Chiang Mai Province

BackGround
Chiang Mai is Thailand's principal northern city. Chiang Mai is the pro-vincial capital of a largely mountainous province, also called Chiang Mai, which is some 20,000 square kilometres in area.

Chiang Mai city is 700 kilometres north of Bangkok, was founded in 1296, and is located in a fertile valley some 300 matres above sea level.

Chiang Mai was the capital of Lanna Thai (Kingdom of One Million Ricefields), the first independent Thai kingdom within the fabled Golden Triangle. Chiang Mai flourished as a major religious, cultural and trading centre until 1556 when a Burmese invasion reduced it to a vassal state. The Burmese were expelled in 1785, whereupon Lanna Thai once again became part of northern Thailand.

Many lowland Thais regard Chiang Mai city and province as being something of a national Shangri-la, thanks to its beautiful women, distinctive festivals, historic temples dating from the 1300s, arresting scenic beauty, temperate fruits such as apples peaches and strawberries, and a crisp, invigorating cool season climate.

Attractions

 Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes live throughout northern Thailand's mountains.They share animist beliefs and honour numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship rituals, games, dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.

Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors through forested mountains and high valleys and meadows, and include visits to remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements for overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe youths who customarily speak English, Thai and at least three tribal dialects.

Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat, elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination of two or three modes of transportation.

Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around companies offering such tours for the best conditions. All treks must be registered with the Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers' protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by this law. Visitors are welcome to enquire from the Tourism Police to confirm which tour companies have negative or bad reputations.

Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs' such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin, both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe penalties for such usage.

Valuables, such as passport, jewllery and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or guest house while you are trekking upcountry.

Wear sensible clothing to protect your limbs and sleep under a mosquito net at night. Malaria is a real threat, and sensible precautions should be taken to avoid it.

Visitors should remember to

a) Respect hilltribe beliefs and religious symbols and structures.

b) Dress modestly. Hilltribe people are generally modest. Inappropriate attire may offend them.

c) Ask permission before photographing someone. Some villages do not permit photography.

d) Avoid trading western medicines and articles of clothing. Contributions to their welfare, items such as pens, paper, needles, thread, cloth and material used for embroidery are perfectly acceptable.

Trek prices are determined by the duration of the trip, transportation modes, meals available and the size of the trekking party. Average costs per person, for treks of 4-6 persons, are likely to be as follows.

Treks

2 days & 1 night/1,200 baht
3 days & 2 nights/1,800 baht
4 days & 3 nights/2,200 baht

Such costs include guide, transportation, full board, lodging, inclusive of travel by elephant back, rafts or other modes. Check directly with the Chiang Mai TAT office for current information.

Outside city

DOI SUTHEP ROUTE (Road 1004)

Tribal Research Institute
Chiang Mai University campus
This contains a permanent cultural exhibition of northern hilltribes. The centre is open, Monday through Friday, from 8.30 AM until noon, and from 1.00 to 4.30 PM.

Chiang Mai Arboreum
next to Chiang Mai University
The attractively landscaped garden contains
many kinds of tropical trees and lovely flowers.

Chiang Mai Zoo
next to the Chiang Mai Arboreum
This artfully landscaped complex occupies the lower forested slopes of Suthep mountain, and contains a fascinating collection of Asian and African mammals and birds.

Huai Kaew Falls
beside Chiang Mai Zoo
The cascade provides a delightful ambiance for relaxation and picnics.

Kruba Sriwichai Monument
foot of Suthep Mountain
This monument honours the man whose followers built the first motor road to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in 1935.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
This temple is Chiang Mai's most important and visible landmark, and overlooks the city from its forested mountain backdrop. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is 15 kilometres from town, 3,520 feet above sea level, and dates from 1383. The temple is approached on foot by climbing a steep Naga staircase comprising 290 steps. The less energetic may ascend by funicular railcars. The temple's golden pagoda contains holy Buddha relics, and attracts Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world throughout the year. The temple compound offers an exhilarating view of Chiang Mai city and surrounding countryside.

Phu Phing Palace
This is located on the same road, beyond Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on Doi Buak Ha, 22 kilometres from town. The royal winter palace was built in 1962. The lavishly landscaped gardens and grounds are open to the general public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and official holidays, when the Thai royal family is not in residence.

Doi Pui Tribal Village
This Meo tribal village is some 4 kilometres from the Phu Phing Palace, and offers vignettes of modern tribal life.

Pha Dam (Black Cliff)
This area near Wat Phra That Doi Suthep comprises a scenic spot ideal for picnics.

WESTERN ROUTE
(Highway 108 & Road 1009)
Old Chiang Mai Cultural Centre
Located on the road to Chom Thong, the centre stages Lanna Thai cultural performances with a Khantoke Dinner. Objets d'art are displayed.

Earthenware & Lacquerware Shops
These are clustered together, some 4 kilometres from town, on the Chiang Mai-Hang Dong Road.

Wat Phra That Si Chum Thong
This temple is 58 kilometres from Chiang Mai and dates from the mid-1400s. The temple houses a collection of bronze Buddha images, and the secondary chapel contains a holy Buddha relic.

Mae Klang Waterfall
Chiang Mai's most photographed waterfall lies some 58 kilometres west of the city at the foot of Doi Inthanon Mountain, and provides a picturesque setting for picnics and relaxation.

Borichinda Cave
Visiting the cave, which provides a pleasant setting for picnics, entails a 10-minute drive and a walk of some 2 hours from the Mae Klang Waterfall.

Doi Inthanon National Park
The 1,005-square-kilometre park covers Thailand's highest mountain (2,565 metros). The lovely Wachirathan, Siriphum and Mae Pan waterfalls share the mountain with Meo and Karen hilltribe settlements. Forest above 1,800 metres is covered with lichens and wild orchids.

Mae Yae Waterfall
This is located 12 kilometres from Chom Thong market and is best visited by local mini-bus.

Ob Luang Gorge
This picturesque gorge is 88 kilometres from Chiang Mai provincial capital, and is framed by teak forests and mountains.

NORTHERN ROUTE
(Highway 107 & Road 1096)

Lanna Golf Course
This public 18-hole golf course is located at Nong Hoi, some 4 kilometres from town. The course is open daily from 6.00 AM until 7.00 PM. Golf club rentals and caddy services are available.

Chiang Mai Green Valley Golf Course
This is located some 16 kilometres from town along the same road, and is open to the public.

Orchid & Butterfly Farms
Major nurseries in the Mae Sa Valley include the Mountain Orchid, Mae Rim Orchid and Sai Nam Phung Orchid complexes. Each provide opportunities for visitors to admire these exotic year-round blooms. Certain orchid farms also have special butterfly enclosures wherein exotic
species can be seen in their natural environment.

Mae Sa Waterfall
This 8-tiered waterfall is 26 kilometres from town and occupies a natural setting among gigantic, towering trees.

Elephant Training Centres
Each morning, at Km 10 on the Mae Rim-Samoeng route, trained elephants demonstrate their formidable and highly valued forestry skills from 9.30 until 11.00 AM, at the Mae Sa Elephant Training Centre. The centre is some 30 kilometres from town. Admission is 80 baht per person. A jungle tour on elephant back, lasting more than two hours through adjacent forests, is offered after the show and costs 250 baht per person. Elephants can also be seen at the Pong Yaeng Elephant Centre at KM 19 on the same route.

Resorts
Several picturesque resorts, with accommodation and dining facilities, offer bucolic rural living on the Mae Rim-Samoeng route (1096) and include Mae Sa Valley Resort and Erawan Resort, and the Samoeng-Hang Dong route (1239) which includes Lanna Resort, Krisadadoi Resort and Suan Bua
Resort. Some occupy hillsides, others secluded valleys.

Taeng Dao Elephant Camp
This riverside enclave, at KM 56 on Highway 107, features daily shows of elephants at work, from 9.00 AM until 10.00 AM, and from 10.00 AM until 11.00 AM, and offers elephant rides, and opportunities for bucolic river-rafting through largely
pristine and tranquil forests, or jungle treks to neighbouring hilltribe settlements.

Chiang Dao Caves
Sacred Buddha images occupy the caves of Wat Tham Chiang Dao at KM 72 on Highway 107. Caves are illuminated by electric lights. Deepest recesses can be explored with local guides.

Doi Ang Khang
This royal agricultural station, 163 kilometres north of Chiang Mai provincial capital, is a demonstration site for planting and researching flowering plants, temperate fruit trees, vegetables and other crops, and enjoys the patronage of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Fang Hot Springs
Located at Ban Pin, also 163 kilometres north of Chiang Mai provincial capital, 50 hot springs occupy a 10-acre forest setting. Three boil continuously with a string smell of sulphur. Water
temperatures at the springs range from 90 to 100 degrees Celsius.

EASTERN ROUTE (Road 101)
Bor Sang Umbrella/Parasol Village
The world-famous village is 9 kilometres from town, along a road lined with handicraft-producing factories. In genuine cottage industries, young women manufacture silk and cotton umbrellas and paper parasols which are subsequently hand painted in various animal and floral designs. Generations of Bor Sang families have been engaged in umbrella and parasol making for more than 200 years.

San Kamphaeng
Cotton & Silk Weaving Village
This equally famous village is located 13 kilometres from town. The village is the major source of all Thai silk and cotton produced in Chiang Mai. The fabrics are woven by local folk on traditional wooden looms, and are sold in a wide variety of plain lengths, plaids, brocades, stripes, prints and checks.

San Kamphaeng
Hot Springs
This is located 36 kilometres from town amid natural surroundings of trees and verdant hills. The water has a high sulphur content and possesses curative and restorative properties. Accommodation, a swimming pool, dining facilities and segregated mineral water bathing rooms are available. Accommodation can be booked by contacting the Sam Kamphaeng Hot Spring Co-operative Village, Chiang Mai 50130 or Tel: 01-510-0418

information of this page come from Tourism Authority of Thailand.

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