Trekking to Hilltribe Villages
Numerous
hilltribes live around Chiang Rai and along Mae Kok River such as the Yao, the
Akha, the Blue and White Meo, Lisu, Lahu, Lahu Shi and Skaw and Karen. Many follow
their own customs, religion (animism) style of dress and dance. While tourism
may have seemed invasive in the past, it is now providing a way of preserving
the unique lifestyle and a means of retaining hill tribe culture. Most tours visit
in small groups.
Hill Tribe Museum
A
small, but very interesting museum that will probably teach you more, in less
than an hour, than a day trip through the countryside. The museum offers, with
the help of international volunteers, a fascinating 20-minute slide show to help
visitors understand the different cultures of the nine major hill tribes.
Children
will enjoy touching many of the objects, seeing how the tools work, and peeking
into the model houses. There is a handicraft/clothing shop in front of the office
where high-quality items are for sale. These items fund the Population and Community
Development Association (PDA) - a non-governmental organization (NGO) responsible
for some of the most effective tribal development projects in the region.
Open
daily 9am to 8pm; Admission is a suggested contribution of 50B for the slide show.)
Located 620/25 Thanalai Rd, east of Wisetwang Road
(Tel. (053) 71-9167)
Lots
of opportunities for rafting both along the Mekong and Mae Kok rivers. The Mekong,
one of Asia's mightiest rivers, begins in Tibet and flows some 4,500 kilometres
eventually into the South China Sea. The Mekong can be explored from Chiang Saen
by an exhilarating 3-hour boat trip downstream to Chiang Khong, or, far more sedately,
from Sop Ruak.
The 130-km-long Mae Kok is one of the most scenic and unspoilt
rivers in Thailand. Rafting trips are often combined with ''inland" excursions,
like elephant trekking to hilltribe villages. You can take a short trip or cover
longer distances, staying at local villages on route.
You can also hire
a long-tail boat along the river, any time from 7am until 11pm, stopping at sites
along the way. A full-day trip to Thathon and back costs around 2,100B for boat
hire. Stop off at the Buddha cave, a temple within a cavern; an elephant camp,
a hot spring; and a riverside Lahu village. If you have limited time, you can
hire a boat stopping at only one or two attractions. Costs vary from 300B to 700B
depending on the stops and your bargaining ability. The ferry pier is beyond the
bridge across from the Dusit Island Resort.
Wonderful countryside, cool
mountain air - definitely back to nature. Most scenic attractions can be visited
in a day from Chiang Rai. In the vicinity of Chiang Rai, you can tour historic
Chiang Saen, visit the scenic Golden Triangle, shop at the Mae Sai border, or
explore the cool hillsides of Doi Mae Salong. Here's a few of the ones you really
shouldn't miss...
Mae
Sai on the Burmese Border
The
northernmost town of Thailand is separated from the Burmese border town of Tachilek
by a small river also called Mae Sai. A popular spot for both Thai and foreign
tourists, who come to see the sights and buy jade and other precious stones produced
in Burma. Mae Sai is a thriving trading post for local goods, clothing, hilltribe
products, jade ornaments, trinkets and jewelry of Burmese origin.
Current attractions include an elephant show (including rides) and a nature park,
as well as orchid nurseries. Most of these attractions are packaged by Chiang
Mai tour operators as a half-day trip costing around 700B.
Doi
Mae Salong
After the Communists took over the mainland of China in 1949,
a division of the Nationalist Chinese army fled to the Thai-Burmese border areas.
Some of were allowed to settle down on a border mountain called Mae Salong in
1961. The road up the mountain has enchanting scenery and plenty of hairpin bends,
penetrating the mountains for some 35 kilometres to end at Santi Kiri, the mountain
top settlement where the descendants of the defeated Nationalist Chinese soldiers
tend tea and coffee plantations, orchards and flower and vegetable gardens. A
resort complex allows an overnight stay. The village, a sort of 'high-altitude
Chinatown' contains several spice shops, teahouses and restaurants.
Pu
Kaeng and Other waterfalls
Waterfall enthusiasts will enjoy the plentiful
waterfalls around Chiang Rai. Pu Kaeng is the largest with around 17 "steps".
Located in Doi Luang National Park about 58 km from Chiang Rai. Mae
Kon, another beautiful waterfall is only 30 km from the provincial town. Sai
Khao Waterfall only 240m away from the main highway No.1, also has
hot springs nearby.
Chiang Saen
Chiang
Saen was one of the ancient capitals of the Lanna Thai (The Kingdom of One Million
Rice fields) which dominated northern Thailand from the late 1200s. Older than
Chiang Rai the town is historically important, forming the beginning of a distinctive
style of Buddhist sculpture during the late thirteenth century. The remains of
several noteworthy religious monuments can still be seen. The town museum contains
bronze Buddha images and artifacts excavated locally.
The
Golden Triangle
Located 9 km north of Chiang Saen is where the borders
of Thailand, Burma and Laos meet, known as "The Golden Triangle." You
can stand at the very point where the Rauk River from Burma flows into the Mekong,
to take a lovely view of the rice fields and the distant mountains. To get a wider
view, you can climb up Doi Chiang Miang on the riverside. Don't expect to see
poppy fields, heroin factories, drug addicts or traffickers here - just enjoy
the view. The heady days of the international drug cartels are over and Chiang
Rai sits quietly at the gateway of a Golden Triangle where the power of the tourist
currency outweighs the draw of drug money.
The
Wats (Temples)
Wat Phra Kaeo
Legend tells us that the temple
spire was struck by lightning in 1436 to reveal the precious green jasper Buddha
now relocated in Bangkok's Royal Wat Phra Kaeo. A replica of the image is now
on display.
Wat Phra Singh
The restored 15th century wat has
a replica of the Phra Singh Buddha, a highly revered Theravada Buddhist image;
the original was removed to Chiang Mai's Wat Phra Singh. Located close to Wat
Phon on Trairat Road.
Perched on a hill on the northwest side of town, the
Burmese-style Wat Doi Tong (Phra That Chomtong) has great views of the
town and a panorama of the Mae Kok valley. The temple can be reached by a steep
staircase off Kaisornrasit Road and according to local legend, it's said that
King Mengrai chose this site for his new Lanna capital.
