Mae Wang Delight
Mae Wang | Chiang Mai Province | Rainy Season | 220 KM Loop | 1 Day
A fab loop around Mae Wang area, which includes a stop-in at a HUGE abandoned complex, a hidden forest temple, an elephant sanctuary, a giant Buddha and a back route through the highest mountain in Thailand!
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Contents
The Samoeng Loop Guide
The Mae Wang Loop
A Magical Temple Ride in Samoeng Tai
Outbound: Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon
The ride out. My main plan on this day was to ride out to a stunning forest temple that I love. This temple is a bit tricky to get to, due to the route being broken up and partially incomplete and I wasn’t sure if it would rain or not (which would turn the red clay earth into a really muddy and slippery ride!)
On the way to the temple, I spotted an interesting-looking entranceway Curiosity got the better of me, so I took a quick look inside…
Abandoned Village
Abandoned “Moo Baan” village resort project.
What was just a quick detour peek turned into a really amazing find of a HUGE unfinished complex. This place just kept going and going, with lots of little roads darting off in different directions.
The area was positively huge and the most interesting part of the whole complex is the main large building.
After wandering around the rabbit hole of this complex, I headed out, stopping quickly at an elephant sanctuary before heading to the forest temple.
Route to the Forest Temple
The route to the temple was a little muddy in sections but mostly graded dirt and broken-up road.
It wasn’t bad, but I was nervous about it raining hard as I am not confident on dirt. (…a previous trip report of visiting this temple via Samoeng, is HERE, which is a much more off-road ride.)
When I arrived at the temple, it was as beautiful as always.
Forest Temple
This incredible temple is hidden in the Thai jungle.
It has an ancient teak Buddha (carved from a single Teak tree), and a beautiful teak temple.
Video of this ride and the route condition:
Forest Temple
Next, I planned to head to the giant Buddha which overlooks the Mae Wang Valley. Rain was on the way though and I wanted a cool drink too, so I stopped off first at Coffee with Elephants on the R1013. It was good timing because the rain did come down heavily, including some very dramatic thunder. It went on for quite a while, but I had good company.
Coffee with Elephants
This cafe with elephants, states that funds go towards elephant conservation.
Bananas are available for feeding the elephants but I confess, I felt that the elephants seemed very bored in their enclosures.
This place is also connected to a Mae Wang ethical Elephant camp, although I am not sure how ethical the camp actually is.
I fed the elephants some bananas (available for 20 Baht), then sat for a while with my cold drink, watching them.
The rain came down hard. I was lucky to have stopped in time.
I fed the elephants a couple of bunches of bananas then headed off once the rain cleared up.
Ethical Elephant Camps
There are several elephant camps in Mae Wang and one I can recommend is Chai Lai Orchid.
Glorious Mae Wang
Mae Wang is one of the most beautiful areas to ride in, in Chiang Mai Province, in my opinion. It is easy to see why.
My next planned stop was to the giant Buddha. I wanted to check the progress of the fantastic mural inside the temple.
Giant Buddha
I love this unusual giant Buddha which looks out over the valley.
I took a walk around, enjoying the grounds and the murals inside the belly of the Buddha.
After enjoying the giant Buddha, the grounds and the spectacular Mae Wang Valley view, I headed off towards Doi Inthanon, with just a few photo stops along the way.
Twisty Ride to Doi Inthanon
I enjoyed a wonderful twisty ride to the base of Doi inthanon
Farming Zones of Doi Inthanon
My last stop was the farming zones at the base of Doi Inthanon.
I enjoyed the view and the clouds rolling in and out.
After enjoying the short break, it was a quick ride back to Chiang Mai centre.
Inbound Ride: Doi Inthanon to Chiang Mai City
It was a fast ride back to the city.
I managed to get home just as the sun was beginning to set. All in all, in all, it was a fantastic day out with lots of amazing sights and scenery, on some really great routes and roads!
– End of Ride
I hope you enjoyed this Mae Wang trip report.
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