Top Things to do in Mae Chan
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Top 10 Things to do in Mae Chan, Thailand
Discover the best top things to do in Mae Chan, Thailand including Doi Tung Royal Villa, Choui Fong Tea Plantation, The Thai - Burmese Border Gate, Tad Kwan Village Park & Waterfall, Mae Fah Luang Garden, Wat Pra Dhat Pha-Ngao, Wat Tam Pa Ar-Cha Thong, Wat Phra That Doi Wao, Doi Tung, Doi Wao & Wat Thamphajoen.
Restaurants in Mae Chan
1. Doi Tung Royal Villa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 348 reviews
The royal residence of HRH the late Princess Mother formerly served as her base of operations to monitor the work progress at the Doi Tung Development Project. It has since been transformed into a symbol of the Princess Mother's commitment to improving the local people's quality of life.
Reviewed By Honey4Tea - Colchester, United Kingdom
There is great tranquility here, the villa is spacious and tastefully decorated. Of particular note is the ceiling decoration which features the sky at night, which must look beautiful in the evening when fully lit.
From the Terrace it is possible to enjoy some spectacular views of the hills in the distance.
An excellent place to visit.
2. Choui Fong Tea Plantation
Overall Ratings
4 based on 346 reviews
Reviewed By reoku68 - Bangkok, Thailand
I went along Paholyothin Road heading to Rai cha choui Fong, the landmark Point where everyone goes to take a picture with a panoramic view of the tea plantations. From here, I see the area around with tea plantations that bend along the hilly terraces. There is a very beautiful Choui Fong Tea-Cafe’ on the top.
3. The Thai - Burmese Border Gate
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 252 reviews
4. Tad Kwan Village Park & Waterfall
Overall Ratings
5 based on 231 reviews
One of the last unspoiled Mien Hill Tribe villages where you can see and learn about the Mien culture, visit/swim in the waterfall and tour the village & surrounding countryside in a buggy (included). This is a fun day out for all the family, the ladies will enjoy the culture, the gents; the buggies & kids; the waterfall. Pickup/drop-off from your hotel, full details on our website.
Reviewed By Cameron M - Martinez, California, United States
I had very high hopes for this experience given the previous glowing reviews and given the extraordinary price, relative to every other day trip I've seen for Thailand.
Let's start with the positives: We had lots of fun over all. Me and the Missus had never before driven anything like these dune buggy vehicles. We enjoyed the lunch that our host's mother made. (Sing is his name, best that I could understand). The view from his house (“Pavilion at the Top of the World”) was nice, and it would be amazing during the non-hazy months. We had a ball at the water fall in the park - we had the place entirely to ourselves for about an hour. The pool is very deep and Sing's helpers showed us a very easy entry point. Amazing pictures. At the waterfall, Sing’s helpers built a fire and we roasted marshmallows and marshmallow-covered bananas. We were delighted with the bamboo cups that Sing hand made for us on the spot. The booking and e-mail communication was quick and easy.
Now for the Needs Improvement items: The trail dust was killing my eyes. There was only the Missus and I on the tour, so I was either 2nd or 3rd in line, but my eyes really suffered that night at the hotel, and into the next morning. I have prescription sunglasses, so serious wrap-arounds are not an option for me. Provide goggles!
Given the 4+ weeds from the time we booked the tour, we had no recollection of how the day would unfold. Sing needs to provide an overview of the day, preferably printed or by e-mail. You’re on the ATVs twice and can go swimming 3 times, so you need to plan your clothing changes accordingly. If I’d known that we would have a two-hour lunch break I’d probably have brought something to read.
The Missus and I are fit but found the buggies difficult to control – a constant wrestling match. I drove 3 different buggies and the steering on the first was really loose, whereas the 3rd one was far tighter. You’re occasionally driving above steep slopes on deeply rutted roads, so precise steering would be nice.
Contrary to some recent reviews, the overall operation was just not very professional. Maybe Sing was having a bad day. He had to divide his attention between helping retrieve a buggy that we had to leave behind and fixing the house’s water pump motor that burned up. We were at loose ends for a solid hour during the two-hour lunch break. We swam in the infinite horizon pool, but how long can two adults be entertained doing that?
At his house we intermingled with family members who paid us no heed. It seems that school was out at this time, so there were at least a half dozen adolescents milling around. Frankly, it was awkward eating our lunch while the kid next to us couldn’t be bothered to look up from his computer. There were 4 young ladies in the SUV when we got picked up. They did not return my cheerful sawadtee krap, so I figured they were Asian guests who didn’t speak Thai. Actually, they seemed to be family members or friends catching a ride to Sing’s house.
The driver who picked us up at the hotel spoke very little English, and drove more aggressively than any other driver I saw. Worse still, he was constantly dividing his attention to his phone during the evening return trip.
During the ATV outing, we stopped at a farm house to admire the piglets and scratch a dog’s ears. The farmer, with a small boy, looked very uncomfortable and didn’t return my cheerful sawadtee krap. Naturally, we felt awkward as well.
Finally, there was no “village” experience. We drove through the village below Sing’s hill-top Pavilion several times, but there was no stop for any interaction or photos.
I am confident that Sing can deliver a better experience for the next guests.
5. Mae Fah Luang Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 321 reviews
As a famous tourist spot, the Mae Fah Luang Garden generates revenue and creates jobs that make the most of the various skills available in Doi Tung.
Reviewed By singhasam - Weymouth, United Kingdom
THIS is an attraction which anyone visiting the Chiang Rai area should not miss.
We got a glimpse of the Gardens from on high above them when visiting the nearby Royal Villa, but it only hinted at the beauty we later walked down through.
The jewel in the crown is the central floral area complete with a striking sculpture of many children standing on each other's shoulders and reaching for the sky, an amazing sight when silhouetted against a clear blue sky.
There is also a water feature area you can walk out over along wooden boardwalks through floral displays while just past that are orchid Exhibitions, a rock garden, a foliage garden, bromeliads and a maze.
There is also the never to be forgotten Doi Tung Tree Top Walk, an exhilerating experience which saw me strapped into a safety harness which hooked up to a cable before I climbed up towards the tree canopy and then out along narrow netted wooden walkways which bounced and swayed as I made my way out high over huge voids between trees. Not for the faint hearted but tremendous fun and very interesting to get up close to a world which is usually far over my head.
Elsewhere on the site are a number of restaurants all grouped near the entrance area while there are five sets of public toilets on site in case Nature calls in a different way. The ones I used were scrupulously clean and very well looked after.
We spent several hours going round the Gardens and took some lovely photos to remind us of this wonderful place.
Don't miss a chance to visit. It will be one of the highlights of your holiday.
6. Wat Pra Dhat Pha-Ngao
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By LH M - Peterborough, Canada
The temple is on a huge hillside property overlooking the river. The temple itself is down near the road, and though it's a local pilgrimage centre, it's less interesting for the general traveller than some of the wats in Chiang Saen or Chiang Khong. There's a nice teak ubosot halfway up the hill, but my main reason for returning is the stunning view from the chedi at the top. You can climb the hundreds of steps to get there or drive up the steep, winding, concrete-paved roadway. The chedi itself is very imposing in a modern style that seems somewhat dehumanizing, but the grandiose view is amazing, north up the river towards Chiang Saen or downstream to the east. I have been here a couple of times before and it never fails to excite and move me, especially in the early morning. Plus, it's worth making time to go for a walk along some of the hillside trails. Though it can be crowded at weekends, on a normal weekday you may have the place almost to yourself.
7. Wat Tam Pa Ar-Cha Thong
Overall Ratings
4 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By PORhibido - Krungthep Mahanakorn
When this temple was featured in the second edition of Unseen Thailand (2004), we imagined a peaceful forest monastery where monks, horse-riding to collect alms from one remote minority village to the next, lived in moderation. A decade later we finally had a chance to check out this attraction. At 6 am all rural roads leading there were quiet. Besides a beautiful sunrise, more dogs than bikers greeted us so understandably we expected a meditation retreat largely untouched by capitalism where Buddhist teaching reigned supreme. But as we reached the parking lot lined with shops, we were proven wrong.
Perhaps because it was a public holiday, throngs of domestic tourists arrived. Posing for photos with horse statues and Buddha images, they seemed less interested in making merit than in drawing attention from Facebook friends. As if in a folk village, the atmosphere was chaotic and circus-like. Waiting for the monks, visitors started to form a circle in the main court while the loudspeakers blared donation requests. Eventually the abbot and his disciples arrived from unknown villages not accessible by paved road. Soon the climax of the ceremony followed: the monks and novices on horseback receiving offerings from everyone including us. Then they chanted about good fortune, wealth, healthiness, etc. After 20 minutes we left the temple complex confused and disappointed by the commercialisation of this otherwise admirable activity.
We still have total respect for the abbot as he does travel to far-flung villages not only to preach Buddhism but also to provide local communities with basic education and health services. We just hate what a marketing campaign this supposedly pure ritual has become. Yet it isn’t right to blame the sanghas. They know too well that a monastery without a gimmick can’t attract ordinary Bangkokians nowadays. With numerous wats across the country advertising the world’s largest statue of this and that deity, sadly Thai Buddhism has entered the age of fast food.
8. Wat Phra That Doi Wao
Overall Ratings
4 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By Mako13Man - Dameron, Maryland
My girlfriend and I really enjoyed visiting this temple. Beautiful views looking into Myanmar/Burma from here by the Scorpion statue. A little creepy feeling at the overlook there - pretty steep and I wasn't so sure about the strength of the rails there. Probably fine, but I wasn't about to test it. We took a taxi to get here - you could walk to get here, but it would be a long, up hill walk! Impressive Wat.
9. Doi Tung
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 107 reviews
Reviewed By jacques s - Antwerp, Belgium
The Doi Tung is an imposing 1800m high limestone mountain that dominates the famous Mekong-river basin in the region of Mae Sai, nearby the Burmese border.
Not so long time ago there were alot of poppy-plantations in this region. Those plantations were often cultivated by the hilltribes for the production of opium. Most of these plantations were destroyed by the Thai Autorities and replaced by rice- and tea- plantations and cabbage fields within the cadre of agrarian development projects.
King Bhumibols' motherhad a special interest for the development of this region and its principaly under her initiative that the "Doi Tung Royal Villa" was build and that the "Mae Fah Luang Gardens" were layed out on this mountain in 1988. The target was to development the toerisme in this region, and to stimulate the hilltribes to stop with the production of opium.
The good road on the Doi Tung is winding to the top and its often worth it to stop and admire marvelous scenisch views.
10. Doi Wao & Wat Thamphajoen
Overall Ratings
4 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By Mr_Nobody_1979 - Krakow, Poland
There are not so many interesting places to see around this border town, so this temple on a top of a hill stands up above all in terms of altitude and interest. After walking up for around 5 minutes, you will be rewarded with a good view over town itself and neighboring Burma. Apart from vistas, there is a temple complex itself, some buildings are nicely ornamented and picturesque.
Place Well worth a visit indeed.
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