Exploring the Mountains of Chiang Mai, Thailand
If you’re ever in Thailand and wish to be surrounded by mountains, strawberries and cozy cafés, Chiang Mai is the place to go.
I often catch myself telling people that this province, and specifically the main city, will always have a soft spot in my heart.
Last week, I visited with my boyfriend for a few days, and we had a blast at driving a scooter up and down mountains, hiking and stopping by strawberry farms whenever we could.
The trip as a whole was incredible, however, my focus for this post will lay on my experiences of two beautiful mountain peaks near the city: Doi Suthep and Doi Pui.
Doi Suthep (Strawberry Heaven):
This journey started with the very sleep-deprived pair of us chugging down coffee, taking a nap at a café, grabbing a motorbike for rent and deciding to go see some strawberries. All the farms shown on Google Maps happened to be located along the same mountain, so we embarked on a breezy, chilly 15 km drive to the top.
On the way, we passed by multiple gorgeous and fruitful strawberry farms, each with unique decorations to attract passersby.
Soon enough, we realised that our goal shifted from discovering new strawberry farms to driving the scooter to the very top of the mountain in order to see the view. So that was what we did.
At the top, a beautiful surprise awaited us: a garden of blooming sakura, cherry blossom and peach blossom trees, with various smaller flower gardens surrounding it. And despite the fog, the view itself was rewarding for our exhausted traveller eyes.
What followed on the drive back down was a lunch stop at an intriguing Thai restaurant by a small waterfall.
Doi Pui (Pine forest hike):
A 6 am wake-up can mean only one thing: something exciting is coming up! For us specifically, it meant powering through another chilly scooter drive up a mountain, until we reached a camping area with nearby nature trails leading to the peak.
At the campsite, the temperature fell to 15 degrees celsius, which, for sunny Thailand, is quite cold. So, wearing a double layer of sweatshirts, comfy shoes and even gloves, we made our way to the top.
Along the path, there were numerous interesting trees and plants, however, what neither of us expected to stumble across were Chinese pine trees and acorns! Giddy with excitement, we gathered a small heap to take home with us, and completed our short 1.6km hike to the viewpoint.
And the view was captivating.
Looking ahead, all you could see were tropical mountains, and looking down you could see minuscule human settlements and fields. But what really made the viewpoint special for me were the pine trees growing on either side of Doi Pui.
Definitely, one of the most unique tea times I’ve had.
