The northern border city of Mae Hong Son

Posted by paul on January 16th, 2009 filed in Attractions, Day trips, tourist tips

Nestled between towering mountains with lush forested slopes that stretch to the Burmese border, the charming northern border city of Maehongson is renowned for its colourful culture and stunning scenery. The majority of the people that live in the city are Shan. Colourful hill-tribe peoples live in the remote communities, which are positioned on mountain tops. Daily life and cultural traditions in these idyllic villages haven’t changed in centuries.
 
The Shan people’s ancestors came from the Burmese Shan region. The hill-tribes in Mae Hong Son include: Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Lua and Mhong. Both the various hill-tribe people and the Shan have their own unique cultures. These fascinating communities have their own architecture, lilting dialect, mouth-watering cuisine, traditions and customs.

Many annual events and festivals take place in Mae Hong Son. During these festivals tourists have the option to absorb some of the distinctive cultural atmospheres from these colourful celebrations. Each event features different ceremonies, rituals and folkloristic dances. Even the cuisine for each festival is different.
 
The ‘Poy Sanglong Festival’ is the Shan people’s most important and remarkable tradition when the ordination ceremony for the Shan boys takes place. The festival takes place in March and throughout the entire city there is one huge celebration.
 
Mist covers the city all year long which gave Maehongson its nickname, ‘the City of Three Mists’ due to the fact that in winter the mist is dewy, in the summer there’s forest fire mist and rainy mist in the wet season.

Mae Hong Son tourist guide

From Chiang Mai the city of Mae Hong Son can be reached by road via highways 108 or 1095. Several daily buses leave from the city’s Arcade bus terminal. There’s an airport in Mae Hong Son, but direct flight services from Bangkok don’t arrive here – you’ll need to fly to Chiang Mai and from here take a connecting service to the northern city.

Renting a vehicle and driving the spectacular ‘Mae Hong Son’ loop, via the bohemian town of Pai and returning south of Chiang Mai, via Doi Inthanon, is an unforgettable travel experience that will last around three or four days on account of the windy mountain roads that offer such jaw-dropping vistas.