In the mountains near Mae Hong Son live various ethnic tribes. The Karen constitute approximately half of these mountain tribes. Most Karen are animists dependent on the cultivation of rice. Married women wear colourful clothes, ususally a jacket with white and pink strips. Young girls are often dressed in white clothes and the men wear modern jeans and a t-shirt. The Lahu have their own dresscode. Conspicuous is their jacket with large coloured strips along the sleeves and the shoulders. The Lahu used to cultivate opium, but because of government regulations the cultivation has diminished. The Yao make beautiful embroidery and used to cultivate opium as well. They are pantheists in their belief that God and the world are identical, and they worship their ancestors. The women wear black blouses and black skirts or trousers with colourful embroidery and coloured cloths around the waist. They have a big black or dark blue embroidered hat or turban on their head and a kind of red feathered boa around their neck. The Akha live on the mountain slopes or tops and are one of the poorest minorities in Thailand. They have no written language. They are pantheists and worship their ancestors. They cultivate cotton and rice as well as maize, beans and other vegetables. The women wear black blouses and skirts up to the knees and rounded breast ornaments. The cap on their head is trimmed with ornaments and coins. The Lisu live in clans, many are animists and worship their ancestors. The women wear multicoloured blouses with long sleeves and a girdle over their trousers. They have a wide black turban on their head with long strings. The men wear a black silver decorated jacket and blue or bright green trousers.
The Longneck people live in the Golden Triangle to the north of Mae Hong Son. They are a part of the Paduang tribe, one of many Karen tribes. They live isolated in the mountains of northern Thailand. As refugees they are not allowed to leave their village without permission. A bumpy road leads to one of the villages. The village is hid in a mountain basin. The villagers have no watertaps or sewerage nor electricity. They wash at the village waterpump and excrete in the woods. Since childhood the women in the village receive a part of their dowry, consisting of silver and golden rings around the neck. These rings push the shoulders down which makes the neck look longer. Not every girl or woman receives these rings. Only those born on a wednesday or a full moon's day have the "honour" of wearing the rings around their neck. Other women in the village wear heavy ornaments in their ears stretching the earlobes. The villagers make a living by selling handmade textiles.
A raft trip on the river Pai reveals a pristine nature of monsoon forests consisting of leafloose trees like oak trees. Many trees have their roots growing firmly into the ground or reaching over the rock bottom into the water. In some places there is a house with a field in the middle of nowhere. The trip on the river is on a bamboo raft.