Mae Hong Son

Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son (The City of Three Mists) is nestled in a deep valley hemmed in by high mountain ranges. Mae Hong Son is known for its charm of scenery and culture. The people of Mae Hong Son consists of the Shans who live in the city and the hill tribe people who live in remote villages on mountain tops where elements of lifestyle have changed little in hundreds of years. The city is covered with the mist all year long. Mae Hong Son gains its nickname of "the City of Three Mists" from the fact that it has dewy mist in the winter, forest fire mist in the summer and rainy mist in the rainy season. The forest along the Thai-Burmese border lies on a bio-geographic border that is rich in biodiversity. The Indo-Chinese sub-region meets the Sino-Himalayan (Indian) sub-region in the forest, so that in this area one may find plant and animal species that are similar to those found in the Himalayas and northern India, as well as those found in Indochina. The Salween River basin in Thailand and Burma is also an important historical area. Archeologists have found evidence of unique pre-historic artifacts that shed light on the origin and development of communities in Southeast Asia. Perhaps the best known site where such evidence has been found is the “Spirit Cave” in the mountainous area of Mae Hong Son District in Thailand.