In Lanna and loving it
A new travel guide takes drivers around the northern province of Chiang Mai. We check out our favourite five routes
Many would ask why opt for a self-drive trip in Chiang Mai when it's easy and relatively cheap to arrange for a van and a driver, allowing you to sit back and watch the landscape roll by, much as you would a movie?But drive yourself and you are in the movie, an integral part of the Northern beauty around you. You're also independent, free to go where and when you please.
The old capital of the Lanna Kingdom offers panoramic views, magnificent mountains and ethnic diversity. There is no better way to see Chiang Mai than by car. The Nation recently released "Weekend Road Trips Around Chiang Mai" - a self-drive guide to destinations in the province. Here's our pick of the five best routes for a winter escape around the beautiful North.
PAI: ALL OVER THE HILL AND FAR AWAY
Start: Chiang Mai city. Head along the east side of Doi Suthep, passing Mae Rim and Mae Taeng districts.
Route (133 kilometres): From Chiang Mai's downtown take highway 107 towards Mae Rim, and keep going to Mae Taeng. The road to Pai starts in Mae Rim's Mae Malai village at the junction of highway 1095. Pai is 96 kilometres away. A five-minute drive off highway 1095 leads into Mae Malai marketplace. Expect steep uphill climbs and sharp turns when passing Ban Pa Pae - where you can stop over to enjoy the hot spring. You're half way to Pai when you reach the Huay Nam Dung National Park, a good place to take a break and enjoy a caffeine kick and a snack. From the national park, the road sweeps down and twists its way through the Pai valley.
Look out for: Lots of mountains and rice paddies stretching out over the valley. Shops with artistic stuff, fusion food, and stylish coffee shops abound in the peaceful valley, as Pai is famous with young travellers. Around Pai, visit Wat Nam Hu, Pai Canyon, Ban Santichon and Ban Mae Ping White Karen Village.
Where to stay: Phu Pai Art Resort (www.PhuPai.com), Hotel des Artists (www.HotelArtists.com) and Baan Pai Village & Riverside (www.BaanPaiVillage.com)
MAE CHAEM: SERENITY WITH CARPET OF GOLD
Start: Chiang Mai city. Head towards Hang Dong Son Pa Tong and Chom Thong districts, negotiating the high road to Doi Inthanon National Park.
Route (117 kilometres): The rich and century-old traditions of Mae Chaem, a small and peaceful town, are well preserved beyond the towering peak of Doi Inthanon. Decades ago the only way to access the town was via the hilly winding road from Doi Inthanon; these days it's far easier to get even in a small sedan. Take highway 108 towards Chom Thong, and climb highway 1009 to the top of Doi Inthanon. You'll pass waterfalls, the Royal Projects with massive flowerbeds and organic farms and hilltribe villages where everyone welcomes visitors with unpretentious smiles. Take highway 1192 and Mae Chaem is 22 kilometres ahead.
Look out for: You come to Mae Chaem to leave the hectic world behind. The golden rice paddies carpet the deepening valley in the winter. Unlike Pai, where weekenders chat over pricey coffee and cocktails, Mae Chaem is worth exploring for its rustic charm and peaceful valley. Temples are small and humble, but faith is strong.
Where to stay: Chaem Cha Guesthouse (089-559 0295), Suan Pa Mae Chaem (053-249 349) and Hot Coffee Bed & Breakfast (081-163 2525).
MAE SARIANG: MISTS OVER THE SALAWIN
Start: Chiang Mai's City. Leave Hang Dong, San Pa Thong and Hod behind you. This less-taken road offers a "border-run" adventure.
Route (238 kilometres): Head South on highway 108 via small towns and the scenic mountains of Hang Dong, San Pa Thong and Hod districts, turning West at Hod's Clock Tower for Ob Luang National Park - where, if you're not in a hurry, you could camp for a night or two. From Ob Luang, highway 108 leads through the pine forest and rolling mountains via Bo Kaew Silvicultural Research Centre and Mae Haw Hilltribe Welfare and Development Centre. The road through the foothills provides sequence of panoramas before you turn left onto highway 105 for Mae Sariang, a small town in Mae Hong Son province.
Look out for: Burmese-style temples, original wooden houses along the Yuam River, marketplaces and unspoilt scenic farms. Mae Sariang is recognised as an important river trading port and shares the Salawin River with Burma for 101 kilometres. Take smaller highway 1194 to Mae Samlaep, then jump into the long-tailed boat and take a trip along the Salawin.
Where to stay: Riverhouse Resort (www.RiverHouseHotels.com), Riverside Guesthouse (053-681 188) and Ban Yodtumlueng Home Stay (Ban-Yodtumlueng.blogspot.com).
MAE HONG SON: TAI YAI TALES AND TRADITION
Start: Chiang Mai's Northern Gate
Route (248 kilometres via Pai district): Scenic as twisting, the Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son route is one of Thailand's classic drives. Drive out of Chiang Mai's City to Mae Rim and Mae Taeng along highway 107, turning left onto smaller highway 1095 for Pai district. From here, the ribbon of high road twists along the edge of mountains before sweeping down into the peaceful valley of Pai. Highway 1095 to Pang Mapha district provides sequences of demanding corners before you pick up the scenic valley and rice paddies to small town of Mae Hong Son.
Look out for: Thamrod Cave in Pang Mapha - where you can pretend to be Indiana Jones by jumping into a bamboo raft and exploring the massive cave where prehistoric folks were buried. Like the car parked and explore the town on foot. Wat Chong Kham and other landmarks are all easy walking distance.
Where to stay: Fern Rimtarn Resort (www.FernResort.com), The Dai Resort (www.The-Dai.com) and The Rock Garden Resort (www.TheRockResort.com)
LAMPHUN: LONGAN AND LADIES, TEMPLES TOO
Start: Chiang Mai's southern gate
Route (26 kilometres): Lamphun is less an hour drive on small highway 106 via Saraphi district, but that short ride leads to rich and original Lanna culture.
Look out for: Nestled on Mae Kuang River, Lamphun is a quiet and charming city embracing old-fashioned Lanna ambience: laid-back, Yong-speaking folk, small and humble temples and old wooden houses from yesteryear. Wat Phra That Haripunchai, Wat Chamadevi and Wat Phra Yuen and Ban Nong Ngueak Cotton Textile Handicrafts Centre should be the highlights on your itinerary.
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