Sopphong in Chiang Mai Province

Here's a place you might like to check out. We already mentioned it briefly in our bird watching section. . . .

The small town of Soppong, about 70Km from Mae Hong Son, will make a nice alternative to the popular tourist town of Pai.

Pai was formerly backpacker territory now turned popular tourist resort.

At first glance Soppong looks nothing special, with just a few ugly buildings and a dingy looking market. But beyond the dour exterior lies a place that resembles Pai twenty years ago.

Be warned: this isn't the sort of place to come if you like restaurants and nightlife; the place pretty much goes to sleep when the sun goes down.

Note: It isn't the place to come if you don't like snakes either, since this area has the highest snake population in Thailand. Nothing puts you off exploring the jungle more than a two-meter snake basking on your narrow forest trail.

Exploring Nature
Soppong is the place to come if you want to explore the jungle and local cave scene, frolic in the river, and just chill out in general.

Accomodation is available next to the river and there are one or two surprisingly upmarket pads among them, some with verandas built right out over the river.

Countless caves await you, of which Tham lot cave is the largest. It's also the most popular due to its 2 massive chambers and a rather interesting phenomenon involving swifts - who inhabit the cave at night - , and bats - who inhabit the cave during the day.

Everyday, at dawn and dusk, there takes place an amazingly precise changeover, with swarms of bats and swifts going in opposite directions. The whole thing is synchronized to perfection and is a big hit with tourists.

Kayaking
Kayaking day trips can also be organized, with camping option available in the dry season. Treks to visit hilltribes are very popular, as is bamboo rafting and elephant riding.
Kayaking day trips can also be organized, with camping option available in the dry season

Going Solo
Many visitors venture out into the jungle themselves to visit hilltribes, which is fine since they are well used to people coming and going.

Treks to visit hilltribes are very popular

Bamboo rafting and elephant riding in the jungle are available