Activities in Mae Hong Son Province
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Thai Adventure Rafting
This French-run outfit leads one- and two-day trips. On the way, rafters visit a waterfall, a fossil reef and hot springs; one night is spent at the company's permanent riverside camp. Thai Adventure has two offices along Th Chaisongkhram.
reviewed
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True Bee Gym
Offers scholarship in Thai boxing just across the Nam Pai. Lessons are held twice daily (8am to 10.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm).
reviewed
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A
Tour Merng Tai
This outfit mostly does city-based van tours and cycling tours, but can also arrange treks.
reviewed
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Nature Education Centre
About 9km north of Soppong is Tham Lot (pronounced tâm lôrt and also known as tâm nám lôrt), a large limestone cave with impressive stalagmites and ‘coffin caves’, and a wide stream running through it. Located near the caves is the Nature Education Centre, from where you must hire a gas lantern and guide for 150B (one guide leads one to four people) to take you through the caverns; visitors are not permitted to tour the caves alone. Tham Lot is a good example of community-based tourism as all of the guides at the cave are from local Shan villages.
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Thom's Pai Elephant Camp
The most established company and with an office in town. You can choose between riding bareback or in a seat, and some rides include swimming with the elephants – a barrel of laughs on a bouncing elephant in the river. Rides include a soak in the hot-spring-fed tubs afterwards.
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Pooklon Country Club
This self-professed 'country club' is touted as Thailand's only mud treatment spa. Discovered by a team of geologists in 1995, the mud here is pasteurised and blended with herbs before being employed in various treatments (facial 60B). There's thermal mineral water for soaking (60B), and on weekends, massage (per hour 200B).
Pooklon is 16km north of Mae Hong Son in Mok Champae District. If you haven't got your own wheels, you can take the daily Mae Aw-bound sŏrng·tăa·ou, but this means you might have to find your own way back.
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B
Dragon Sabaii Tours
Emphasises eco- and cultural tourism primarily in the Mae La Noi area just north of Mae Sariang. This new outfit offers a variety of tours aimed at giving a genuine introduction to the local way of life and hill-tribe culture. Activities range from nonintrusive tours of hill-tribe villages to homestays, 'volunteerism', and cooking and farming with hill tribes, all of which are designed to benefit local communities directly.
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Nature Walks
Although the treks here cost more than elsewhere, John, a native of Mae Hong Son, is the best guide in town. Treks range from day-long nature walks to multiday journeys across the province. John can also arrange custom nature-based tours, such as the orchid- viewing tours he conducts from March to May. John has no office; email and phone are the only ways to get in touch with him.
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C
Mae Sariang Tours
Mae Sariang Man, as the owner of this company prefers to be known, is an experienced trekker who leads environmentally conscious and community-based treks and rafting trips in the jungles and national parks surrounding his native city. To ensure that the communities receive what they deserve, trekkers can opt to pay all expenses outside of the guide fee directly to the villagers themselves. He can be contacted at Northwest Guest House.
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Pai Traditional Thai Massage
This long-standing and locally owned outfit offers very good northern-Thai massage, as well as a sauna (cool season only) where you can steam yourself in sà·mŭn·prai (medicinal herbs). Three-day massage courses begin every Monday and Friday and last three hours per day. The friendly couple that do the massages and teach the course are accredited and are graduates of Chiang Mai's Old Medicine Hospital.
A few local businesses near Tha Pai Hot Springs have taken advantage of the healing thermal waters.
reviewed
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Poodoi Namfaa Tour & Trekking
This new outfit can arrange various outdoor pursuits, all led by local Musoe, Lisu and Karen guides. The emphasis is on two-day rafting trips along the Nam Khong and Nam Pai rivers (1500B per person, at least four people, all-inclusive). Two-day treks start at 800B per person (at least two people). The office is at the far western edge of town.
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Pai Cookery School
With a decade of experience, this outfit offers a variety of courses spanning three to six dishes. The course typically involves a trip to the market for ingredients. Contact a day in advance.
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Pha Bong Hot Springs
Eleven kilometres south of the capital in the Shan village of Pha Bong is this public park with hot springs . You can take a private bath or rent a room, and there's also massage (per hour 150B). The springs can be reached on any southbound bus.
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Fluid
Pool/gym complex just outside of town, roughly across from Sun Hut. Includes a herbal steam room during the cool season (per hour 80B).
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Spa Exotic
- Pai, Thailand
- Activities › Spa
Next door to Aroma, this place goes a step further and channels the hot water into its bungalow bathrooms; nonguests can soak for 80B.
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D
Friend Tour
With nearly 20 years' experience, this recommended outfit offers trekking, elephant riding and rafting, as well as day tours. Located at PA Motorbike.
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Aroma Pai Spa
- Pai, Thailand
- Activities › Spa
Offers soaks in private rooms and a communal pool, as well as a variety of spa treatments.
reviewed
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Pai Hotsprings Spa Resort
- Pai, Thailand
- Activities › Spa
A resort-style hotel that also offers massages and thermal water soaks.
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Mam Yoga House
Just north of the police station, Mam offers Hatha Yoga classes and courses in small groups.
reviewed
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Mr Jan’s Massage
For those into rough stuff, this place employs a hard Shan-Burmese massage technique.
reviewed
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E
Rosegarden Tours
Its English- and French-speaking guides focus on cultural and sightseeing tours.
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Back-Trax
With more than a decade of experience, this company offers multiday rafting excursions, as well as inner tubing trips and, of course, reiki lessons.
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Taste of Pai
This new outfit conducts nearly day-long lessons in Thai cookery. Classes involve a visit to the fresh market followed by instruction in six dishes.
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S Wirasut
Chalee and Kot lead instruction in Thai boxing at this rustic gym about 1km outside of town, on the turn-off just before Fluid.
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