Westernmost Point of Thailand - Bikes Boats and Beers

December 14, 2025

That time of the year for our annual trip up to the north of Thailand.

After the boring highways we reach the sign for Mae Sot.
Then it feels like we are on holiday as we head over the mountains and the temperature drops by 5c at the peak.

The next morning 9am and still 15c as we leave Mae Sot.

First a stop at Mae Tawo for a break and quick look over to Myanmar before heading on to Sob Moei.

Such a magical spot.

We arrive at Sob Moei and head to the Karen Church to give the donations from the office staff. The donations will be distributed to the people living their traditional way of life in the hills around Sob Moei in Mae Hong Son.

Go check in at the local resort. This is a nice place, that rustic feel. No other people. Big lawns and lots of space to relax, unpack and get ready for the next week of riding.

That night dinner and beers with our local friends that live in Sob Moei and from Mae Sariang.

The next day we head to Salawin National Park with endless river trails to the village we will sleep the night.

This is the location of the village. A few years early we passed through this village. It looked so nice and tranquil. Made a promise to myself to come back and camp here one night.

We arrived in the dark, cooked up a couple of Aussie Ribeye steaks that night and had smoked back bacon for breakfast with eggs. The village sold us some other ingredients and loaned us a frypan and other utensils.

The steaks and smoked bacon were amazing. Thank you Western Foods Thailand.

Wake up with the clouds low over the mountains.

The village school.

We were quite a hit with the kids coming down to say hello and watch the drone.

Three years earlier we sat here. Pom asked to take the same picture.

While fueling up in the village, the locals are all watching.

We camped to the left in the shadow along the river edge.
The village to the right.

The next day we head off towards the Salween river to camp the night and take the boat up to the Westernmost Point of Thailand.

Some really really narrow single trails as we made it closer to the river. Plus steep too. I cooked my rear brake once and Filip cooked his going down the steep hairpin turns.

There is no trail on the GPS map to get here. It is all local knowledge and Pom speaking Karen with the local villagers. Not sure how we would have found the way alone as many of the villagers didn’t speak any Thai at all and what Thai was spoken was very basic.

We arrived then had to ride the bikes 400 metres up the river edge with sand and rocks before making it to where we will camp in front of the Border Patrol Police and where we will take the boat from the next day.

There is a little boat house / shop on the river. The local Karen people were super friendly. Sold us some beer and a chicken to cook over the fire later. Even butchered it for us.

Chilling with the locals and enjoying a few beers before setting up camp.

Myanmar tobacco.

Can’t beat them. Join them, just a bit of fun and a couple of puffs before putting it out.
5 baht, three myanmar local smokes.

Camp Site.

The shop is on the river to the bottom left of the picture. The Border Patrol Police behind us.

Pom gathered up a load of firewood.

The chicken the shop butchered for us, slow cooked on the flames.

About 10 pm at night with a long exposure on the phone.

We could see the moon clearly, shooting stars as well as satellites moving across the skyline.

Wake up early as our boat will be arriving soon.

A Karen village over the river in Karen State Myanmar, diagonally opposite our camp site.

On our way to the Westernmost Point of Thailand.

First a stop at this stunning rock pool being fed from a stream coming out of the mountains.
If you look closely, you can see where the water overflows in to the river.

The water is warm and fresh all year around.

We continue up the river to the Westernmost Point of Thailand.

There are many Border Patrol Police posts like this dotted along the river.
The place we camped at had a helicopter fly in and out while we were there.

The Westernmost Point of Thailand

We head back down the river to where we camped. It was about 1.5 hours up and 1.5 hours back plus time spent at both locations.

Our campsite near the Border Patrol Police and our little shop on the river’s edge.

Now we have to pack up everything and get ready for the next, bigger boat to take us to Mae Sam Lap.
We could have ridden there, but would have been a lot of backtracking and we were all a bit tired.

Personally, I was happy to take a boat trip down the Salween river and take it all in. Epic.

Bikes Boats and Beers.
Time to load up the bikes.

We need to position the bikes based on weight as there will be some choppy areas on the river further downstream.

The 701 at the back as the heaviest.

The locals from the Boat house came to watch the excitement.
They said we are the first to camp there and I am pretty sure we are the first caucasians the baby has ever seen.

The boat we took is from Karen State. So, I guess technically. We are under KNU custody while on the river and in the boat.

As we are going down the river. We stop at a boat house for some beers and snacks.

Cheers.

We gave the skipper and his first mate a beer too. They were super happy.
Beer is expensive to buy out here and the people don’t make a lot of money for such “luxuries”.

We had to stop here on the Karen State side. Pom ran up the embankment with the first mate and signed the log book. Basically explain what we are doing on the river and register with the KNU forces.
No fees and no hassles at all.

The Police Jail on the Thai side from yesteryear and now a museum.

More of the Border Patrol Police outposts along the river.

Some of the lovely scenery along the Salween river.

The Captain of the boat informed us this is a refugee camp on the Myanmar side of the river.

We make it to Mae Sam Lap and for the first time in 3 days.

Mobile phone signal, electricity, restaurants. It felt like New York – just kidding.

Then we ride on to Ban Sop Moei. On the confluence of the Salween and Moei rivers.

Our Campsite for the night, up on top ready for the morning sea of fog.
Ban Sop Moei below where you can just make out the river.

Our tents to the right. No sleep walkers allowed.

Mae La Ma Luang (Refugee) Camp.
We were here last year and I regretted after crossing the river on boats with the bikes. Not stopping and having a look. So we made a special trip to visit the locally made suspension bridge.

We walked out to the middle. Filip thought it was too sketchy and stayed back.
I am usually the more hesitant one.

A few drone shots.

This lovely lady asked us to take her photo. Of course we were happy to oblige.

We were going to camp another night. But decided to stay at the resort where the car is parked and have a night out in Mae Sariang. Four nights camping and we had hit all the main spots we wanted to see.. So a comfortable bed for the night it was indeed.

The lovely lady at the resort even did a load of washing for both of us. When leaving, she wouldn’t take any money and asked that we come back again.

Mae Tawo

Time to head back to Mae Tawo for a couple of nights. Love stopping and chilling here at the end of a trip. Nice wind down and 1.5 hours closer to Mae Sot than if we left Sob Moei.

Tonight we are having a BBQ on the beach.

A few Drone shots at dusk of Mae Tawo.

Looking back to Thailand.

Looking over to the Myanmar side of Mae Tawo.

From rock scrambling up the pagoda at the back of Mae Tawo looking towards Myanmar.
I stopped about 20 metres from the top. Filip and Pom went all the way up.

Rock scrambling is really not my thing so end up walking like a crab getting back down.