Roaming in less traveled northern hill country

Unexplored Thailand

Disna MUDALIGE

Wachirathan Waterfall in the Northern Thailand

Entrance to the Mae Sa Elephant Camp

 Bangkok, the vibrant capital city of Thailand, is a famous shopping destination for Sri Lankans. However, most Sri Lankans are not aware of tourist attractions in northern Thailand situated miles away from the hustle bustle of the capital.

Northern Thailand is a hilly region surrounded by towering mountains. It is covered with forests and waterfalls making it a destination not easy to forget. Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai are two ancient cities in northern Thailand located about 785 km and 696 km respectively from Bangkok. Well arranged domestic flights to these two cities provide great comfort for tourists, saving travel time.

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai has a history of over 700 years. It was founded by King Meng Rai in 1262 and had been the Capital of the Meng Rai dynasty. The ancient cultural heritage of the city blended with the natural beauty and its serenity has been attracting thousands of tourists from across the globe throughout the year.

The tourists are treated to comfortable accommodation to ensure a convenient stay under a reasonable fee. The Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort, situated along the Mae Kok River, is one of the famous resorts in the city for its unique architecture and special attractions. With spacious rooms, wide variety of food ranging from local dishes to international cuisine, 24-hour pool, gymnasium and spa, it promises a memorable stay for any traveller.

White Temple

Wat Rong Khun or the White Temple is a modern temple designed by Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. It is artistically different from other temples in Thailand and unique in architecture. This temple depicts the glory of modern Thai Buddhist arts. The construction of the temple began in 1997 and finished in 2008. The entire temple is in white colour with some use of white glass which represents the Buddha’s purity and wisdom.

Profound influences of Buddhism are visible all over Thailand. Over 90 percent of the Thailand’s population comprises Theravada Buddhists. Sri Lanka and Thailand share a long history of religious relations. According to history, Thailand has received Theravada Buddhism from Sri Lanka. Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is known as ‘Lankavamsa’. However, in return Thailand assisted Sri Lanka to reintroduce the higher ordination tradition, when the ordination lineage had been broken by Portuguese invasion.

Doi Tung Royal Villa

Doi Tung Royal Villa is the final residence of Thai king's mother, known as Princess Srinagarindra. This magnificent villa was built on a mountain surrounded with hills and valleys in a unique mix of Swiss and Lanna architectural styles. The villa is now a museum displaying her lifestyle and work to improve the quality of life of local tribes. A large number of local and foreign tourists visit this place.

Photographing is not allowed inside the house. Shoes and caps must be removed before entering as a sign of respect to the princess.

Each and every section of the Royal Villa is numbered, and all the visitors are provided with an electronic headset with a manual controller at the entrance. The visitors can listen to a description on the significance of each section. It is simply a matter of pressing the relevant number in the manual controller while walking around the villa.

The Mae Fah Luang Garden is a botanical park located on the slopes below the royal villa. The decorative flowers in the garden are grown and nurtured by local villagers.

Hall of Inspiration

The Hall of Inspiration at Doi Tung is another tourist attraction in the Chiang Rai province. It covers the story of the Mahidol family, the king's family.

It exhibits characters, philosophies and working principles of the family, and their attentiveness to find effective ways to improve Thai lifestyle. It also shows how the family members were inspired by each other, and how their examples can inspire many others.

The hall is designed with modern technology leaving an indelible mark in the visitor's mind.

The hall's side walls are full of quotes from the royal family.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai means 'new city'. It was named so because it was the new capital founded in 1296, succeeding Chiang Rai. It is the largest and most culturally significant city in the northern Thailand.

In addition to its stunning natural beauty and picturesque scenery, it is also noted for fine handicrafts including Thai silk, silverware, ceramics and woodcarvings. It is recognised as the country’s top shopping destination for arts and crafts.

According to Chiang Mai Tourism Authority Office Director Chalermsak Suranant at least five million tourists visit Chiang Mai annually. Seventy percent of them are domestic. The rest are foreign tourists, mainly from countries such as the USA, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Japan and Korea. The tourist season begins in November and goes on until the end of February. The director noted the daily tourist expenditure is approximately 4000 bahts (USD 120).

Chiang Mai Night and Day Safari

Chiang Mai Night and Day Safari is the most popular nature theme park for foreign and domestic tourists.

It is considered to be the most beautiful night safari in the world. It offers the visitors the chance to interact with real wild animals making the visit a memorable one.

It mainly consists of three zones: walking zone, southern zone and northern zone. Tramcar tours with guides in northern and southern zones.

Tiger Kingdom and Elephant Camp in Mae Rim

The Tiger Kingdom is a novel and different experience for Sri Lankans. It gives a rare chance to touch and play with tigers. A visitor can choose to play and pose for photographs with baby, small or grown tigers, and a trained friendly staff is ready to help visitors at any time.

The Mae Sa Elephant Camp located in the same region is another amusing offer for tourists.

The elephant show is a distinguished feature of this camp, carefully programmed for visitors with mischievous and talented activities of the trained elephants.

The show will leave fond memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Nor Lae Village

Tourists can approach close to Myanmar-Thai border through this village. The military camps, soldiers and bunkers of both countries are visible at this spot. This viewpoint will be a different experience to Sri Lankans to see how Thai villagers share the border with their counterparts in Myanmar and how they cross the border for trade purposes. However tourists are not permitted to cross the border.

Thapae Walking Street

An entire street at Thapae Gate, which ends at the city police station, is converted to a Sunday market around 3 pm, closing it to traffic. This street attracts a large number of crowd and the sidewalks are filled with vendors selling all kinds of local handicrafts. A tourist in Chiang Mai during the weekend should not miss this opportunity.

Sri Lanka-Thai relations

Sri Lanka has been maintaining cordial relations with Thailand. Both countries are keen to develop and strengthen these ties further and initiate mutually beneficial economic and trade agreements.

Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo First Secretary Panuwat Prommanon observed that the embassy receives about 300 visa applications on a daily basis.

“However the majority choose their destination as Bangkok. Sri Lankans are little aware of wonders that await them in other parts of Thailand. I openly invite them to spend a few more days in these places too in the next trip” he remarked.