Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
All long-distance
sŏrng·tăa·ou
, minivans and buses leave from Mae Sot's
bus station
(
0 5553 2949; Th Intharakhiri)
, located 1.5km west of town; a motorcycle taxi to/from here
should cost about 50B.
Getting Around
Most of central Mae Sot can be navigated on foot. Motorcycle taxis and săhm·lór charge
40B for trips within the centre of town.
Sŏrng·tăa·ou
to the Friendship Bridge leave from a
stop
on Th Bun Khun (20B, 15
minutes, frequent from 6am to 6pm) .
Many guesthouses hire motorbikes for around 250B for 24 hours.
8am-5pm)
This retail shop rents motorbikes
Mr Park
(
0 5553 3900; 304-304/1 Th Intharakhiri;
for 150B to 200B per 24 hours.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Mae Sot to Um Phang
Rte 1090 goes south from Mae Sot to Um Phang, 150km away. This stretch of road used
to be called the 'Death Highway' because of the guerrilla activity in the area that hindered
highway development. Those days ended in the 1980s, but lives are still lost because of
brake failure or treacherous turns on this steep, winding road through incredible mountain
scenery.
Along the way there are two waterfalls,
Nam Tok Thararak
( 6am-6pm)
, 26km
from Mae Sot, and
Nam Tok Pha Charoen
( 6am-6pm)
, 41km from Mae Sot. Nam Tok
Thararak streams beside a picturesque
chedi
and over limestone cliffs and calcified rocks
with a rough texture that makes climbing the falls easy. It's been made into a park of sorts,
with benches right in the stream at the base of the falls for cooling off and a couple of out-
house toilets nearby; on weekends food vendors set up here. The turn-off isn't clear; look
for the sign indicating Chedi Kho.
Just beyond Ban Rom Klao 4 - roughly midway between Mae Sot and Um Phang - is
Um Piam
, a very large Karen and Burmese refugee village with around 20,000 refugees that
were moved here from camps around Rim Moei. There are also several Hmong villages in
the area.
