A rider crossing a stream on the Mae Hong Son dirt loop
Self-guided tour

The Mae Hong Son Dirt Loop

Seven days, six towns, and as much dirt as the loop allows.

7
days
1226
km
623
km dirt
Intermediate
grade
Route map of The Mae Hong Son Dirt Loop, 7 days

© OpenStreetMap contributors · © OpenMapTiles · Copernicus DEM © ESA

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7

The loop

The classic Mae Hong Son loop, re-cut for dirt bikes. You leave Chiang Mai on farm tracks, cross the Chiang Dao valley into the Wiang Haeng backcountry, drop into Pai, ride the Elephant Trail west to the Yunnanese tea village of Ban Rak Thai, and come home through Khun Yuam, Mae Sariang and the Mae Chaem hills. Every day pairs a published chiangmaidirt.bike dirt route with the paved links you need, one GPX per day, with hotel, lunch and fuel suggestions so you can ride it without a guide.

Day by day

1226 km total
  1. The limestone massif of Doi Luang Chiang Dao under low cloud at the end of day one
    Day 1

    Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao

    217 km130 dirtChiang Dao Nest

    A big first day, not a warm-up: roughly 220 km, about 130 km of it dirt, so leave Chiang Mai by 8. Head north on the 107, turn west at Mae Rim and settle in for the long middle section on the Mae Rim dirt trails: farm tracks, a few short climbs and one or two shallow stream crossings. The track spits you out near Mae Malai; run the 107 north to the Ramming Tea Estate turn-off, where the estate's red-dirt lanes are the reward at the end of the day, dropping you into Chiang Dao town with Doi Luang Chiang Dao filling the windscreen.

    • Mae Rim farm tracks
    • Ramming Tea Estate lanes
    • Doi Luang Chiang Dao at sunset

    Rides Mae Rim Dirt Trails, Ramming Tea Estate Chaing Dao

  2. Two enduro bikes on a red clay track through misty pine forest above Chiang Dao
    Day 2

    Chiang Dao to Pai via Muang Khong and Wiang Haeng

    153 km79 dirtPai Village Boutique Resort & Farm

    The 1178 climbs out of the valley to Muang Khong, then the dirt starts: the Muang Khong to Wiang Haeng route runs ridge tracks and forest doubletrack with long views into Myanmar. Refuel and eat in Wiang Haeng, then the Wiang Haeng to Pai route drops south on graded dirt and old logging roads into the Pai valley. Long day; be on the bike by 8.

    • Muang Khong ridge tracks
    • Wiang Haeng frontier town
    • Descent into the Pai valley

    Rides Muang Khong To Wiang Haeng, Wiang Haeng To Pai

  3. A narrow trail running through a tunnel of bamboo west of Pai
    Day 3

    Pai to Ban Rak Thai on the Elephant Trail

    163 km116 dirtLee Wine Ruk Thai Resort

    Leave Pai westward on the Elephant Trail spur: 70 km of hill-tribe dirt, ridge roads and a couple of steep loose climbs. Where the spur meets the Elephant Trail proper, keep west on the trail all the way down to Mae Hong Son town. Fill up, then take the 1095 north to Ban Mok Cham Pae and the 1285 up through the pines to Ban Rak Thai, the Yunnanese tea village on the border lake. Arrive before dark; the last 20 km are twisty.

    • Elephant Trail spur out of Pai
    • Long dirt descent into Mae Hong Son
    • Lakeside Yunnanese dinner in Ban Rak Thai

    Rides The Elephant Trail To Pai Off Road, The Elephant Trail

  4. Bikes parked at the roadside stop at Mok Cham Pae, on the road toward Mae Hong Son
    Day 4

    Ban Rak Thai to Mae Hong Son, the short day

    55 kmFern Resort

    A deliberate half day. Have tea by the lake, then ride the back road over to Pang Oung reservoir and the Ban Ruam Thai pine valley, and drop down the 1285 into Mae Hong Son by lunch. Afternoon for the Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge, Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu at sunset, and the night market. Check chain, tyre pressures and the oil level; the next two days are long.

    • Pang Oung lake at first light
    • Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu at sunset
    • Mae Hong Son night market
  5. An orange dirt road running between tall trees on the back road out of Khun Yuam
    Day 5

    Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang, off-road from Khun Yuam

    255 km164 dirtRiverhouse Resort

    The 108 south to Khun Yuam is fast and pretty. From Khun Yuam the route leaves the tarmac and runs the Khun Yuam to Mae Sariang off-road line in reverse: 165 km of graded dirt, forest track and Karen village roads that stay west of the highway most of the way — the most dirt of any day on the loop. Rated easy but long; keep a steady pace and be out of Khun Yuam by 11.

    • Empty 108 out of Mae Hong Son
    • 165 km of dirt west of the highway
    • Yuam river at Mae Sariang

    Rides Mae Sariang To Khun Yuam Off Road

  6. Rice terraces stepping down the valley below the track in the Mae Chaem hills
    Day 6

    Mae Sariang to Chom Thong through the Mae Chaem hills

    270 km94 dirtTouch Star Resort Doi Inthanon

    The longest day of the loop at roughly 270 km, so start early. Tarmac first: about 130 km on the mountain road east from Mae La Noi to Mae Chaem, one of the best paved rides in the north, with almost no traffic. Eat in Mae Chaem, then the dirt: roughly 95 km on the Mae Chaem to Chom Thong route in reverse, climbing out of the valley on the south side of Doi Inthanon, forest doubletrack and a few rocky sections, and dropping to the Chom Thong plain. Running late in Mae Chaem? Overnighting there and finishing the dirt the next morning is a reasonable fallback rather than pushing on after dark.

    • Mae La Noi to Mae Chaem mountain road
    • Mae Chaem khao soi
    • Dirt over the south shoulder of Doi Inthanon

    Rides Chom Thong To Mae Chaem

  7. Two bikes stopped below the limestone cliffs above Chom Thong on the final leg
    Day 7

    Chom Thong to Chiang Mai via Mae Wang

    113 km40 dirtBack in Chiang Mai

    A relaxed finish. Cut north-east on back roads to Mae Win, then the Mae Win dirt route runs river tracks and farm lanes through the Mae Wang valley, easy and scenic, before the tarmac back into the city. Lunch on the river at Mae Wang if you are in no hurry. Wash the bike, return it, and go find a beer.

    • Mae Wang river tracks
    • Elephant camps and rafting on the Mae Wang
    • Back in Chiang Mai by mid-afternoon

    Rides Mae Win Dirt

Riders stopped at a cliff-edge viewpoint over layered mountain ridges

What the week gives you

  • Nine published dirt routes stitched into one loop
  • Overnight in Ban Rak Thai, the Yunnanese tea village on the Myanmar border
  • The Elephant Trail west from Pai into Mae Hong Son
  • A full rest morning in Mae Hong Son town
  • Dirt finish from Mae Chaem to Chom Thong
Bike

A 250 to 450 cc dual-sport or enduro (CRF250L/300L, KLX250/300, CRF450RL, 690/701) with knobbies and a range of at least 200 km. Rentals: see /rentals.

When

November to February. Doable October and March. Avoid June to September (mud, river crossings, washouts).