The magical itinerary: Soppong – Mae Hong Son – Pai

The magical itinerary: Soppong – Mae Hong Son – Pai   4 days

In this magnificent four-day, three-night program (one of the most beautiful and authentic in Thailand!), we invite you to explore the little-visited northwestern region of Thailand in the company of a French-speaking specialist of the area. This tour is primarily intended for those wishing to go off the beaten path in search of authenticity. On the program: numerous villages inhabited by mountain ethnic minorities (Lahu, Karen, Padong, Kayaw), prehistoric caves, Shan, Burmese, and Thai temples, the Burmese border, and plenty of nature and landscapes.

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Program

Day 1
  • DAY 1 – Chiang Mai – Pai – Soppong
  • Departure from Chiang Mai at 7:00 a.m.
  • Drive from Chiang Mai to Pai (129 km – about 3 hours). Stops at several viewpoints. Stop at the cantilever bridge built by the Japanese during World War II.
  • Visit to the famous Khokkuso bridge, built of bamboo over the rice fields, leading to the small temple of Ban Pam Bok.
  • Thai lunch in Pai near the river.
  • Drive to Soppong (44 km – 1 hour). Stunning panorama.
  • Visit to Tham Lod cave. We travel along the river that runs through it on a bamboo raft.
  • Depending on the time available, visit to a Karen Sgaw village (ethnological explanations).
  • Thai dinner and overnight stay in a bungalow near the jungle in Soppong.
Day 2
  • DAY 2 – Soppong – Pang Mapha – Mae Hong Son
  • Breakfast in Pai (bread, homemade jam, fruits from the garden).
  • 1/ Morning - Two options:
  • 1/ Morning – 2 options to choose from: Option 1 for experienced hikers Departure at 7:30 a.m. Drive to the village of Ban Rai in Phang Mapha (15 minutes). Jungle trek to reach the extraordinary prehistoric necropolis of Tham Rai (steep 500-meter climb – about 1 hour up and 45 minutes down). This rock shelter houses 15 coffins dating back 2,000 years with their teak pillars, as well as some cave paintings. Note: this site is virtually impossible for tourists to access, as no guides go there. No marked path exists, and no GPS connection works in this part of the jungle.
  • Option 2 for beginner hikers Departure at 9:00 a.m. Visit to Tham Phi Maen cave, which houses 6 prehistoric coffins (easy 15-minute climb) and offers a beautiful panorama. Visit to a Lahu Sheh Leh and Red Lahu Leh village located in a valley surrounded by karst formations (ethnological explanations).
  • 2/ Afternoon – for everyone.
  • Lunch in Phang Mapha. Drive to Mae Hong Son (60 km – 1 hour).
  • Visit to an astonishing bamboo bridge over the rice fields leading to the Shan temple Wat Sutongpe (explanation on Buddhism, its practices, and its history). Beautiful panorama.
  • Visit to a village inhabited by the Padong (“long-neck women”) and Kayaw (“big-eared Karenni”), not far from the Burmese border. This was the first village to welcome Padong refugees fleeing the war in Myanmar in the early 1980s.
  • Thai dinner. Overnight stay in Mae Hong Son by the lake, in a hotel or homestay (with swimming pool).
Day 3
  • DAY 3 – Mae Hong Son – Maelana – Pai
  • Breakfast at the hotel or in town.
  • Drive to the pier (6 km – 20 minutes). Departure at 8:30 a.m.
  • Visit to a beautiful village inhabited by the Padong, Kayaw, White Karen, and Red Karen, reached after a 30-minute pirogue ride through the jungle (ethnological explanations).
  • If the river is not navigable due to flooding in the rainy season (a rare occurrence!), visit to Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu temple on the mountain overlooking Mae Hong Son (explanations on Buddhism – superb panorama), and visit to Wat Chong Kam temple by the lake.
  • Lunch in Mae Hong Son, then drive to Pai (106 km).
  • Visit to the small Shan town of Maelana in its valley at the foot of limestone cliffs.
  • Dinner on your own in Pai – very pleasant atmosphere in the pedestrian streets where many market and food stalls set up in the evening.
  • Overnight stay in hotel in Pai.
Jour 4
  • DAY 4 – Pai – Chiang Mai
  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Drive to Mae Taeng and Thai lunch.
  • In the afternoon, 2 options are offered to you.
  • Option 1: Afternoon spent in our extraordinary elephant conservation camp on the edge of the jungle. On the program: preparing meals, caring for, and cleaning the elephants, etc. An incredible afternoon spent with respect and love for these extraordinary animals, the Asian elephants.
  • Option 2: Drive to Chiang Dao and visit the famous caves transformed into a Buddhist temple; visit to a Silver Palaung village that arrived from Myanmar a few years ago.
  • Drive to Chiang Mai (60 km) and arrival in the city in the late afternoon (time varies depending on visits and traffic). End of the tour.

Rates

Price includes :

Full-board stay

  • - Accommodations (1,2 and 3 nights) double room.
  • - the vehicle + driver + gas
  • - English-speaking guide + local guides
  • - breakfasts, lunches and dinners;
  • - All activities and excursions

The price does not include :

- Personal insurance
- The drinks
- Personal expenses

 

Price: 21 900 THB

  • Rate: 24,900 baht per person (for 2 people). Notes: Although this tour includes many visits to exceptional sites, it is still a loop, which means that each day we travel by vehicle between 120 and 200 kilometers (except on the 2nd day, when we only drive 60 kilometers). We take the famous and beautiful “3,000 curves road,” which should be taken into account, especially if you are usually prone to motion sickness.

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