The Mae Hong Son Loop by scooter: the complete guide
12 min read · Updated June 2026 · By the RideLanna team in Chiang Mai
The Mae Hong Son Loop is the best motorbike trip in Thailand, and one of the best in Southeast Asia. Roughly 600 kilometres of mountain road connect Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang in a circle through the greenest corner of the country. You ride past rice terraces, hill-tribe villages, hot springs, and more curves than you will ever count. Locals say 1,864 of them.
This guide covers the practical side: which direction to ride, how many days you need, what bike to rent, where to sleep, and what it all costs. It is written for travellers renting in Chiang Mai, because that is where the loop starts and ends.
The route at a glance
The loop links four towns. You ride out of Chiang Mai on Route 1095 to Pai, continue to Mae Hong Son near the Myanmar border, then come back along Route 108 through Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang, with an optional climb over Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. The full circle is about 600 km.
- Chiang Mai to Pai: 130 km, 3 to 4 hours, the famous 762 curves of Route 1095
- Pai to Mae Hong Son: 110 km, 3 hours, quieter and even prettier, stop at Tham Lod cave in Soppong
- Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang: 165 km, 4 hours, the wildest and emptiest stretch
- Mae Sariang to Chiang Mai: 190 km, 4 to 5 hours on Route 108, or longer over Doi Inthanon
How many days do you need?
Four days and three nights is the sweet spot: one night each in Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang. You ride three to four hours a day and still have afternoons for waterfalls, hot springs and night markets.
Three days is possible if you skip Mae Sariang and return the way you came. Five or six days lets you add Tham Lod cave, the Ban Rak Thai Chinese village on the border, the Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge, and a sunrise at Doi Inthanon. If you have never ridden long distances before, take the extra days. Tired riders make mistakes on mountain roads.
Clockwise or counterclockwise?
Most riders go counterclockwise: Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Sariang, home. You get the hardest, busiest section (the 1095 to Pai) done on day one while you are fresh, and the long mellow Route 108 brings you home.
Clockwise has one advantage: you save Pai for last and the 1095 descent toward Chiang Mai is glorious in the late afternoon light. If you have ridden mountains before, clockwise is the connoisseur's choice. First loop ever: go counterclockwise.
Which bike should you rent?
You do not need a big bike for the loop, but you do need a healthy one. The roads are paved and well maintained, so the choice is about comfort, not clearance.
- Honda Click 125 or Yamaha NMAX 155: perfectly capable, thousands do the loop on them every year. Budget choice, around 250 to 400 THB per day
- Honda Forza 350 or a maxi-scooter: the comfort pick. Highway-stable, big under-seat storage, no clutch to manage in 1,864 curves. Around 700 to 900 THB per day
- Honda CRF 250L or another dual-sport: the fun pick if you want to add dirt detours and waterfall tracks. Around 800 to 1,000 THB per day
- Whatever you choose: insist on good tyres and working brakes. The loop punishes worn rubber
Where to stop (the short list)
Everyone finds their own loop, but these stops earn their place on a first ride:
- Mok Fa waterfall, 60 km from Chiang Mai, a perfect first leg-stretch
- Pai canyon at sunset, then the walking street for dinner
- Tham Lod cave near Soppong: a river runs straight through a mountain, you ride a bamboo raft inside
- Ban Rak Thai, a Yunnanese tea village on a lake, 44 km north of Mae Hong Son
- Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu above Mae Hong Son for the valley view
- The viewpoint km markers on Route 108 between Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang: empty road, huge views
What it costs
The loop is cheap by any standard. A realistic four-day budget per person, riding two-up or solo:
- Bike rental: 250 to 1,000 THB per day depending on the machine
- Fuel for the whole loop: 300 to 500 THB
- Guesthouses: 300 to 800 THB per night for clean, friendly places in all three towns
- Food: 150 to 400 THB per day eating extremely well at markets and noodle shops
- Total: roughly 3,500 to 8,000 THB for four days, bike included
Safety, checkpoints and the boring essentials
You need a motorcycle licence from home plus an International Driving Permit, full stop. Police checkpoints are routine on Route 1095 and outside Mae Hong Son, and your travel insurance is void without the right licence. Read our IDP guide if you have not sorted this yet.
Ride in daylight only. Mountain fog rolls in fast after 4 pm in cool season, and unlit curves at night are how good trips end badly. Fuel up in every town: stations exist along the whole loop but the gaps between them are long. And take the curves at your own pace. The loop is not a race track, and the slow vehicle in front of you will pull over at the next bay.
Quick answers
Can a beginner ride the Mae Hong Son Loop?
A careful beginner with a few days of riding practice in Chiang Mai first, yes. The roads are paved and well marked. What catches people out is fatigue and overconfidence in curves, not technical difficulty. Take four or five days, ride mornings, and you will be fine.
Is the loop dangerous in the rainy season?
June to October brings afternoon downpours that make the curves slippery and hide potholes. The loop stays open and locals ride it year round, but allow extra time, ride mornings, and sit out the heavy bursts with a coffee. The upside: everything is impossibly green and the waterfalls are at full power.
Do I need to book guesthouses in advance?
In high season (December and January) book Pai a day or two ahead, it fills up. Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang almost never fill. The rest of the year you can ride in and find a bed everywhere.
Can I do the loop in a car instead?
You can, and families do. But the loop was made for two wheels: half the joy is the curves themselves, the smells of the forest, and stopping anywhere in three seconds. If you are comfortable on a scooter, ride it.
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