The village is surrounded by hills and stretches along the Lang River in a karstic landscape. If you are willing to escape the crowds and have a few slow days, you are in the right part of the world.
Located in the heart of the Mae Hong Son province in a district called Pang Mapha, Ban Tham Lod ( Tham Lod Village) is at a slight elevation ( around 700
meters ). Evenings can get a bit chilly in the cool season.
It is a Shan ethnic village that started growing in the 1960s with some Northern Thai farmers from the Shan tribe who decided to settle down in this valley to grow mountain rice, water rice, and also to breed cows.
Nowadays the village is composed of 1,500 villagers, and half of those are Shan Burmese who emigrate for a better life.
The villagers work as craftsmen, and rice or vegetable growers, although Shan tribes perpetuate the tradition of hunting.