Description: Excursion to the Mae Sa Valley

The Tour route 10, 11 & 12 go along H 107 as far as Mae Rim. Turn west off H 107 at KM. 17 onto R 1095. Round trip to Mae Sa 66 kms ; to Samoeng via Mae Sa & Hang Dong 103 kms.

Road 1096 to Samoeng passes through the narrow valley of the Mae Sa. The river tumbles down numerous cascades which are best seen at the Mae Sa falls. The natural beauty of the area and closeness to the city has attracted orchid farms, elephants camps and resorts with lovely gardens. The greatest attraction, however is the new Queen Sirikit Botanical garden. In the higher part of the valley, flowers are grown for the city market and the Hmong cultivate the hills all around for vegetables.

The journey may be made into a full day-trip through pleasant upland scenery by visiting the small, undeveloped market town of Samoeng and returning via Hang Dong on R 1296.

Just after the Viang Ping Home for babies a small lane west leads to a canal. Go north, cross the first bridge and follow the unsealed road west to a popular week-end recreation spot by a small reservoir on army land.

Places to relax with stalls selling sticky rice, grilled meats and fish are numerous. Windsurfing is possible (first right after left turn at T junction on approach road;100 Baht / hour).

Go clockwise as far as possible to reach the Pleun Prai Restaurant. There you can have a fine catfish baked in silver foil: “pla chon phao”.

Rocket festivals are common in the sixth and seventh lunar months throughout the north and northeast of Thailand. They are held to herald the rain. Wat Phra Non hosts a festival on the 7th day of the 7^th lunar month (June).

Contestants take rockets to the temple in the early morning to compete for prizes for the most artistic rocket. The rockets are launched in the afternoon from a site in scrub land just to the north of the 700 Year sports Complex. Local temples are represented by teams who compete for best launch and flight.

Unlike other festivals which allow metal pipe, the rules only allow use of natural materials such as bamboo reinforced with hemp rope. The results are quite unpredictable; contestants are friendly and often quite drunk; so if you are offered a drink of alcohol, the  polite response is to accept at least a sip.

In former times, the animals were the equivalent of a battle tank, an off-road vehicle and a ten-wheel truck. The symbol of kingship since ancient times, a white elephant required such elaborate care that a gift of one from a king was enough to bring ruination to an over-ambitious courtier; hence the English expression a “white elephant”.

Ironically. ordinary elephants have become “white elephants” to poor mahouts who are no longer able to find work for their animals logging in the hills and have to abandon them. The abandoned beasts are unable to find sufficient open land and have been destroying crops. As a result they are hunted and shot.

Though numbering in their low thousands, only an estimated 15 baby elephants are being born per year in the whole country.

According to Dr. Preecha Phuangkham of the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, the animal is facing the possibility of near extinction in Thailand within twenty years.

The Elephant Conservation Centre was set up in an attempt to redress the situation (H. 11, Chiang Mai-Lampang Road KM. 76;  90-minute daily shows at 09.30 & 11.00; afternoon show 14.00 Sat & Sun only. Adults 40 Baht. Local style restaurant. The extensive grounds of the centre include an elephant hospital. However, this camp alone is not enough.

Whether the tourist elephant camps will help preserve the beast in Thailand is uncertain. Questions have been raised concerning treatment of the animals and the restricted areas suitable for feeding has caused problems.

The elephant camps usually run programmes in the morning when mahouts (many of them are Karen) get the animals to show their skills at shows and then take tourists on basic rides. If worked in the morning, the animals are generally left to feed in the afternoon.

The most convenient camps are the Mae Sa Elephant Camp (R 1096 KM. 10 to Samoeng) and the Tang Dao Elephant Camp (H 107 KM. 56 to Chiang Dao). Several camps are located in the Mae Taeng Valley (H 107 KM. 43 east turn 10 kms.). Remoter camps can offer more interesting scenery. If you plan to go trekking, an elephant ride may be included in the trek.

The Elephant show is good and the short ride offers the experience without pain to the pocket or the backside!

Founded in 1992 as a state enterprise under the Office of the Prime Minister. This is the first botanical garden in the kingdom; they are being developed with advice from Kew Botanical gardens in Great Britain and are becoming the major attraction in the valley.

Located higher up the valley, the camp offers scenic rides. The lane past the camp continues to a Thai village (1 km.) and then becomes a dirt road into the hills (4WD).