Chaing mai travel: attractions, hill tribes, waterfalls

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Tourist Attractions
Mountains
Northern Thailand is characterized largely by forested mountains, where working elephants are still used in forest management. This mountainous region is home to Thailand's many colorful hilltribe people, and trekking and river rafting enable adventurous exploration of this beautiful area. Chiang Mai is the principal norhtern city and is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.




Doi Inthanon National Park
The 1,005 - square - kilometre park covers Thailand's highest mountain (2,565 metres). The lovely Wachirathan, Siriphum and Mae Pan waterfalls share the mountain with Meo and Karen hilltribe settlements. Forest above 1,800 metres is covered with lichens and wild orchids.






Mae Klang Waterfall
Chiang Mai's most photographed waterfall lies some 58 kilometres west of the city at the foot of Doi Inthanon Mountain, and provides a picturesque setting for picnics and relaxation.


Borichinda Cave
Visiting the cave, which provides a pleasant setting for picnics, entails a 10-minute drive and a walk of some 2 hours from the Mae Klang Waterfall.


Trekking Tours
Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes live throughout northern Thailand's mountains. They share animist beliefs and honour numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship rituals, games, dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.



Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors through forested mountains and high valleys and meadows, and include visits to remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements for overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe youths who customarily speak English, Thai and at least three tribal dialects.

Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat, elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination of two or three modes of transportation.

Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around companies offering such tours for the best conditions. All treks must be registered with the Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers' protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by this law. Visitors are welcome to enquire from the Tourism Police to confirm which tour companies have negative or bad reputations. Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs' such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin, both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe penalties for such usage. Valuables, such as passport, jewelry and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or guest house while you are trekking upcountry
Wear sensible clothing to protect your limbs and sleep under a mosquito net at night. Malaria is a real threat, and sensible precautions should be taken to avoid it.

Four-Wheel Drive Safaris
This popular new activity features exciting trips by Land Rover between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, taking five days and four nights, or Chiang Rai and Ken Thun in Myanmar, taking three days and two nights. Much of the journey is along dirt roads and tracks so that visitors can witness out-of-the-way areas. Accommodation is in forest lodges or basic hotels.





Bird- Watching
Although bird-watching has been a popular activity among Thais for many years, it is only relatively recently that overseas visitors have recognized the potential of this fascinating pastime. In total, almost one thousand different species of birds - some local, others migrating here- have been spotted in Thailand. Most of Thailand's national parks offer good opportunities for bird-watching such as Khao Yai National Park, Kaeng Krachan in Petchburi and Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai province.



Taeng Dao Elephant Camp
This riverside enclave, at KM 56 on Highway 107, features daily shows of elephants at work, from 9.00 AM until 10.00 AM, and from 10.00 AM until 11.00 AM, and offers elephant rides, and opportunities for bucolic river-rafting through largely pristine and tranquil forests, or jungle treks to neighbouring hilltribe settlements.