Day Trippin’ – Mae Wang Day Trip (Doi Inthanon Zones)
Mae Wang | Chiang Mai Province | Cool Season | 235 KM Ride | 1 Day
18th November. A day trip around Mae Wang and Doi Inthanon zones. This date is the anniversary of a bad motorcycle accident, so I always try to do something reflective, commemorative, or interesting on this date. Mae Wang area is beautiful, so it felt like the perfect area for a day ride.
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Contents
Thailand Iconic Roads in the North
Big Bike Tours Recce Ride 2
5 Days 7 Provinces Loop
Border Ride. N.West to N.East – Northern Thailand.
Outbound: Chiang Mai to Wachirathan Falls
The ride out. I set off mid-morning. My plan was to ride rural back roads and cram in as much in one day as I possibly could.
I took the R121 and linked up with rural road R3035, which was very pretty.
R3035
There were a few interesting sights along the way, including this large elephant statue outside วัดท่าช้าง / Wat Thung Chang. Inside the temple there was a large pink Ganesha Elephant God.
I particularly liked this warning sign. (“ระวังทางโค้ง” – “be careful on route)
My first stop was to be the Ganesha Himal Museum. I had spotted it before and had always wanted to visit, so today seemed like the perfect day.
Ganesha Himal Museum
When I arrived at the Ganesha Himal Museum, it didn’t disappoint. It turned out to be a wonderfully unique and interesting collection of Ganesha elephant statues, set within a beautiful garden and house.
The entry is free. I opted to have a donation-based blessing by the monk.
The monk actually sang the blessing over me, in a wonderful sing-song voice! I gather this is pretty much standard for everyone visiting, but because I didn’t expect it and because it was a significant day, it just felt really quite wonderful.
There is so much to see at this museum, including many different interesting Ganesha statues and a fantastic wax museum, that its hard to narrow it down to just a few photos. So, you just have to go see for yourself! (There is also a small coffee shop, outfit hire, and a gift shop too).
After enjoying the museum I set off to Mae Wang National Park, as I wanted to finally visit the amazing Pha Chor. I had been meaning to visit for several years, but just never got around to it. It didn’t disappoint either!
Pha Cho – Mae Wang National Park
At the entrance of the national park, I paid a small 100 Baht fee, and then carried on through the park to Pha Chor.
At Pha Chor you need to prepare yourself for a bit of a mini hike trail. I suggest taking plenty of water, and best to wear a hat or take an umbrella to shield from the sun.
Thankfully, there are a few resting spots dotted around the trail, making it a good spot to catch your breath and hydrate.
Along the way, there are information signs, telling you more about the area and how the pillars were formed.
Once I reached the pillars, the view was impressive.
One thing to note also, is that the route can be quite narrow in places, when exiting the main pillar zone. It eventually opens up again into the wider trail, however.
Fantastic place and well worth a visit.
Before leaving the park, I took a quick stop at Pong Cho Reservoir within the Mae Wang National Park.
I then took an interesting-looking road, but unfortunately it led to dead end, so I turned back and headed back on myself.
After a quick refreshing drink and a snack I got back on my bike ready to visit the next place; Wachirathan Waterfall, in the Doi Inthanon National Park area. I also noticed a possible interesting “short cut” through to the falls, however, this was the result..
I made a U-turn, but figured that since I was already in this area I may as well see if there were other routes worth looking at. I rode to a bridge and realized it was a bridge over the area I just tried to cross. It dawned on me that this was supposed to be a river, but oh so dry! Doesn’t seem so good for the start of Cool Season. Surely this river should be flowing? I noticed too that many areas were brown instead of green. This years Rainy Season saw really low rainfall, and it showed. Still stunning though, but concerning.
I continued on, taking as many alternative rural roads as possible.
Eventually, I made my way to Wachirathan Falls.
Wachirathan Falls
At the waterfall the water was raging! (video clip of the waterfall and highlights of the trip at the end of this report)
It was really packed though, as is to be expected really..but still was a shock after so many quiet roads.
I bought myself several drinks at the little café within the waterfall grounds and had a quick bite to eat. The girl in the coffee shop remembered me from previous visits and had a chat to me about mutual friends (a lot of the tour companies I know ride into this waterfall whilst on the Mae Hong Son loop).
Feeling refreshed I got on my bike again. My next ride was going to be pretty much non-stop. It was already getting late and I needed to cover over 100 kms to get home (via the long way). I was looking forward to riding on the scenic Mae Wang route and there was also something I wanted to make a mental note of, for another ride trip.
Inbound Ride: Wachirathan Falls to Chiang Mai
I had just a couple of pauses enroute to enjoy a few stunning views. My GoPro batteries at this point were now dead and my phone battery was dying, so I decided to just turn off the tech and enjoy the ride home. (I do have a USB port on my bike, but it seems my phone cable wasn’t playing ball that day!) I did get a little juice in my phone battery for a couple of quick photos and video shots though, but nothing touches upon how wonderful this route really is!
Love this route!
Epic!
I also did get to find that “thing” I wanted to make a mental note of for another ride..so all I can say for now is WATCH THIS SPACE, as it looks quite interesting.
– End of Ride
Video Highlights
I hope you enjoyed this Mae Wang trip report.
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