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 at 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.

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. Kindly arrive at our Service Centre no later than 5 pm, wrapping up your solo motorcycle tour of Thailand.

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

Hope you enjoyed !

Farewell & Thanks from the BTA Team