Days out from Chiang Mai: The Doi Khom Rong loop

Posted by Arda on June 27th, 2007 filed in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, Activities, Adventure, Thailand travel

By Andrew Bond

Not far from the popular tourist centre of the Mae Sa valley rises an extraordinary mountain which provides some of the best views in the Chiang Mai area. It’s one of my favourites; yet so few other people ever come out this way. The road over the summit passes through hilltribe villages and offers some sweeping, uninterrupted vistas which include the peaks as far away as Chiang Dao, fifty kilometres to the north. Along the way you also encounter some lovely waterfalls, gorgeous resorts and great viewpoints.

Although I’d recommend an off-road motorcycle, or even a high-clearance vehicle I had chosen to summit this 1500m hill on my mountain bike. This is the best way to appreciate the height you’ve climbed and enjoy the nature all around you. You may think I’m mad but there was, in fact, a whole group of us. Setting out from Mae Rim, we had followed the Samoeng road through the collection of tourist attractions in the Mae Sa valley. Here you’ll find Bungee Jumping, a Monkey Centre and Snake Farm, but we didn’t hang around. There’s a sign to the right indicating the way to Tard Mork Waterfall and we soon found ourselves on a pleasant asphalt road which, for more than ten kilometres, quietly winds its way along a lush, elongated valley before steadily climbing into the highlands. This is exactly the landscape that makes you admire Northern Thailand so much, with mountains rising all around you and rainforest or pure jungle in all directions.

After passing through several small settlements we found an ideal resting point - some lovely unnamed gardens which are maintained for the public and make an ideal place for a picnic. Just beyond this is Sukarntara resort – which enjoys one of Thailand’s most privileged locations. Our multicoloured lycra cycle gear looked out of place in this small, exclusive, countryside hideaway but we couldn’t resist a drink on their perfectly placed terrace. It sits beside a cascading waterfall and you can quite literally lean over and wet your hand while you sit and whet your appetite on the menu.

Just beyond the resort is Tard Mork waterfall, one of the area’s largest, and though you have to pay 200 baht entry your ticket is good for the even more impressive Mae Sa Waterfall, which you’ll pass on your way home. Arriving at places like these makes cycling so rewarding, and after all the sweating up the hills you want to linger and cool off in the pools, but there’s plenty more to come on this route. We discovered there is a second waterfall, Wunghorn, a little further up the road which is free and equally pretty – usually you can have this one all to yourself. There is also a second place to stay in the area, The Hmong Resort, which is a peaceful haven set beside some rice paddies in among the tropical vegetation.

“Hello, where you go” called some loitering staff members who seemed intriqued by our prescence. We chatted a bit and exchanged some energy bars for fresh lychees. No, they hadn’t ever seen bicycles up this far before, and yes they did think we farang were completely nuts!

From here the road levels out as you pass through another small village. It is here that you can pick up some fresh produce that is widely grown in the areand sold on the roadside. We do this all the time on our rides, stopping at a roadside fruit tree and feasting on ‘free public fruit’. It was a good thing we stocked up on natural sugars, the asphalt road suddenly makes a steep ascent up onto the summit, skirting a bowl shaped valley that reveals its fertility with rows of vegetables and greenhouses. Although the road becomes a little tricky you soon find yourself winding along steep sided slopes. You might think it’s difficult to admire the view pedalling up a 30° incline but the experience of riding along such terrain is exhilarating. With most of this part of the mountain cleared for high altitude agriculture the views are superb and abundant. Even if you’re in a car there are plenty of suitable stopping places. The distinctive greenhouses down below are evidence of the highly successful Kings Project, which has provided economic upliftment to the Hmong hilltribe folk who inhabit the area. It has encouraged them to substitute poppy (opium) cultivate in favour of cabbages and other ground crops.

We tried to pass through the village discreetly but our bright uniforms attracted a swarm of scruffy kinds who screamed ‘good morning teacher’ behind us. Like many of Northern Thailand’s hilltribes, this particular community have located their village above 1000m, balanced impossibly on the slopes. Passing through Baan Nong Hoi Mai provides an interesting window into the lifestyle of these rural minorities, as kids play on the road and men and women come and go in their distinctive dark, ornately decorated dress. We were relieved when the road levelled out and followed the contours of the crest to a lookout shelter. Finally we had made it, climbing 1200m in two hours over a 30 kilometre slog. The views all seem so much more rewarding this way.

Now for the best bit, the descent! Very shortly we found ourselves in the larger village of Nong Hoi, which serves as an agricultural centre and has a tourist information board. Here you can learn more about the Kings Project and witness for yourself the commercial activities that are empowering this rural folk. The road then zigzags its way down into the village of Pongyang and we turned left onto the Samoeng road and coasted back into back to the Mae Sa valley. Here there is plenty more to see, such as the lovely botanical gardens, Mae Sa Elephant camp and waterfall and the colourful orchid farm, but we had had enough for one day!

Pick up a copy of GT-riders Mae Hong Son loop map, on which Tard Mork waterfall is clearly marked. The road is asphalt most the way and, apart from a tricky 5kms stretch, is manageable in a rented saloon car or Honda dream, provided the weather is dry. Total round-trip distance from Chiang Mai (70kms). Gt-rider.com

Bike tours of Northern Thailand