Forests and endless rice fields

Day 1: Chiang Mai – Mae Kampong

Your guide will meet you at the hotel. It’s a beautiful drive to Mae Orn and onwards to Mae Kampong. Along the way, we stop to buy the ingredients for our lunch and fruit of the season. We will continue to Mae Kampong. Here we will have a drink before we board a local truck that brings us to the starting point of our hike. It’s just a short walk to the Kiw Fin viewpoint. On a clear day, you can see Doi Luang Chiang Dao, Thailand’s third-highest mountain, and Chiang Mai. We are on the edge of the Chaeson National Park.

Forest bathing in Mae Kampong’s lush forest

You have two choices: you can hike up to the summit of Doi Mon Lan which is about 45 mins up and then descend to Mae Kampong, or you can take a more accessible trail directly down to the village. Mae Kampong itself has become a popular destination, especially for local tourists in the cold season. Few visitors hike the forest trails around Mae Kampong though. It is a fantastic hike through the forest. There is time for some “forest bathing”: relax and feel the healing force of the forest!

Homestay in Mae Kampong

Along the way, we will enjoy a picnic lunch. After lunch, we will continue to the Mae Kampong waterfall. Until tourism arrived, the villagers made a living from growing Bai Miang. Your guide will explain. After arrival back in Mae Kampong, we will check into our homestay. We will recommend a small restaurant where you can have dinner on your own. After dinner, a traditional massage is available on own costs. Overnight will be at a small guesthouse in the village.

Day 2: Mae Kampong – Baan Thi – Chiang Mai

Sankamphaeng Hot Springs

We will rise early to visit the local temple and give alms to the monks. Breakfast will be at your homestay. At around 0930 we will start our journey back to Chiang Mai. After a brief stop at the Sankamphaeng Hot Springs, we will continue to Ban Thi District. It is a beautiful area with extensive rice fields, sugar palms with mountains in the background. It’s a lovely, typical Northern Thai countryside. There are many Tai Lue villages in this area.

The country of the Tai Lue

Next destination is a Tai Lue village. The Tai Lue people originally come from Yunnan in South China. About 200 years ago they migrated from Shan State to areas around Chiang Mai, such as Ban Thi and Doi Saket. The Lue people have their language, which is similar to the Northern Thai language. We will visit their small museum and make a relaxing bicycle ride through the rice fields. We will stop at several houses where people traditionally make rice cakes and bamboo baskets. The countryside here is beautiful.

Petch Viriya, the master woodcarver

Last stop today is the workshop and museum of Petch Viriya: Baan Jang Nak. It is the House of Many Elephants. You will find out why when you enter.

Petch’s ancestors are Tai Lue from Muang Yong in Shan State. They are called Tai Yong but are in fact Tai Lue. Petch is the master carver of wooden elephants. Baan Jang Nak is one of our favourite places in Chiang Mai. Baan Jang Nak is impressive. Petch also made beautiful paintings, depicting the migration of his ancestors to Chiang Mai. After this, it is time to drive back to Chiang Mai.

• English speaking guide
• Local guide in Mae Kampong
• Transportation by AC minibus
• Accommodation in a village lodge
• Two lunches and one breakfast
• Entrance fees
• Drinking water during meals
• Limited Medical Insurance

• All drinks except water during meals
• Tips
• Personal expenses
• Traditional massage

• Hiking shoes with good grip
• Sun cream
• Headgear
• Insect repellent (DEET medicated)
• Sun glasses
• Small backpack