Recently we took a trip to Mae Salong, Thailand with our good friends along what some call the Mae Salong Loop. We departed Chiang Mai and circled counterclockwise through Chiang Rai, Mae Salong, and Chiang Dao before heading back to Chiang Mai. We will touch on Chiang Rai and Chiang Dao in upcoming posts, but right now we would like to share some of what we were so impressed by during our trip to Mae Salong.
Mae Salong, Thailand
Officially renamed by the Thai government to Santikhiri, Mae Salong is an ethnic Chinese village located 10 km east of the Myanmar border and 80 km west of Chiang Rai. Most of the village’s population are either refugees or descendants of refugees from the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Also home to at least four different hill tribes, each with their own languages, Mae Salong can definitely be labeled melting pot.
View Mae Salong Loop in a larger map
This once major opium producing village in the more prevalent days of the Golden Triangle has since been transformed into Chiang Rai’s largest producer of high-grade traditional Chinese tea, better known as High Mountain Oolong. Mae Salong is also known for its annual cherry blossom festival from December 28th to January 2nd. We look forward to being able to check it out this year.
Our Trip to Mae Salong
As we crawled onward from Chiang Rai through the sometimes unnervingly twisty and steep Northern Thailand mountains, past a partial road collapse, we began to see bits and pieces of the Chinese tea producing village of Mae Salong. Though we arrived during the day, it was noticeably small, quiet, and serene. As we later discovered, it only takes about ten slow driving minutes to pass through the village on the main two lane road.
Arriving at our home for the evening we were breathless as we peered out over the perfectly formed valley running parallel to the Northern side of the village. Just standing there looking over the edge didn’t feel real.
We admit, the curious thought of how much monthly rent might be for a bungalow perched on one of these picturesque hills skipped its way across our minds for a few moments. This place was even quieter than our recent trip to Pai. Actually, during most of our trip to Mae Salong we felt like we were the only people for miles around.
Our bungalow at the Maesalong Mountain Home was cozy, equipped with a comfortable mattress, a rattan mat, two large windows that opened up wide to the mountains, and a large western style bathroom with hot water. Also included was an extra thick comforter that would prove to keep us nice and warm during the cool northern Thailand night ahead of us.
After we were checked in we decided that we should head back up to the restaurant to watch the sunset over the village. We had no idea what we were in for as we step out of our door onto the walking path.
The green, blue, purple, and pink vistas were incredible sights to see. That, paired with the cool mountain air, contrasted sharply with the hot and hazy Chiang Rai we had parted with just a couple of hours earlier. Even the resident puppy was impressed.
As the sun set, the girls grabbed an extra layer and we all sat down in the open air restaurant to a traditional Yunnan meal and a couple of large Singha beers. We were so hungry and the food was so delicious that nobody remembered to snap a couple of photos of the feast.
After chatting about our lives back in our home countries and stuffing ourselves with spicy Chinese goodness, we retired to our respective bungalows for the night.
The next morning we woke up with our trip to Mae Salong coming to an end. We enjoyed some tea at the restaurant, but knowing that they didn’t serve an expansive breakfast we headed to Sweet Mea Salong, a small cafe on the edge of a hill just a little ways into the village. Once there we enjoyed a couple of different things on the menu.
After we were all just a little too caffeinated, we set off on the five-hour car ride to Chiang Mai. Our trip to Mae Salong was over, but we told ourselves that we would definitely be back soon…possibly for an extended stay. We’d like to thank Jmayel and Sacha for a wonderful trip.
Looks amazing! Would you recommend a trip like this in July/August? Or would the rainy season be a problem for exploring this area at this time? Thanks for an awesome blog!
Yes, we think it’ll be ok travel to Mae Salong during the rainy season. You can expect it to rain for a few hours each day and then the rest of the time it will be sunny. Have fun!
This looks…amazing. I really would like to see some nature and get away from city life for a day or two. I was in Bangkok for a week and now am in Chiang Mai for 2. I was just looking over this and Pai on here. Great posts! I wish I had the convenience of a car, but will have to rely on buses. I hope I can figure something like this out. I want to see more of Thailand than just the city, although Chiang Mai is pretty interesting. Great blog.
Once you get in to the quiet mountains in Northern Thailand, the scenery is really spectacular. We’re glad you’ve chosen to check out Pai and Mae Salong (and don’t forget Chiang Dao!) during your trip. Even though taking your own vehicle is the easiest, the bus routes are fairly inexpensive and easy to take. Before you arrive in town, you can always call your hotel and have them arrange a cab to pick you up from the bus station and chauffeur you around during your stay. Have fun!
This looks utterly incredible! Northern Thailand is so insanely beautiful and I’d love to explore more of it some day. When we were there back in June we had a motorbike and had big plans of exploring all over the countryside on two wheels, but the weather had other plans: we made it to Chiang Rai and into Myanmar so that we could extend our visas, but we were thoroughly soaked as a result. The unrelenting torrents of rain made us cut short the journey back to Chiang Mai so we missed out on so much of this. One day!
This trip was definitely among the most beautiful places we’ve been to in Thailand. We are so lucky that our friends showed us this amazing spot in Northern Thailand during our road trip. We don’t know if we would have found it without them.
We feel your pain! We have had our own experience with a long motorbike ride in the rain. Oh wait, two! It wipes all the energy out of you and eats into travel time. We hope you make it back to Northern Thailand and see these sites for yourself!
Hi Guys. I finally made my Visa Run to Vientiane. It seems the Cash Cow for the Tuk-Tuks, mini vans and buses is alive and well. We should start a biz going direct from Chiang Mai to Vientiane, as one of their “International Buses” took me from Vientiane Bus Station, all the way to Udon Thani, waited for us at both borders before moving on to Udon Thani. Meaning, it can be done. I was just looking at how beautiful this place is that you went. My girlfriend will be arriving in Chiang Mai soon. I wanted to take her… Read more »
Hello, we actually took the trip with a couple we know in Chiang Mai. They own their own car, but if you wanted to rent a car I am sure it is pretty straight forward. The route is twisty at some points, but relatively easy to navigate. There are plenty of signs and the roads are very easy to follow. Do be sure to get gas while in Chiang Rai before going up to Mae Salong. We hope you have a great trip. Let us know how it goes!
I love this part of the world, for our honeymoon my husband and I did the loop’s Backroads on a dirt bike, it was amazing!
We live in Kunming Yunnan so we head out thus way fairly often now that we’ve experienced the beauty we’re completely addicted!
Wow! That sounds amazing. It is definitely something that we have talked about doing before. We are definitely going to talk to a couple of our friends to see if they would be up for a dirt bike trip. Thanks!
We love it there too :-) maybe we can go back again when the Sakura trees are in bloom :-D
Definitely would love that! Thanks for showing us this great town!
Love your pictures!
Thank you so much! We are working hard on improving our photography skills :)
Looks like a very beautiful place.
It definitely is! Highly recommended if you ever have some extra time in Northern Thailand.
Wow! That bungalow looks absolutely divine with stellar views! What fun you must be having!! Thank you for sharing your stories!
The bungalow was right on the edge of one of the hills. It could not have been prettier!
Did you go by car or forza? Wonderful photos once again. Did you book your stays inadvance?
Thanks guys.
We road-tripped it in a car (haven’t been in one of those in a while!) It was nice to be able to listen to the radio and talk (not yell!) during the long ride. We booked the bungalow few days in advance and paid in cash once we got there.
Beautiful stuff…and how lovely that I can travel there, without getting on an airplane! Thanks for that!
While it might be an inconvenience for some, the ride there is nice and pretty easy. Just make sure you have enough power to get up some steep hills if you take a motorbike!
Chris and Angela….thank you for website about what is like living in Thailand. My husband and I are not Thai but my husband speaks Thai fluently because he was a immigrant living in banvinai refugee camp for over 10 years. We have returned to Thailand yearly and absolutely love the country and people. We plan to officially move to Thailand in 5 years from now at the very latest. However, we will see you in June of 2015.
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment. You and your husband sound like you have an exciting adventure ahead of yourselves. Keep us posted and let us know when you are in town! Best of luck :)
Wonderful pictures! The full moon party is on my own personal bucket list. One day soon…
As with everywhere else you have shown us, it looks beautiful and is worthy of at least a short stay there. Thanks for taking us to these “other” places that aren’t normally included in “must see” itineraries.
It was GORGEOUS. And the Chinese temple in the distance was the icing on the cake! Mae Salong is a perfect place to visit if you want relax and get away from the normal hustle and bustle, and you’re right, it’s not a well known destination.
Seems like you guys had a great time, Can’t wait to meet up with you some day soon. And thanks for putting me in touch with Mike. He seems like a nice guy and he gave me good advice too.
Glad we could help!