📌 Take a trip to a very beautiful viewpoint in Chiang Mai, located on a high mountain in the middle of a pine forest. There is Doi Luang Chiang Dao, which is one of the highlights that attracts many people to travel here. We also provide detailed traveling and accommodation recommendations.
🌲 San Pa Kia, Doi Mae Taman 🌲Mae Na Subdistrict, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province.
⛰️ On Doi Mae Taman, there are many villages, one of which is San Pa Kia Village. It is also home to two important local department: The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, and The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit. Both of these places have now become beautiful viewpoints, are not crowded, and are romantic places if you come with your lover. There are also houses and tent sites available.
✨ Follow us to see the beautiful atmosphere in the review and collect information to plan your trip.
When visiting San Pa Kia, Doi Mae Taman, it is recommended to stay overnight at least 1 night because the route from the main road to San Pa Kia is quite far. The evening and morning atmosphere here is very beautiful. You really don't want to miss it.
✅ Things to know before traveling to San Pa Kia, Doi Mae Taman.
1. Must book accommodation in advance, walk-in tent site available
2. Must use a four-wheel drive vehicle to go up the mountain because the route is rough (there are local vehicles that are familiar with the route to provide a shuttle service)
3. Prepare food supplies because there are only single-dish meals and some noodles up there
4. Prepare a flashlight and backup batteries because the electricity will be cut off around 10:00 p.m.
5. Prepare winter clothing because the weather up there is cold all year round, especially in winter.
The beginning of the review has already mentioned that Doi Mae Taman is home to two important local department: the Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, and the Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit.
If you drive up the mountain, you will first reach the Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit, and drive just 500 meters further to reach the Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station.
🌲 The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit 🌲
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/SqqHgQbMsf5fxvmSA
It is responsible for taking care of the upstream forest resources because this area is a forest area adjacent to Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary and Huai Nam Dang National Park. There are several houses for officials in the area, but some have been renovated and are now open for tourists to stay as well. The highlight of Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit is the sunset viewing point behind the accommodation and the road in front of the unit during January is full of beautiful blooming Himalayan cherry blossoms.
☎️ For inquiries and reservations, contact The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit at Tel. 06 2259 0986, 08 0385 1718, 09 2863 0546 (during office hours only).
🌲 The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University 🌲
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/oR7NLe6MpLgqetSJ7
Originally an experimental station of the Thai-Australian Highland Development Project, established in 1972 and handed over to the care of the Faculty of Agriculture, CMU in 1980. It is located at an altitude of approximately 1,500 meters above sea level with an average temperature of 19 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The main crops grown include plums, peaches, coffee, and cold-weather vegetables. It is also a place to study natural history and the biodiversity of the Doi Luang Chiang Dao mountain range.
In the area of The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, there are houses for staff and students of the Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, to stay temporarily when they have to do research. However, some parts have been renovated and rebuilt for tourists to stay.
☎️ For houses and tent sites at The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, Chiang Mai University, you can inquire and book houses at Tel. 0 5394 8403, 0 5394 4052 (during office hours only).
There are 4 houses, each priced at 1,000 baht, which can sleep 5 people and has a private bathroom. There are also a building divided into 3-4 rooms, which can sleep 5 people per room, priced at 500 baht per room, which share a bathroom with tent campers.
🏕️ For the tent site, there is a maintenance fee of 100 baht per person and 50 baht per student. Advance reservations are not required. You can just walk in. If you arrive early, you will be able to choose a better tent site.
Traveling from Chiang Mai city-San Pa Kia, Doi Mae Taman.
🚗 (By car)
From Chiang Mai city, take Highway No. 107 through Mae Rim District, Mae Taeng District until reaching Mae Na Subdistrict before reaching Chiang Dao District, look for Ban Mae Na School, which is on the left-hand side of the road. Turn left following the sign to Wat Chom Khiri and Ban San Pa Kia School. Turn left following the sign for another 21 kilometers until you reach The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit and drive another 500 meters until you reach The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station. The total distance from Chiang Mai city is approximately 90 kilometers. Traveling time is approximately 2.5-3 hours.
This 21-kilometer route is a two-lane road, with enough traffic for cars to pass each other, but the shoulder is narrow. The first part is a paved road through the community. After driving for a while, it starts to go uphill, alternating between concrete and gravel roads, not very steep, most of the roads are left and right curves. It is recommended to use a four-wheel drive vehicle or motorcycle to travel.
From the photo, when you reach this point, you will find a fork in the road. Turn left and go straight for another 500 meters to reach The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit and The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station respectively. But if you turn right and go straight for a short distance, you will reach the Hmong village of Ban Pa Kia. That is another beautiful viewpoint of Doi Luang Chiang Dao and there are accommodations available.
If you don't have a private car or don't want to drive yourself, you can take a bus from Chang Phueak Bus Station in Chiang Mai city to Chiang Dao District and use a four-wheel drive service to get there.
From Chiang Mai city, go to Chang Phueak bus station, take the orange bus Chiang Mai-Tha Ton (this bus line will run along Highway No. 107 through Mae Rim District, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Dao District, Chai Prakan District, Fang District and Tha Ton District).
The bus schedule starts at 06.00 a.m. and departs every 30 minutes until the last trip at 06.00 p.m. You can buy a ticket at the ticket counter and tell the officer to get off at “7-Eleven Mae Na”. The fare is 40 baht per seat. From Chang Phueak bus station to 7-Eleven Mae Na takes about 1-1.30 hours because the bus will stop to pick up and drop off passengers along the way.
🛻 At 7-Eleven Mae Na, it is one of the meeting points for the four-wheel drive vehicles that provide services up and down San Pa Kia. There are many vehicles available, but you must call and make an appointment with the driver at least 2 days before the travel date.
☎️ There is a standard price for a round trip of 2,200-2,500 baht per vehicle. Each vehicle can accommodate no more than 10 people. Tel. 08 5620 3612 (Khun Mai), Tel. 086-1916149 (Khun Yo).
For the return trip, you can inform the driver to pick you up at the desired time. Most people usually return down the mountain no later than 10.00 a.m. It is recommended to tell the driver to drop you off at Chiang Dao Bus Station to catch the same orange bus into Chiang Mai city. The bus will pick up and drop off passengers at the station every 30 minutes, takes about 1.30 hours to reach Chang Phueak Bus Station in the city.
If you choose to stay at The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, upon arrival you can come to contact to receive the house key or request to set up a tent here (as shown in the photo). There will be staff of the research station to take care of and provide assistance at all times. And at this point, there are also some food, snacks, and drinks for sale.
Guest House No.1, 2 and 3 of The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station
Guest House No. 4 of The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station (A-Frame House).
All houses at The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station face east. You can see the sunrise and Doi Luang Chiang Dao from the balcony in front of the house. But the house with the most beautiful sunrise angle is A-Frame House.
Inside each house, the bed is a mattress, with pillows and blankets. There is also a bathroom and a small kitchen in the house.
💡 There is electricity from 06.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m. Don't forget to bring a flashlight and extra batteries.
The camping grounds of The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station are divided into several zones. This zone is located in front of the building accommodation and near the public bathroom located further back of the building. Whoever arrives first can reserve a good spot to set up a tent first.
When the sun sets in the evening, you can walk from The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station to watch the sunset at The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit. It is only a 500-meter walk along the road.
The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit's House. There is no restaurant in this house. Guests must prepare their own food.
Near the house, there is a green grass hill for walking and you can also see Doi Luang Chiang Dao from this point.
The sun began to shine through the pine forest.
This house is probably the one that tourists want to stay the most in The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit. Because behind the house there is a terrace with a view where you can watch the sunset.
Sunset viewing terrace of The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit. Warm sunlight in the evening.
From the viewing terrace, you can see the village of San Pa Kia located on another mountain ridge not far away. From there, you can clearly see the beauty of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. There are accommodations, both houses and a tent site.
☀️ The sun is setting behind the mountain range.
If you are worried that it will get dark while walking from The Mae Taman Watershed Management Unit back to The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station, you may want to bring a flashlight with you.
View of Doi Luang Chiang Dao in the last light of the day at The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station.
It is recommended to take a shower in the evening or early evening because once the sun sets, the temperature here drops very quickly and the electricity will be cut off at 10:00 p.m. It is a really nice camping site, surrounded by Himalayan cherry trees, Doi Luang Chiang Dao as a backdrop, and twinkling stars in the sky. Additionally, we can see the lights from Chiang Dao District below. So, the winter sky and the dark moonless nights make the sky full of stars.
In the morning, if you are lucky, you may encounter a sea of mist.
☀️ Sunrise at The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station.
The Pa Kia Highland Agricultural Research Station on a winter morning. And Doi Luang Chiang Dao in the morning. This Valentine's Day, if you still don't know where to go with your lover, consider this place as another option. The atmosphere is very good. ♥️
We hopes that the information and photos in this review will be useful in making travel planning for friends. 😉
