Once on the road, the roads are rural with low traffic density. There are nice bends and a pleasant riding environment the whole day. You are quickly out of Chiang Mai, riding the back road to the charming village of Mae Wang, famous for its many elephant camps. This is one of Chiang Mai’s main elephant tourist destinations. Stop @ the small elephant camp “Coffee with Elephants' ', take the opportunity to spend some time with those lovely animals. Further up the mountain towards Doi Inthanon National park. We take the back road to Mae Chon Luang high lands with its many vegetable plantations. From here we have our first off road experience. This is the back road used by farmers bringing down their crops from the mountain.

Lunch in Mae Chaem. From Mae Chaem we continue over the continental divide towards Myanmar. This is as rural Thailand gets. Small mountain villages, hill tribes and a labyrinth of roads, most gravel. Passing a huge Christian church and school. Descending down the mountain towards Mae La Noi, enjoy the scenery. Once reaching the valley we take the main road along the Thai – Myanmar border to Mae Sariang, our final destination of today. Overnight in Mae Sariang.

Great dirt riding day in front of us. Start riding in the East direction towards Salawin River. The river is the border between Thailand and Myanmar. First stretch from Mae Sariang to the River is on paved road to Ban Mae Sam Laep for a leg stretcher and coffee break. From here we ride the unpaved road north along the river to an old military outpost, located on a small hill overlooking a big bend of the river. There is a small village a bit further up. Since this is a dead end we will ride the same dirt road back to the coffee stop and continue south along the river up to a view point / camping ground. We are crossing over the same mountain range as we did earlier in the day. Some of the stretches are steep, plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the beautiful views in this remote part of Thailand. Returning back to Mae Sariang late afternoon. Overnight Mae Sariang.

Today we head north along the Thai Myanmar border towards Mae Hong Son where our fiirst stop is Khun Yuam. . It is a great winding road with wide twists. The Imperial Japanese Army troops were stationed in Khun Yuam during the construction of a highway intended to cross Burma to India. There is a museum and a 7/11 store to grab a coold drink. We continue north to Fern Resort, a lovely boutique hotel at the foot of the jungle where we enjoy lunch. 

After lunch: Part gravel, part dirt and part tarmac. Ride the legendary “Elephant Trail” to Pai. This ancient road snakes its way over mountains, down the valleys. We are passing some remote villages on our way. This is manly hill tribe area. People are predominantly living off the land. On the high elevation vegetables are grown. Down in the valley’s mostly corn and rice. Once we get closer to Pai we meet the Pai River which we follow for the last stretch into town.

Note that after lunch you can also choose between the  options below. We will all end up in Pai, which is the final destination today;

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Option 1

Visit the long neck village. Ride along the Pai River to the village. Park your motorcycle and take a ferry across the river to the village. (Fee for one boat, 40 Baht return, entrance to long neck village 250 baht). 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. Why don’t you ask them and find out the real story….

Return to your motorcycle and take the main road to Pai. This is the start of the 1864 curves, on your way to Pai you will negotiate some 900 of them. This entire stretch of road is paved.

Option 2

Ride to Phu Klon Country Club health Mud Spa (Spa fee is not included).

Phuklon geographically means a mud source and natural mineral spring which is between 60-140 ° C. Rising together with the mineral water, boiling black mud is clean, free from sulfur smell and full of healthy minerals for the skin and blood circulation. Phuklone Country Club is providing visitors beauty and healthcare services with Phuklone mud and mineral water. This is one of the top spas in Thailand.

For more information and offers please visit their website. Kindly note that the recommended duration of your visit is 2-3 hours.

http://phuklon.co.th/

Return to your motorcycle and take the main road to Pai. This is the start of the 1864 curves, on your way to Pai you will negotiate some 900 of them. This entire stretch of road is paved.

Today’s itinerary has mostly off-road riding in store for us. We leave Pai and ride in the north direction. Roads get sandy (if dry) and muddy (if wet). First stop is the Tham Lod, an enormous river tunnel with 3 higher dry caverns. The cave walls are covered with massive formations and columns over 20 meters high tower over visitors. The third cavern shelters the remains of prehistoric teak coffins. 

From Tham Lod we take the dirt road heading northeast towards the Myanmar border. It’s a nice ride passing by rice fields and a few small villages before ascending into the mountains. The mountains seem to be a different ecosystem with pine trees lining the trail. Our destination is a famous Helicopter crash site with no helicopter (wreck has been removed). The ride up there is a unique experience and well worth it. We make our way towards the military checkpoint at the intersection to Wiang Haeng. From here we have a pleasant gravel road in front of us to Pai. Overnight in Pai

Our final day, leaving Pai and taking the main road towards Chiang Mai bringing us to Huai Nam Dang National Park. The National Park is a scenic splendor located amidst the rugged high mountains of the Thai-Myanmar border, well-known as one of the most picturesque seas of mist in Thailand. From here we head into the valley on dirt roads towards Muang Khong. This is another popular farmers gravel road with several river crossings. Lunch at Muang Khong by the river. After lunch we have another gravel road stretch towards Mae Taeng. The final hour of our tour  is on the paved road leading us back to Chiang Mai. Overnight in Chiang Mai

This amazing trip ends with the transfer to the airport or your holiday extension. 

Enjoy the memories !