Northern Thailand - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 911

Head north of Chiang Mai on Rte 107 (Th Chang Pheuak) towards Mae Rim, then left
onto Rte 1096. The road becomes more rural but there's a steady supply of tour-bus attrac-
tions: orchid farms, butterfly parks, snake farms, you name it.
Only 6km from the Mae Rim turn-off, Nam Tok Mae Sa (adult/child 100/50B, car 30B) is a
picturesque waterfall that's a favourite weekend getaway for locals.
The road starts to climb and twist after the waterfall entrance. Not far past an elephant
camp is the Queen Sirikit Botanic Gardens ( 0 5384 1333; www.qsbg.org ; Rte 1096; adult/child
100/50B; 8.30am-4.30pm) , featuring a shorn mountainside displaying 227 hectares of vari-
ous exotic and local flora for conservation and research purposes.
After the botanic gardens the road climbs into the fertile Mae Sa Valley, once a high-
altitude basin for growing opium poppies.
Sitting at the western edge of the valley, Proud Phu Fah ( 0 5387 9389;
www.proudphufah.com ; Rte 1096, Km17; r 2500-4000B; ) is a small boutique hotel with
creature-comfort villas designed to give the illusion of sleeping amid the great outdoors.
The open-air restaurant serves healthy Thai food (mains 150B to 250B) with a panoramic
view of the valley.
Eventually the road spirals down into Samoeng, a pretty Thai village. If you want to
stay overnight, try the rather run-down Samoeng Resort ( 0 5348 7074; Rte 6033; r 500-800B;
) . To get here take Rte 1349 from Samoeng (a right-hand turn in the town).
Only part of the route is accessible via public transport. Sŏrngtă aou go to Samoeng
(70B, 2¾ hours, two morning departures) from the Chang Pheuak Bus Terminal in Chiang
Mai.