Mae Aw & Around

Introducing Mae Aw & Around

Another day trip from the provincial capital is to Mae Aw, 43km north of Mae Hong Son on a mountain peak at the Myanmar border. The modern Thai name for Mae Aw is Ban Rak Thai (Thai-Loving Village). Mae Aw is a Chinese KMT settlement, one of the last true KMT outposts in Thailand. Filled with old renegade fighters, this is now a quiet place with people going about their business, but the scenery on the way up here, and in the town itself, is stunning.

On the road to Mae Aw, take a left at Ban Na Pa Paek and continue 6km to the Shan village of Ban Ruam Thai. Look for the yellow sign indicating the Guest House and Homestay (0 5369 2144, 08 6916 8967; r 200-300B), where simple bamboo huts positioned on a slope are surrounded by coffee plants, fruit trees and stunning scenery. Even if not staying, stop here for a brew. Passionate about coffee, the English-speaking Mr Hilary explains the process of making it, from the picking of beans to the roasting and grinding. There is a roasting room at the homestay where visitors can roast and grind their own beans. Once an opium-growing area, help from the Royal Project, which provided arabica beans and expertise, has transformed this village. Although some miss the ‘beautiful flowers’ from the opium crops, most see the replacement crop project as a success.

A few kilometres further north is Pang Ung lake where A-frame wooden huts (0 5361 1244; r 200-400B) are perched on its bank. The beautiful scenery here is more reminiscent of Switzerland than Thailand. Bamboo rafts are available here to rent (2 people 100B). Call to book ahead.

Drive back the way you came to Ban Na Pa Paek. From there it is 6km further north to Mae Aw or Ban Tak Thai, past tea and coffee plantations and jaw-dropping scenery. The town sits on the edge of a large reservoir and the faces and signs are very Chinese. At the end of the paved road there are two places to stay. Tha Law Sue Rak Thai Resort (08 9950 0955; r 600-1000B) is quite plush and has large bamboo huts looking over the reservoir to Myanmar, some of which have their own terraces. There is a restaurant attached serving Yunnan dishes.

Behind the resort restaurant is a shop selling massive bags of tea and pineapple-, lychee- and plum-flavoured palm wine (which you can sample). The friendly family running the store has four, clean simple rooms (300B) with hot-water showers.

There’s a dirt road to the border crossing, but it’s not advisable to do trekking in this area. Occasionally there’s fighting along the border between the KMT and the Mong Tai Army, formerly led by the infamous opium warlord Khun Sa, but now operating as four splinter units under separate leaderships. When this happens, public transport is usually suspended and you shouldn’t go without a guide.

Yellow sǎwngthǎew to Mae Aw (60B) and villages on the way (including Ban Na Pa Paek and Ban Ruam Thai), leave from the Mae Hong Son municipal market on Th Phanit Wattana at 9am, 12pm and 3pm. It’s necessary to catch one early in the morning coming back from Mae Aw. Because sǎwngthǎew are few and far between it’s worth getting a group of people together and chartering a sǎwngthǎew. It will cost you 600B to 1300B (depending on whether the drivers have any paid cargo). Otherwise any tour agency will send you with a driver and room for four for 1300B.

The trip takes two hours and passes Shan, Karen and Hmong villages, the Pang Tong Summer Palace and the Pha Sua waterfall.

Last updated: Sep 1, 2009