Mae Wang district of Chiang Mai Province lies a mere hour or so’s drive south of the provincial capital and whilst not currently included in any of our North Thai tour itineraries would certainly make for an excellent day out if anyone had a day or so to spare when starting or finishing a trip in Chiang Mai City.
Here’s a selection of photos taken on a recent research trip to Mae Wang on behalf of our mates at Travelfish – an excellent on-line Southeast Asia guide that we know many of you will have already come across.
Mae Wang, looking southwest towards Thailand’s highest peak, Doi Inthanon Some stunning landscapes, tranquil villages, plenty to see and do and yet despite being so close to bustling Chiang Mai, relatively few foreign visitors make it out this way. Below is the recently established Mae Wang National Park. A small park sandwiched between the much larger (and more famous), Doi Inthanon to the south and Ob Khan to the north and whose most notable features are the unusual rock formations and cliffs known as Pha Chor.
Mae Wang National Park, Chiang Mai The spectacular geological formations were created by erosion of relatively soft sandstone layers situated between alternate strata of hard conglomerate. Ok, it’s not exactly Colorado, but it is definitely both unusual and picturesque.
In a totally different vein but conveniently placed between Mae Wang National Park and the scenic Mae Wang Valley, is the highly unusual Ganesha Himal or Ganesha Museum. Certainly, the only museum in the whole country devoted entirely to the Hindu deity Ganesha, it also includes worshipping halls, shrines, gardens, pools and waxworks.
Doi Lo’s curious Ganesha Museum The more ‘classic’ museum section is fascinating with a huge collection of Ganesha statues (he is the elephant god and son of Shiva in Hindu mythology), from various periods and just about every region of Asia. Ganesha is also a popular figure amongst Thai Buddhists as he is also considered to be the god of good fortune, helping to overcome obstacles and apparently, winning the lottery! The rest of the sprawling complex, containing an eclectic collection of statues, gaudy, life-size wax figures and piped Indian music, was, to say the least, strange. Anyway, certainly not dull, and the entrance was free, and their coffee shop was excellent!
Next up was the picturesque Wang River Valley itself; grilled chicken, sticky rice and a cold beer in local-style, bamboo cafes overlooking the river was a perfect way to spend a couple of hours on a hot afternoon. You can also get yourself punted down the scenic stream by Karen boatmen on traditional bamboo rafts or check out the elephants from a local sanctuary splashing around in the river.
The Mae Wang River Watching these happy pachyderms splashing around in the stream and playing with each other as well as their mahouts, put into perspective some of the well-intentioned, but often over-zealous, criticism by Western animal rights organisations. None of these young animals were caught in the jungle (their ancestors may have been decades ago), and they were, for better or for worse, born in captivity. Closing down such camps removes income and means broke mahouts and hungry elephants. And regrettably, to preempt any unrealistic solutions, it is notoriously difficult to rehabilitate domesticated elephants. Reintroducing them into often dwindling forests is unfortunately not generally feasible and many Thai national parks already have optimum elephant populations. Too many creatures in any given area create problems for both elephants and nearby residents and farmers. Yes, badly run camps need to be closed but let’s not tar them all with the same brush because of a couple of ageing video clips of abhorrent practices.
The particular Mae Wang site, Elephant Nature Park or the Elephant Freedom Project, is a well-run sanctuary with no riding allowed and none of the old-style ‘shows’
Anyway, a great day out and, as we said, strongly recommended for anyone with a day on their hands in Chiang Mai.
