Mae Hong Son Travel Package Tours, Thailand Tour Information Hotel Guide

MAE HONG SON PROVINCE OVERVIEW

Geography	Demographics	Telephone
Capital: Mae Hong Son Location: 12,681.3 km2 Area: Northern	Population: 256,729 Density: 17 /km2	Calling code
Town and Districts
Mae Hong Son, Khun Yuam, Pai, Mae Sariang, Mae La Noi, Sop Moei, Pangmapha

General Information

Mae Hong Son (also Mae Hong Sorn) is one of the northern provinces of Thailand, and at the same time the westernmost. This picturesque mountain province is bordering Chiang Mai and Takand Myanmar to the west and the north. The province of Mae Hong Son covers an area of 14,244 sq, km, and is administratively divided into 6 districts, and 1 subdistrict namely: Muang, Mae Sa Riang, Mae La Noi, Pai, Khun Yuam, Sop Moei and Pang Ma Pa Subdistrict. Mae Hong Son province can be reached from Chiang Mai either by Highway No.108 or via Pai, which shortens the distance to some 274 kilometers.
The province was part of the Lannathai kingdom as well as of Burma. The strong influence of the Burmese can still be seen in the building style of the temples. Hill tribes, Burmese-style temples, rugged mountains, waterfalls, caves and pristine forests lend the province much of its unspoiled charm.

History
Historically, this province has been connected to the Golden Triangle for centuries and it also features almost as prominently as Kanchanaburi during the Japanese occupation of Thailand. Mae Hong Son, like Kachanaburi is also a rich repository of World War II sites and artifacts, with a different story to tell.
While most of the Japanese troops were concentrated in Kanchanaburi, where thousands of prisoners and slave labourers worked on the Death Railway, the Japanese also set up camps in Pai district. Some of these were near the Pong Namron hot springs, while others were scattered from Ban Napakha to Pangmapha district.
Wat Phakam, built in Thai Yai style, was used as a field hospital from 1942-45. Families of these war victims visit the area in their thousands each year to pay their respects to the spirits of their ancestors. Many Japanese and Allied troops died in Pai and Khun Yuam districts. At least 500 were buried in Mae Hong Son.
The old road leading to Mae Hong Son was used by Japanese troops during WWII and remains of their vehicles can still be seen littering the roadway just off Highway 1095 before the entry to Mae Hong Son town. The road, built with Thai labour, is one of 300 km of trails built from Mae Taeng in Chiang Mai to Pai, then from Khun Yuam to Burma via the Ban Huay Ton Noon pass. In fact, most parts of the 250-km Highway 1095 follow the former Japanese route.
Mae Lang Chan cave, situated just off Highway 1095 in Pang Mapha district is a cave situated about 120 m above the Nam Lang river. Chester Gorman an archaeologist discovered the cave in 1968 and digs have revealed tools, stones, fossil and plant evidence that put the age of the cave at anywhere from 8,350 to 9,500 years.
Few tourists have visited it as access is difficult but those who have were rewarded with evidence of 12 teakwood coffins that some sources say are at least 4,000 years old. Archaeologists have determined that 67 caves, many containing similar coffins, exist in Mae Hong Son. An expert on the caves and a resident of the area, believes that humans probably occupied the caves up until the end of the Iron Age.
Mae Hong Son, is one province in Thailand where there is much still to be discovered due to its rugged terrain. How many other secrets the area holds is anyone's guess, but you never know, you, the visitor may be the one doing the discovering.