Perched some 1,000 meters above sea level in the mountains, the village of Mae Salong has an alpine-like climate and landscape and is often called ‘Little Switzerland’. It’s a great place to escape the heat of the plains and get a taste of Yunnanese culture.
Officially called Santikhiri (Hill of Peace), Mae Salong has a large Yunnan Chinese population because it was chosen as a place of refuge by a large number of Kuomintang soldiers who escaped the communist regime in 1949. Their strong cultural influence is evidenced by several Chinese temples, shops and restaurants as well as typical Chinese architecture.
Since 1994, Mae Salong has developed into a tourist draw featuring narrow winding streets flanked by noodle shops, inns and teashops. Today, the village is one of the country’s top 10 destinations among backpackers, who travel here to enjoy the cool climate and visit the nearby Akha and Lisu tribe settlements.
From early January until mid-February, the area boasts the sight of gorgeous Japanese cherry blossoms, particularly along the Sakura Route, a four-kilometer road section that shines with pink flowers. It is also a major tea growing region famous for its high grade traditional Chinese Oolong.
Though Mae Salong is no more than a big village, it sprawls beside the road that leads through town, and with its steep slopes, it presents a bit of a challenge to get around. This is another reason (besides enjoying the journey here) to hire your own transport for a visit to the town; in this way you can explore the few sights and explore the surrounding hills at your leisure.
Mae Salong has become hugely popular among Thai visitors during the last decade and several fancy resorts have sprung up to accommodate them. The place gets particularly crowded around the new year, when it’s not really the place to get away from it all.
The town center, as far as there is one, is located between the morning and evening markets, the first located in front of Little Home Guest House, and the second in front of Khum Nai Phol Resort. Buses and songthaew usually pull up somewhere around the morning market.
Where to Go
- Wat Boromathat Chedi: A chedi dedicated to the Princess Mother with superb views over the town and around.
- Chinese Martyrs memorial museum: Recounts the origins of the Kuomintang in Thailand.
When to Go
Because of its elevation (around 1,300 meters), Mae Salong enjoys a fresh and cool climate for most of the year. If you plan to be here during the cool season (Nov-Feb), make sure you bring some warm clothes as it can be downright cold. The hot season (March-June) is also a pleasant time as it’s much cooler here than down on the plains. The rain season (July-Oct) sees the hillsides lush and green, but this is not a good time to go trekking as the steep trails can be very slippery.
Things to Do
A visit to Mae Salong is more about chilling out and slowing down to the pace of rural village life than running around looking at sights, though there are a couple of places that can give a focus for a couple of hours’ sightseeing.
The one unmissable sight in Mae Salong is the Wat Boromathat Chedi, which is set high on the hill above the village and is visible from kilometers away to the east. The only problem is that it’s a steep and tiring climb if you don’t have your own transport. The other sight in town is the Chinese Martyrs’ Memorial Museum on the western fringe of town, which is really of interest only to history buffs.
Once you’ve had a look at these sights, it’s worth planning a day touring the area on a horse-trekking tour, which will take you to visit some of thenearby hilltribe villages.
In this rugged terrain, the most practical form of transport for local people is on horse-back (or, to be more precise, pony-back), and the hills are criss-crossed with trails that are regularly trod. If you’d like to share that experience, you can join a pony-back trek organized by one of the local guest houses such as Shinsane.
The cost of such treks is about 500B for a couple of hours, in which you sit on the back of a pony while a local (usually a young kid) leads the pony along mountain trails, and if you’re lucky you might get as far as a hilltribe village before it’s time to turn round and come back.
Getting There
Buses and songthaew head for Mae Salong from both Thaton (about one hour) and from Chiang Rai (about two hours). If you’re coming from Chiang Rai, you’ll need to change at Ban Pasang for a Mae Salong-bound bus.
A more enjoyable way to arrive in Mae Salong is by rented vehicle (either car or motorbike), which allows you to appreciate the stunning scenery on the way, including hillsides of tea plantations. The most interesting way to get to Mae Salong is by rented car or motorbike, as this allows you to stop wherever you like to admire the breath-taking views. However, you need to be a confident driver as the road has many perilous switchbacks on its way to the top.
Mae Salong is accessible by bus from Tha Ton and Chiang Rai, with the 76-kilometer journey from Chiang Rai taking about 2 hours. You can take the bus to Mae Sai, get off in Ban Pasang and change to a minibus to Mae Salong. From Tha Ton, hop on a yellow songthaew just north of the bridge for the roller coaster ride up into the hills.
Getting Around
You can walk around the center of Mae Salong, but be warned there are hardly any flat roads, so you’ll find you get tired pretty quickly on the steep slopes. There aren’t many sights to see in town, but to explore the surrounding area, you’ll certainly need a hired vehicle or the services of a motorbike taxi, unless you sign up for a trek on horseback and traverse the region as locals do.
Where to Stay
Since Mae Salong is a popular destination for both backpackers and well-heeled Thais, there’s a good range of accommodation to suit all budgets. In general, the budget lodgings are located in the town center, while the expensive resorts are situated in the hills around town.
To an extent where you stay will be determined by whether you are traveling with your own (or rented) transport or on pubic transport. If it’s the former, you can choose any of the following options, while if it’s the latter, you’ll find it more convenient to stay in the town center.
Few places provide air-con in Mae Salong, as it’s generally not necessary given the cool climate, though resorts may provide it as a luxurious extra.
Be warned that all places hike their prices considerably from mid-December to mid-January, especially during the Cherry Blossom Festival from late December to early January, though in low season (March-Oct) they also offer big discounts.
Where to Eat
The range of restaurants in Mae Salong does not match up to its variety of accommodation options, and many visitors are content to eat at their resort or guest house after a busy day sightseeing or trekking in the hills. Though you’ll find Thai food on most menus, there’s also a strong influence from Yunnan in most kitchens, so there’s an opportunity to try such specialities as black chicken and baked duck with tea leaves.
On the subject of tea, Mae Salong is surrounded by tea plantations, and there are several teashops in town that serve locally grown tea.
Be warned that kitchens close early in Mae Salong, usually by 8pm, so don’t leave it too late to eat or you may go hungry.
Where to Party
There’s no nightlife in Mae Salong, so after dinner you’ll have a choice of chatting with other travelers at your resort or guest house, watching a movie on TV or DVD, or snuggling up with a good novel.
Where to Shop
Though you might find a few hilltribe people such as Akha hawking colorful bags and silver jewelry in the evening market, Mae Salong is not famed for its shopping, apart from bags of tea, which is on sale just about everywhere. One place with a particularly good selection of teas is Mae Salong Villa, which also operates its own tea plantation.
Need to Know
- Worth it? Yes, if you like stunning views and a cool climate.
- What to do: go trekking or horseback riding to the nearby hill tribe villages, sample locally grown tea.
- Best time to go: during the dry season from November to February, especially in early January to see the cherry trees blooming.
- How long? Two days is enough to see Mae Salong and its environs.
- Trivia: Mae Salong is well known for its tea and cherry blossoms.