Mae Hong Son
Thailand's most mountainous province (90% peaks, 87% forest)—seven ethnic groups including refugee Kayan 'Long Neck' Karen now depend on tourism that monetizes their isolation.
Mae Hong Son is Thailand's highest refuge. Ninety percent of this 12,765 square kilometer province rises as steep mountains—forest covers 87% of the land—making it the most topographically extreme territory in the kingdom. Doi Mae Ya peaks at 2,005 meters in Pai District. The nickname "City of Three Mists" reflects year-round cloud cover that insulates highland communities from lowland integration.
That inaccessibility preserved what accessibility destroyed elsewhere. Seven ethnic groups—Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Lawa, Miao, Chinese Yunnan, and Pa-O—comprise 60% of the population. The Kayan "Long Neck" Karen arrived as refugees from Myanmar's conflicts starting in the late 1980s, finding in these mountains what they couldn't find in their homeland: safety through remoteness. Their villages now depend almost entirely on tourism; women wearing traditional brass neck coils generate income through entrance fees and handicrafts.
The border economy shapes everything. Mae Hong Son shares 454 kilometers with Myanmar—five official trade crossings generate approximately 1.6 billion baht annually. Tourism brings 800,000 visitors yearly, worth 3.5 billion baht, seeking "authentic" hill tribe experiences. But authenticity and tourism exist in tension: the very isolation that preserved these cultures now monetizes their visibility. Elephants still work here, trekking tourists through terrain too rugged for vehicles, while communities like Pha Mon and Muang Pam balance between traditional livelihoods and photogenic commerce.