Chiang Mai - Wat Chan - Mae Hong Son, 218km

[helbob]

Chiang Mai - Wat Chan - Mae Hong Son, 218km
A long Dirt Road

Track and Map
In the following url you can see the map and download the track for gps.
Note: The track was made with a garmin oregon with unlimited waypoint. Some other gps work only with 500 points.
http://www.gpsies.com/editTrack.do?fileId=qbeincnuvagpccvb
Here you can look the track in a big map:
http://www.helbob.de/thailand/nordthailand/chiang-mai-to-mae-hong-son/chiang-mai-mae-hong-son.html
All images in the posting you can make bigger by clicking.

Start
We start in Chiang Mai and drive to the north on the 107 to Mae Rim (about 17km). The higway is a little bit dangerous. Every day acciedents on the near the traffic lights. This is warning made in thailand:

In Mae Rim turn left to the 1096 (to Samoeng). After some kilometers start a mountainstreet with good outlook.

Not far from the viewpoint

The best place is on the viewpoint (km 42) on this street.

After the viewpoint the street goes down and we turn right at km 48 when we come to the big street.


Samoeng
In Samoeng (km 54) turn right. After a few kilometers the Khun Kan Park. At km 82 is at the right side a small supermarket and restaurant for a small lunch and buy something (water....).


Dirt Road
Km 93 Viewpoint with pavillon. Km 108 the dirt Road start. And then nature, nature, nature

km 110 a small village

km 129 sign to the village "Bandongsannmuen“

30 minutes later the next village

 

[helbob]

Wat Chan
2.30 p.m. ,km 150 we come to wat chan (=ban chan, sealevel 980m). First passing the checkpoint

an then turn right to the small restaurant for eat and buy gasoline. The gasoline here is a little bit expensive, about 30 baht/liter (in chiang mai 25 baht). The food is cheap, we have 2 soups, 2 coke, 1 chang for 100 baht. Now it goes left
About 45 minutes after Wat Chan:

At 4.30 p.m.

At 5.15 p.m., the sun start to go sleep...

5.30 p.m., the small village Ban Nong Khao Klang on a wonderfull place. The people want we stay here and make happy new year party with them, but we wont to MHS.

Finish Dirt Road, Mae Hong Son
About km 190. The dirt road is finish and we drive on a conret street.
6.40 p.m., Km 241 checkpoint.

About Km 210 on the 108, now some kilometers to Mae Hong Son. We have bad luck because we came at 31.12.2009 in the evening to Mae Hong Son and every guesthouse was full.....The last was the Sang Thong Huts and a german woman tell us that her resort is full too but if we can not find a room she have a old room. So we say YES. She show us the room and then we got a gread happy new year dinner.

Sang Thong Huts Resort, Mae Hong Son
It’s not easy in the night to find but some small signs show the way. On the next day we look the nice resort. The small pool is only 5 meters in front of our bungalow, fine.

Very nice bungalows with big western style bathroom, most bungalows between 1100-1500 baht.

Food and drinks not expensive. The food is very good!

Only one thing: If you dont like dogs then ist maybe the wrong place for you because about 5 dogs stay in the resort

 

[Moto-Rex]

Great report and photos hellbob.

I think the ride to Mae Hong Son Via Wat Chan is one the best rides you can do in the North.
Apart from being a good dirt ride. Its a good way to avoid the traffic on the tar road, particularly at this time of the year.

I noticed on the new MHS map, there is a lot of dirt tracks south of Wat Chan that could be worth a look at.

Ten bottles of Chang...I bet you slept well that night.

Moto-Rex

 

[helbob]

Moto-Rex wrote: Great report and photos hellbob.

I think the ride to Mae Hong Son Via Wat Chan is one the best rides you can do in the North.
Apart from being a good dirt ride. Its a good way to avoid the traffic on the tar road, particularly at this time of the year.

I noticed on the new MHS map, there is a lot of dirt tracks south of Wat Chan that could be worth a look at.

Ten bottles of Chang...I bet you slept well that night.

Moto-Rex

Thank you!
This year i will try the tracks south of wat chan to khun yuam and some others.

 

[Rhodie]

Nice report & pix.
I have stayed in the same resort which is really nice.
The only thing was the 5am wake-up call on the local loudspeaker with half-an-hour broadcast.
Did that happen when you were there?

Or did the chang do the job... :wink:

 

[helbob]

Hi,
i am not sure because i had a deeeep sleep when i drive long hard tours. But i know what you mean, we had the same in pai when we stay in Michel Bungalow

 

[tonykiwi]

Is this route generally passable in June? I got as far as Wat Chan last time but thought about hiring KLX and doing the run to MHS if it is passable in wet weather

Helbob, do you recall anything about river/stream crossings regarding safety or access in rainy times?

T

 

[helbob]

tonykiwi wrote: Is this route generally passable in June? I got as far as Wat Chan last time but thought about hiring KLX and doing the run to MHS if it is passable in wet weather

Helbob, do you recall anything about river/stream crossings regarding safety or access in rainy times?

T

The road is no problem when it is dry. When you have 2 days big rain you can not drive this way and many other dirt roads too because slippery like batter.
No river crossings on this road.

 

[tonykiwi]

helbob wrote: [quote quote=tonykiwi]Is this route generally passable in June? I got as far as Wat Chan last time but thought about hiring KLX and doing the run to MHS if it is passable in wet weather

Helbob, do you recall anything about river/stream crossings regarding safety or access in rainy times?

T

The road is no problem when it is dry. When you have 2 days big rain you can not drive this way and many other dirt roads too because slippery like batter.
No river crossings on this road.
Thank you for that. It looks a really good ride. I guess I should take advice at te time as to whether I do the run or not depending on weather conditions

T