Frans Betgem writes all the Green Trails blogs. He tries to write a blog per month but in the last couple of years, this has been quite difficult. Sometimes the blogs are stories about travel experiences or about certain trails. The blog Frans particularly likes is the story about the Opium Trail in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. This is a fantastic trail that starts at the Hmong village Doi Pui. After leaving the village you will soon find yourself in an evergreen forest with pine trees and lush vegetation.
The trail is not too difficult until you arrive at a more open space. Here the trail becomes steep but not too steep to keep walking. At the top of the trail, you will reach an area with rocks and boulders. There is a Buddha footprint here. If the skies are clear you have a fantastic view over the surrounding mountains and plains. From there you descend to the Hmong village Ban Mae Sa Mai. Enjoy our Green Trails blogs.
Two other favorite Green Trails blogs are those about the two great trails in the Doi Inthanon National Park. The Pha Dok Siew Trail is open the whole year and takes you along a beautiful waterfall to the Karen village Ban Mae Klang Luang. The other trail is the famous Kew Mae Pan Trail, which can become very busy during the cool season.
Maesa Elephant Conservation Park in 2022 Woman feeding an elephant at Mae Sa Elephant Camp The remarkable transformation of the Mae Sa Elephant Camp In 2019, just before the pandemic struck, the owners of the Maesa Elephant Camp rebranded this elephant venue as the Maesa Elephant Conservation Park. Many people though still associate this home […]
Table of Contents The Doi Pui Hmong Village on Doi Suthep The Doi Pui Hmong Village is located in the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. The village’s total area is almost 11 sq km of forest, agricultural land, and residential area. According to locals, around 2,000 and 2,500 people live in this village. The Hmong are […]
What is the best time to visit North Thailand? What is the general consensus? The general consensus is that the rainy season is not the best time to visit North Thailand. According to Met office from the UK, the best time to visit North Thailand is between November and February. The temperatures are at their […]
Walk up and down these Sticky Waterfalls in Chiang Mai! Table of Contents The Bua Tong Waterfall-Chet Si Fountain National Park The official name of the Bua tong Sticky Waterfalls Chiang Mai is the Bua Tong Waterfall-Chet Si Fountain National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติน้ำตกบัวตอง-น้ำพุเจ็ดสี). The waterfall is located within the boundaries of the Sri Lanna National […]
The Chiang Mai Opium Trail Table of Contents Hiking on Doi Suthep The Chiang Mai Opium Trail: introduction The Chiang Mai Opium Trail is a trail of approximately 12 km from the Hmong village Doi Pui (บ้านดอยปุย) to another Hmong village Ban Mae Sa Mai (บ้านแม่สาใหม่). It is a trail of natural beauty, fantastic views, […]
Table of Contents Introduction to Doi Angkhang Doi Angkhang or Doi Ang Khang (Thai: ดอยอ่างขาง) is a mountain in Fang district, in the north of Chiang Mai province, close to the Thai-Myanmar border. The mountain is part of the Daen Lao Range (Thai: ทิวเขาแดนลาว), that stretches on the Myanmar side all the way to the […]
Table of Contents Introduction to Ban Mae Klang Luang Ban Mae Klang Luang (บานแม่กลางหลวง) is a S’gaw Karen village in Doi Inthanon National Park. It is a community of the White Karen people. The name of the village refers to the Klang River (Mae Klang) from which the community receives its drinking water. “Luang” means […]
Table of Contents Thailand and the Opium problem Only in the 1990s Thai authorities were successful in eradicating the poppy fields from the mountains in North Thailand. In 1991 opium was still available in some hill tribe communities but disappeared in later years. Immigrants from China brought with them the habit of opium smoking to […]
Making friends with a temple dog Improving the lives of Chiang Mai cats and dogs Green Trails supports HandtoPaw, volunteers who work tirelessly to improve the lives of street and temple dogs and cats in Mae Rim and around Chiang Mai. An American school counselor, called Amandine, runs HandtoPaw with several Thai volunteers. I have […]
Table of Contents The Sea of Clouds from the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail on Doi Inthanon Hiking on the Roof of Thailand The Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail is without a doubt the most popular trail in Doi Inthanon National Park. The Hmong people from the nearby Baan Khun Klang community maintain and manage the […]