Transportation to Pai and Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son province is probably Thailand’s most remote and can be difficult to get to. There are daily flights to Pai and Mae Hong Son from Chiang Mai, which is the quickest and easiest way to get there. But most visitors arrive either by tour bus doing the ‘Mae Hong Son Loop’ or local bus to Pai, both of which have to traverse some windy mountain roads which offer stunning scenery but take four to seven hours (Pai or Mae Hong Son).
Flights to Mae Hong Son and Pai
Flights to both are limited to small aircraft due to runway restrictions therefore you can only fly from Chiang Mai.
Flights : Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son
| Daily depart: | 10:10 | arrive | 10:45 |
| Daily depart: | 16:10 | arrive | 16:45 (TG) |
| Daily depart: | 12:35 | arrive | 13:10 (DD) |
| Mon to Thur depart: | 12:50 | arrive | 13:30 (SGA) |
Flights : Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai
| Daily depart: | 11:05 | arrive | 11:40 |
| Daily depart: | 17:05 | arrive | 17:40 (TG) |
| Daily depart: | 11:30 | arrive | 12:05 (DD) |
| Mon to Thur depart: | 13:45 | arrive | 14:25 (SGA) |
Flights : Chiang Mai to Pai
| Daily depart: | 11:05 | arrive | 11:35 |
| Daily depart: | 14:55 | arrive | 15:25 |
| Mon to Thur depart: | 16:40 | arrive | 17:10 (SGA) |
Flights : Pai to Chiang Mai
| Daily depart: | 11:50 | arrive | 12:20 |
| Daily depart: | 15:40 | arrive | 16:10 |
| Mon to Thur depart: | 17:25 | arrive | 17:55 (SGA) |
TG: Thai Airways
DD: Nok Air
SGA Airlines
Buses to Pai and Mae Hong Son
Non-airconditioned buses from the Arcade (main) bus station in Chiang Mai leave five times a day for Mae Hong Son at 07:00, 09:00, 10:30, 12:30 and 16:00, all five pass through Pai roughly fou hours later except the last bus which doesn’t go as far as Mae Hong. The total journey can be up to eight hours for the 300km route due to windy mountain roads. You’re advised to pre-buy your ticket for the earliest departure, as buses get crowded. In the reverse direction buses leave Mae Hong Son for Chiang Mai, (via Pai), at 07:00 (10:30), 08:30 (12:00), 10:30 (14:00), 12:30 (16:00) and 16:00 (stops in Pai).
In the busy season there are also songteaw minibuses that will depart if enough passengers are waiting, it’s even affordable for a group of four or more travellers to charter one, but sitting side-facing in the back of these for three windy hours can result in awful car sickness. Comfortable air conditioned private minibuses also ply the route so it’s worth enquiring with local travel agents and guesthouses.
Buses to Mae Hong Son also take the southern route (the ‘Loop’ n reverse) via Mae Sariang five times a day on slightly bigger and more comfortable buses from the Arcade bus station.
Hire car or bike
This is a popular options since you get to stop off at leisure to see points of interest along the way such as Huay Nam Dang National Park, Pong Deut hotsprings, the Soppong caves and some waterfalls. Particularly adventurous is to do the whole ‘Loop’ on an off-road bike, which can be hired from Joe’s Bikes (Chang Moi Road soi 3 (+66 (0)53 251 186), or POP Bike hire (Kotchasarn road, beside Spotlight bar, near Thapae gate). There are plenty of other places around town offering Honda Dreams, though you are advised to take a 125cc, especially if there are two of you on the bike.
Car hire is available from Northern Wheels and several prominent local and international companies in town, though we recommend booking online in advance for peace of mind; www.carrentals.co.uk.
Warning! Driving habits in Thailand are generally poor and drivers can be reckless, especially when overtaking on blind corners on mountainous roads. The roads in Mae Hong Son have a high accident rate and drivers should drive with caution.
