of nothing extra. The actual edict is.do not sleep on high and luxurious beds..they just went fundamentalist on this one point.

    My main concern really is the lack of clarity on the rules and the imprecise penalties:
    They give you a special blessed beanie hat but never never wear it during services. Never while giving monks food , which you will do twice a day. But you can wear it ( I think) in the meditation hall and while you meditate: sitting , standing and walking.

    I really appreciated the variety as well as time amounts that seemed geared towards education rather than breaking my hips

    But, BUT. There is a schedule posted and basically if you are on time you’re also late. And no one tells you. Periodically the cranky chihuahua of a caretaker tells this story:

    You should wake up early and make rice. No electric cooker. And then you will find a husband. The end. What this means for you is..

    If you want for the morning gong, you’re late. And NOT mindful, which is the worst insult anyone can throw at you here. It doesn’t matter if you are meditating.

    If you arrive on time. Not mindful
    If you are fifteen minutes early. We will let the disinterest pass. For now

    Basically anything besides arriving at 5 15, starting the fire and peeling the potatoes is a sign that you don’t care.

    And no one ever says this directly.

    But how much of this is thai? How much of it Buddhist? Or how much is just a practical way to run a place that feeds hundreds of strangers every day?

    Still it’s the basic beginning class I’ve seen in thailand. Just don’t mind the chihuahua who will growl ridiculous and often racist things at you.
    Written February 18, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • euroanchor
    Ebbw Vale, UK42 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited the Long Neck Karen as part of a motorbike tour and I'll be honest I was looking forward to it from the minute we arrived in Chiang mai, now that might conflict with the title of this review so let me try to make sense for you.
    The village is up in the mountains so we left our bikes and rode up in the back of a truck driven by a young lad who looked about 12.
    We were lucky in that there were only half a dozen other visitors there and our tour guide took time to tell us all about the village and the women we would see, we began walking up through the village to be met by dozens of stalls all selling pretty much the same things. We stopped with one lady who seems to feature in every brochure, review and photo I've seen of this attraction, we were given a talk on how the rings are put on their necks and felt how heavy they were. There were photo opportunities with fake neck rings etc.
    Our guide told us to be sure to ask before taking photos and we respected this.
    The souvenirs obviously raise money for the community as do the rugs and throws you can buy, but I can't help but believe it's turned into more about the income from tourists than a way of life for the people there.
    At no time were we pressured or hassled to buy anything, the ladies and often children just sat on their stalls, smiled at you and pointed to the goods on sale. It felt a bit awkward passing by one person and then buying something a couple of stalls up, but hopefully the income is communal and they all benefit collectively.
    I'm not saying don't go, you will learn about the culture and the reasons behind the practice, go with an open mind, look forward to the experience and don't be disappointed if you feel it's a bit commercial. I'm glad we went as we were here for the culture of the country and these ladies certainly fell into that category.
    Written June 15, 2016
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jeannemonnier1791
    4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    I was afraid about some negative comments about the safety of the trek with Nam Rin tour... and yes, I don’t think it was safe and maybe that in Europe it could be forbidden!
    I did a 3 days trek,you walk around 5 hours per day but it isn’t just a walk. You jump stones by stones accross the rivers, you go through the river sometimes (12 times in total), you walk in the jungle so you have to be aware of where you put your feet anytime and that is very exhausting! But you will never be bored !
    The guide was not the famous Dam but Muss that was very nice but sometimes not attentive at the group. I’m surprised that nobody felt into the river one time. In this case, the guide wouldn’t have known if it had happend because he was already so far... fortunately he became more attentive when he saw that some of us were in bad mood after the second day.
    Dam told us that good shoes wasn’t necessary... YES TAKE GOOD SHOES!

    Finally, it was a great experience because of our group that was so nice, we had so good food, enough, and when you go back from this kind of trek you are very proud of you !
    Written March 2, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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