Mae Hong Son is a picturesque, mountainous northern province bordering Myanmar to the west and the north. Hill tribes, Burmese-style temples, rugged mountains, waterfalls, caves and pristine forests lend the province much of its unspoiled charm.
Mae Hong Son province covers an area of 14,244 sq, km, and is administratively divided into 6 districts, and 1 subdistrict namely: Muang, Mae Sa Riang, Mae La Noi, Pai, Khun Yuam, Sop Moei and Pang Ma Pa Subdistrict. Mae Hong Son province can be reached from Chiang Mai either by Highway No. 108 or via Pai, which shortens the distance to some 274 kilometers.
Distances from Mae Hong Son town (Amphoe Muang) to the other districts
Amphoe Pang Mapha
64 kilometres
Amphoe Khun Yuam
67 kilometres
Amphoe Pai
111 kilometres
Amphoe Mae La Noi
134 kilometres
Amphoe Mae Sariang
164 kilometres
Amphoe Sop Moei
192 kilometres
How to get there
By Bus From Bangkok : Mae Hong Son is located 924 kilometres from Bangkok. Muang Nua Tour (Tel: 01 441 6871) operates an airconditioned bus which runs directly from Bangkok to Mae Hong Son. The bus departs from Mochit II Bus Terminal at 18.00 hours every day. The trip takes about 17 hours.
There is no direct flight from Bangkok to Mae Hong Son. Tourists may take the Bangkok-Chiang Mai flights which connect with the Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son flights. Reservation should be made in advance through Thai Airways, Tel: 0 2280-0060, 0 2628-2000 or call 1566 for current schedule.
From Chiang Mai : Mae Hong Son can be reached from Chiang Mai either by Highway No. 108 via Mae Sariang, or Highway No. 1095 via Pai which shortens the distance to some 274 kilometres. Regular buses are operated by Prem Pracha Transport, Tel: 0 5324 4737, 0 5324 2767.
Buses depart from Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station daily to Mae Hong Son by two different routes:-.
Southern route Buses leave frequently from Chaing Mai to Mae Hong Son via Hot, Mae Sariang, and Khun Yuam districts from 6.30-21.00 hours. The journey takes 8 hours.
Northern route Buses leave frequently from Chaing Mai to Mae Hong Son via Pai district from 07.00-12.30 hours. The journey take 6 hours.
There are 4 daily flights from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son. Tourists are advised to book tickets at least 2 days before departure. Contact Thai Airways Tel: 0 5321 0043-5, 0 5321 1044-7 (Chiang Mai), or 0 5361 1297, 0 5361 1194 (Mae Hong Son).
By Car
From Bangkok, take Highway No. 32 to Nakhon Sawan via Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and Sing Buri and then proceed along Highway No. 1 to Kamphaeng Phet, a total distance of 358 kilometres.
Festivals & Events
Pai Sang Long Procession This is the celebration of novice ordination which the Thai Yai tribal people hold to be a highly meritorious occasion. Traditionally, the candidate-novice, his head cleanly shaven and wrapped with head-cloth in the Burmese style, will don a prince-like garment, put on valuable jewels and gems and ride a horse or be carried over the shoulders of a male relative to the city shrine. Then he will visit Abbots of various Wats to beg for forgiveness. On the eve of ordination, a procession of offerings and other necessary personal belongings will be paraded through the town streets and then placed at the next day. It is usually held between March and May before the Buddhist Rain Retreat period. Today the tribesmen are encouraged to hold several processions at the same time with the result that they have become a major tourist attraction.
Chong Para Procession The 'Chong Para' in the Thai Yai dialect means a castle made of wood, covered with colorful perforated papers and decorate with fruits, flags and lamps. It is placed in the courtyard of a house or a monastery as a gesture to welcome the Lord Buddha on his return from giving sermons to his mother in heaven, according to traditional belief. The rite is held during the post-Rain Retreat season from the full moon day of the 11 the Lunar month to the waxing moon night of the same month.
Another activity to celebrate the occasion is dancing in which the performers are dressed in animal costumes. This is based on the belief that during those long-gone days, both humans and the animal kingdom were equally joyful at the return of the Lord Buddha and joined together in a jubilant performance as a tribute to the Enlightened One.
Bua Tong Blossom Festival (1 November - 15 December 1997) Each year in November, the hillsides of Amphoe Khun Yuam and Amphoe Mae Sariang are filled with a host of golden Bua Tong blooms. As fresh as daisies and almost as large as sunflowers, the Bua Tong only blossoms for 15 days, a fine reason for Mae Hong Son province to hold the Bua Tong Blossom Festival over this period at Amphoe Khun Yuam.
At Amphoe Khun Yuam's Doi Mae U-Kho, the blossoms appear in profusion. Specialists previously classified these Bua Tong as weeds and because of this, they began to be cleared to make way for cash crops. Fortunately, researchers have discovered the flower's insect-repellent properties. Perhaps for this reason, rather than our enjoyment, they are now a secure part of the annual scene? Whatever, Bua Tong, a symbol of Mae Hong Son, is here to stay on the hillsides.
Loi Krathong Festival Loi Krathong Festival is held on the full moon night in the month of November every year. Villagers make 'Krathongs' to float in rivers. At Nong Chong Kham, various entertainments and a contest of large krathongs are held near the central pond. Lamps and candles are lit all around the area. At Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, there is a ceremony to release candle-lit krathongs bound to balloons (known as 'Loi Krathong Swan') to the evening sky.
Chiang Mai Hotel - Chiang Mai Resort, Thailand Hotel Reservation Service by Allresort Thailand
Mae Hong Son is a picturesque, mountainous northern province bordering Myanmar to the west and the north. Hill tribes, Burmese-style temples, rugged mountains, waterfalls, caves and pristine forests lend the province much of its unspoiled charm.
Pai Sang Long Procession This is the celebration of novice ordination which the Thai Yai tribal people hold to be a highly meritorious occasion. Traditionally, the candidate-novice, his head cleanly shaven and wrapped with head-cloth in the Burmese style, will don a prince-like garment, put on valuable jewels and gems and ride a horse or be carried over the shoulders of a male relative to the city shrine. Then he will visit Abbots of various Wats to beg for forgiveness. On the eve of ordination, a procession of offerings and other necessary personal belongings will be paraded through the town streets and then placed at the next day. It is usually held between March and May before the Buddhist Rain Retreat period. Today the tribesmen are encouraged to hold several processions at the same time with the result that they have become a major tourist attraction.
Bua Tong Blossom Festival (1 November - 15 December 1997) Each year in November, the hillsides of Amphoe Khun Yuam and Amphoe Mae Sariang are filled with a host of golden Bua Tong blooms. As fresh as daisies and almost as large as sunflowers, the Bua Tong only blossoms for 15 days, a fine reason for Mae Hong Son province to hold the Bua Tong Blossom Festival over this period at Amphoe Khun Yuam.
At Amphoe Khun Yuam's Doi Mae U-Kho, the blossoms appear in profusion. Specialists previously classified these Bua Tong as weeds and because of this, they began to be cleared to make way for cash crops. Fortunately, researchers have discovered the flower's insect-repellent properties. Perhaps for this reason, rather than our enjoyment, they are now a secure part of the annual scene? Whatever, Bua Tong, a symbol of Mae Hong Son, is here to stay on the hillsides.
