Mae Sariang

Mae Sariang sits on the Yuam river on the southern arm of the Mae Hong Son loop, and it is the town most people drive through on the way between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son. Stopping is the point. It has two Shan Burmese temples worth an hour - Wat Jong Sung and Wat Si Bunruang, side by side, with the tiered roofs, layered finials and mirror-work interiors of the Shan style rather than Thai - a riverside walk, a morning market, and a handful of guesthouses. Its population is mixed Shan, Karen, Thai and Muslim, and the town functions as the market centre for a large area of hill country and for Karen communities along the Salween further west. There is no attraction as such and no organised tourism, and a day there is spent walking, eating and watching a small town work. The road in either direction is long and winding.

What you actually see

• The Shan temples - Wat Jong Sung and Wat Si Bunruang, side by side.
• The Yuam river - the riverside walk and the bridge.
• The morning market - the trading centre for the surrounding hill country.
• The mixed town - Shan, Karen, Thai and Muslim communities together.

When to go

November to February; avoid March and April, the burning season, when air quality across this region is very poor. Overnight is the sensible format on the loop.

Honest expectations

There is no attraction here - the appeal is the absence of one, which does not suit everyone. Limited English. Few restaurants and guesthouses. Long winding drives in both directions.

Nearby

Mae Hong Son is north; Chiang Mai is east; the Salween and the Myanmar border are west.