Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [268]
Two kilometres past the elephant camp is the Queen Sirikit Botanic Gardens (0 5384 1000; www.qsbg.org; Rte 1096; admission adult/child 40/10B; 8.30am-5pm), featuring a shorn mountainside displaying 227 hectares of various exotic and local flora for conservation and research purposes. The highlight of the collection is the glasshouse complex sitting near the mountain peak. Take the provided bus (30B) or your own car (100B) to get around the whole facility. Motorbikes are not allowed in the gardens.
After the botanic gardens the road climbs up into the fertile Mae Sa Valley, once a high-altitude basin for growing opium poppies. Now the valley’s hill-tribe farmers have re-seeded their terraced fields with sweet peppers, cabbage, flowers and fruits – which are then sold to the royal agriculture projects under the Doi Kham label. The royal project at the Hmong village of Nong Hoi sits some 1200m above sea level and is accessible by a turn-off road in the village of Pong Yeang.
Sitting at the western wedge of the valley is a sign of things to come: Proud Phu Fah (0 5387 9389; www.proudphufah.com; Km17, Rte 1096; r 4500-7000B; ) is a small boutique hotel with creature-comfort villas designed to give the illusion of sleeping amid the great outdoors. The open-air restaurant serves healthy Thai food (dishes 90B to 150B) with a panoramic view of the valley.
After Proud Phu Fah, the road swings around the mountain ridge and starts to rise and dip until it reaches the conifer zone. Beyond, the landscape unfolds in a cascade of mountains. Eventually the road spirals down into Samoeng, a pretty Thai village. If you want to stay overnight, try the simple Samoeng Resort (0 5348 7074; www.samoengresort.com; Rte 6033; r 300-400B; ), about 2.5km outside the village with 15 solid bungalows in a garden setting.
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Getting There & Away
Only part of the route is accessible via public transport. Srng·ta·ou go to Samoeng (70B, 2¾ hours, two morning departures) from the Chang Pheuak bus terminal in Chiang Mai. In Samoeng, the vehicles stop near the market, across from Samoeng Hospital.
CHIANG DAO
Pai without the party, Chiang Dao is an easy escape for families and 30-something travellers looking for mountain scenery and northern rural ambience. The star attraction is Doi Chiang Dao, allegedly Thailand’s highest limestone mountain. It is a thickly forested peak with a revered cave shrine burrowed into the base, and trails popular for birders and trekkers.
Chiang Dao town isn’t much but a dusty crossroads that hosts a colourful Tuesday morning market (7am-12am), when hill tribes come to sell their wares. The more charming part of town is 5km west along the road that leads to Tham Chiang Dao (Chiang Dao Cave). The surrounding village and guesthouses are smack up against the mountain.
From the main four-way junction at Chiang Dao, those with their own wheels can head eastwards to visit Lahu, Lisu and Akha villages, which are all within 15km. Roughly 13.5km east from Rte 107 is the Lisu village of Lisu Huay Ko, where rustic accommodation is available. Without independent transportation, you can arrange hill-tribe treks through the guesthouses at Chiang Dao.
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Sights
From most of the guesthouses you can walk to the cave and around the neighbouring village. Chiang Dao’s drawback is that you need your own transport to get much further than that. Some guesthouses rent mountain bikes for 100B a day, not much of a bargain but an improvement over two feet.
THAM CHIANG DAO
In the heat of the day, the coolest place in town is the Chiang Dao Cave (admission 20B), a complex said to extend some 10km to 14km into Doi Chiang Dao. There are four interconnected caverns that are open to the public. Tham Phra Non (360m) is the initial segment and is electrically illuminated and can be explored on one’s own. It contains several religious shrines, a common feature of Thailand’s