Hostels in Mae Hong Son, Thailand

Through the winding mountain roads, past Chang Mai and past Pai, you will find the enchanting town of Mae Hong Son. Here you will notice the mix of Burmese architecture and food with Thai culture and influences shadowed by a mournful history. The drive to Mae Hong Son on motorbike is a gorgeous ride through winding mountains, past small villages, and green jungles. Mae Hong Son is off the tourist track, but offers a few choices for budget travelers; there are no hostels in Mae Hong Son itself but you will find budget rooms and bungalows. The food here is unique and interesting, offering an exciting mix of familiar Thai with exotic Burmese flavors and spices. There is an interesting local market with cheap and delicious food as well as a small taste of local life. Like the food, the architecture of Mae Hong Son is unique from the rest of Thailand. Instead of intricate gold temples, you can find white stupas piercing from the ground along with gold and red wooden prayer halls. If you venture a little outside the city, you will find white temples and huge white Buddha’s contrasted against a pure blue sky with only the sound of monks chanting in the distance. You can drive your motorbike past tea plantations and fields of horses, through forests and past quaint old villages until you reach the guarded border of Burma. The drive is beautiful and offers many locations to stop and explore or drink a cup of tea as the afternoon rain passes. At night, there is a small tourist market where you can wander by the river as reflections of lights and candles dance on the water and local merchants sell their crafts, clothes, and wooden wares. Mae Hong Son has a haunting past but it is a beautiful town with an interesting mix of Thailand and Burma, offering a chance to glimpse Burmese influence without crossing the boarder.