Visiting Mae Salon

China Influence

Mae Salong, also known as Santikhiri is probably Thailand’s most Chinese-like village. Houses and people remind you of the Yunnan province in China. So do the many red lantern shops and tribes that are found around this lovely hillside village.

Flower Village

Mae Salong is a small village in Northern Thailand. The climate is sometimes a bit more moderate as usual, which means the hills offer a nice escape from the tropical heat around Thailand. It’s famous for its sunflowers, which grow in November. The peak season offers another great view on the hills. After the sunflowers, until February, the area becomes white and pink with plum and cherry blossoms.

Wat Santikhiri

Small Thai temple along the main road. The temple has interesting parts near the Mae Salong Resort and looks like a Chinese temple from the inside. This has to do with the many Chinese influences in this particular area of Thailand.

Akha Villages

Visit one of the many villages located in the hills surrounding Mae Salong. These are local tribe villages, ask your local hotel or guesthouse to arrange trekking tours. You can also volunteer for the Arkha Hill Tribe Project, a project for the perseverance of the area and the tribes.

Markets

What you should not miss are the markets in this village. The tea grown on the hills was imported from Taiwan and the tea is being sold in the markets every day. There is a morning market till 8 am, but for tourists another market opens later during the afternoon. The tea is really Chinese style but has a small different taste since it’s grown in different area. This might sound weird because the climate is similar, so this is a mystery to solve!

Phra Boromathat Chedi

A small Thai temple dedicated to a princess. Next to it is the Princess Mother Hall. The temple is an amazing piece of architecture and offers an astounding view from which you can also see Myanmar! The view is reachable from a 718 steps staircase but is worth the effort. Though it’s officially a temple, there is not much religion here thus making it more like a pavilion.

Food & Drinks

A small local café which offers coffee made from local beans. Check out the many restaurants and teashops here as well for an amazing local experience. There are many tea plantations around as well, contributing to this factor, since everything is locally brewed.

After exploring Mae Salong, visit some of the other must-see attractions in Chiang Rai.