From Mae Salong to Thaton

Off the beaten track heritage trail

From Mae Salong to Thaton

Tambon Mae Salong Nok, Chiang Rai 57110, Thailand

Created By: The University of Hull, UK

Tour Information

The Doi Mae Salong region in the Chiang Mai district in Northern Thailand is one of the most beautiful and culturally diverse regions in the country. Like the colourful dresses of its hill-tribe people, the region’s heritage displays a rich pattern of cultural diversity which is perhaps unparalleled in South East Asia. This multi-media heritage trail will guide you from the town of Mae Salong to the village of Tha Ton near the Burmese border and tells a unique story about the ethnic, religious, royal, culinary as well as ‘dark’ opium-related heritage of this exciting region. Your tour guides along this ‘off the beaten heritage track’ will be enthusiastic local characters who tell their individual stories of everyday life, work and culture in this beautiful corner of South East Asia. This digital heritage trail has been created by a team of researchers from Thailand and the UK as part of an international collaboration supported by the British Council and organised by the University of Hull (UK) and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (Thailand). ​

Video overview of the trail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rHVxGMbwwI


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Surprisingly, Thai people did not have a tea culture until some 200 years ago, when hill tribes migrating from China to Northern Thailand, first collected and brewed leaves from century-old wild-growing tea trees for their own consumption. ... Read more
“Phra Boromathat Chedi” is an impressively Thai-style stupa on a hill near Mae Salong village. It was built in honour of the late Princess Mother, Srinagarindra, who was a great patron and benefactor of the area. Next to the chedi is th... Read more
As you walk down from the Sinakarintra Stit Mahasantikhiri Pagoda you reach the Mae Salong resort where you can stop for coffee or tea with breathtaking views. In our video you can watch the owner of the cafe demonstrating tea making.  Sa... Read more
Mae Salong Market is a great example of the lively and colouful trading heritage of Northern Thailand. Stalls are set up and selling from around 6am, and we recommend that you go there early to pick the very best of local plants, fruits, fr... Read more
You can find this rather unusual memorial/museum approximately 1.5 kms after leaving Mae Salong on your way to Thaton. Most of the captions for the photographic exhibitions and maps are in Chinese but there is also some information in Engli... Read more
In Thailand, oranges are not merely ‘comfort fruits’ to eat fresh or juice to drink. They are central ingredients of Thai culinary heritage, used for a vast variety of meat, chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes. Oranges are available in ... Read more
Tha Ton temple is located above Tha Ton village and the Kok River. Tha Ton is on the much travelled tourist route between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Since the 1970s, riverboat trips between Chiang Rai and Tha Ton have given foreign tourists... Read more
Weaving is a millenia-old everyday work activity and source of income for many women in this area, particularly among hill-tribe communities such as the Akha, Shan, Lahu, Musa, Karen and others. In the past, and due to their isolated locati... Read more
The majestic Mekong river forms part of the border between Thailand and Burma and consequently the village of Tha Ton has changed hands numerous times in the turbulent history of the area. The latest change happening in the early 20th centu... Read more

 

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