Three-Hour ATV Ride — Firebreak Trails & Mork Fah Waterfall
The longest ride at the Mae Rim site: firebreak trails, challenging off-road tracks, the buffalo museum, the Long Neck Karen village and Mork Fah waterfall.
- Duration
- Three hours of riding
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Max group
- 20 pax
Three hours, firebreak trails and a waterfall at the end of it — this is the full version of what the Mae Rim site can offer, and the only session that reaches Mork Fah. Firebreaks are cut straight up and along the hillsides to stop dry-season fires spreading, which makes them steep, exposed and unusually good fun on a quad.
Between the hard riding there are three stops with substance: the Thai buffalo museum, the Long Neck Karen village, and Mork Fah waterfall, a tall single-drop fall in the forest that most visitors to Chiang Mai never get to. Three hours is enough time for all of it without any of it feeling hurried.
The machines are automatic, staff lead the group and take the difficult lines first, and the pace adapts to who is riding. That said, this is the hardest session here and three hours is a long time to be holding on. If you have not ridden before, start with one hour and work up.
The base is in Mae Rim, twenty to thirty minutes north of Chiang Mai, and open every day from eight until eight. Transport is not included; a private return transfer can be added for 1,000 THB.
- Three hours of riding — the longest and hardest session at the site
- Firebreak trails cut up and along the hillsides: steep, exposed and fast
- Mork Fah waterfall, reached only on this session
- The Thai buffalo museum and the Long Neck Karen village en route
- Challenging off-road tracks beyond the standard forest trails
- Automatic ATVs with staff leading and taking the hard lines first
- Driver and passenger priced separately
What's included
- ✓ Automatic ATV for the three-hour session
- ✓ Staff leading the ride
- ✓ Stops at the Thai buffalo museum, the Long Neck Karen village and Mork Fah waterfall
- Transport to and from the site — a private return transfer to your accommodation is available for 1,000 THB
- Food and drinks, unless stated
- Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
- Damage to the ATV caused by reckless riding
- Souvenirs and purchases in the villages
- Gratuities for the guides
- On arrival
Sign in and briefing
Registration at the Mae Rim base, controls explained, practice loop in the yard.
- +15 min
Onto the firebreaks
Out of the yard and onto the firebreak trails — straight, steep and exposed, cut up the hillsides against dry-season fires.
- +60 min
Challenging off-road tracks
Off the firebreaks and onto harder trail: ruts, loose surfaces and climbs, ridden in a led group.
- +100 min
Thai buffalo museum
A stop off the machine at the buffalo museum.
- +140 min
Long Neck Karen village
The village stop, with time to look at the weaving and the households.
- +165 min
Mork Fah waterfall
The turnaround point: Mork Fah, a tall single-drop waterfall in the forest and the reason to book the long session rather than a short one.
- +180 min
Back to base
The ride home, gear returned and a wash before you leave.
Each ATV takes one driver and one passenger, and the two are priced separately — the driver pays for the machine, the passenger pays a smaller fee to ride behind. If both of you want to drive, book two driver places.
No. The ATVs are automatic and staff brief you on the controls and lead the ride, so first-timers are the norm here. No driving licence is required for the private trails.
Not on the ride products. The site is in Mae Rim, about 20 to 30 minutes north of Chiang Mai, and the operator offers a private return transfer to your accommodation for 1,000 THB per booking. Otherwise make your own way there — plenty of people combine it with a day out in Mae Rim.
A strip cleared through the forest, usually straight up or across a slope, to stop dry-season fires from spreading. They are steep, open and give long views, and they make excellent ATV tracks.
The brochure does not say, and conditions vary a great deal by season, so bring swimwear by all means but treat it as a bonus rather than a promise. The waterfall is at its most impressive in and just after the rainy season.
Honestly, yes for most people. It is the hardest session here. If you have never ridden a quad, book one hour, and if you love it, come back for this one.
Ask before photographing anyone, buy directly from the households if you want a souvenir, and do not hand money or sweets to children. The communities here host visitors deliberately and your entrance and purchases are what make that work.