Avoiding the Road 105 from Mae Sot

This off-road motorcycle track takes you from Mae Sot (แม่สอด) in Western Thailand up to Tha Song Yang (ท่าสองยาง). I tried to avoid Highway 105 as much as possible to take in the epic mountain landscapes Tak Province (จังหวัดตาก) has to offer.

The route begins with a detour to the Thai border village of Ban Wang Pha (บ้านวังผา), directly facing the city of Shwe Kokko (ชเวโกะโก) on the Myanmar side. Controlled by Chinese interests, this city hosts multiple scam centers, and its towering skyscrapers create a surreal skyline for such a remote region. A notable stop is the "China View Cafe," which even built a mini "Great Wall of China" to add to the absurdity of the spot.

Further north, the real adventure starts when you turn right onto Road 7054 (formerly Rural Road 3054). This newly paved mountain route links all the way to Mae Tuen (แม่ตื่น) in Chiang Mai Province (จังหวัดเชียงใหม่). Keep an eye out for loose sand in the corners! After 30 km of riding through this beautiful valley, with a few steep climbs, you branch off the asphalt and hit the trail. I'm exaggerating a bit, as it was actually a mix of dirt track and pavement rather than pure off-road.

I rode this section in light rain and encountered a few muddy patches, but nothing too extreme for a Honda CRF300L on 50/50 dual-sport tires, except for one strangely slippery climb where I ended up dropping the bike. Note that this trail passes through several local hill tribe villages and isn't entirely isolated, so you'll cross paths with villagers if you ever need breakdown assistance.

Once you reach the junction leading back to Route 105, you can take a detour right up to Wat Kho Pha Do (วัดเคาะผะโด๊ะ), a scenic temple in the clouds I've visited previously. This time around, I had to turn back near the top because the steep concrete road was covered in wet moss and completely slick.

Even so, the final descent back down toward Route 105 is fantastic, winding through endless, sweeping cornfields.