Mae Fah Luang Garden, Doi Tung, Chiang Rai

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Mae Fah Luang Garden, Chiang Rai

When you visit Chiang Rai, one of the wonderful places to visit is the Mae Fah Luang Garden and Royal Villa. The garden, built in 1992 and located at 950m above sea level, is, to say the least, spectacular. The garden covers over 10 hectares of land and and is possibly one of the most colourful places in Thailand.

Mae Fah Luang garden is covered in a dazzing array of flowers. The centrepiece of the the garden is the a sculpture of children forming a human pyramid (see top photo). One of the children is trying to reach the sky. Entitled “Continuity”, the sculpture was named by the late Princess mother (mother of present king of Thailand) as “continuity ensures the the success of any endeavour”.

In 1993, the garden won the Pacific Asia Tourism (PATA) award for Tourist Site Development. Today, the garden is one of main tourist attractions in Chiang Rai.

Mae Fah Luang, the Princess Mother

“Mae Fah Luang” literally translates to “mother sky royal”, and it is the name Thai people gave to late Princess Mother. The Princess Mother had a great interest in the arts and culture, as well as the environment. She also held a deep concern for the people, especially the poor living in the remotest parts of the country and worked tirelessly to help them to become self-reliant.

In 1971, the Princess Mother founded the Mae Fah Luang Foundation in order to improve the resident’s quality of life. The foundation also helps to promote and preserve the culture and arts of the people in the North, and to provide employment and training for the Hilltribe people. These people through poverty, turned to growing opium as cash crop and their shifting cultivation techniques also resulted in the severe deforestation of Doi Tung.

Today, through the work of the foundation, the lives of the hilltribes in the area have changed remarkably. Coffee, macadamia nuts and flowers are the main crops grown today, and the cottage industry is thriving, producing quality goods of international standards. The centre of these activities is Doi Tung.

So, if when you visit Chiang Rai, why not come and enjoy the beauty of the Mae Fah Luang Garden? It’s also worthwhile to visit the Princess Mother’s swiss chalet style Royal Villa near by. A trip to the garden can also be combined with a visit to Mae Sai, the bordertown with Burma.

Interested in visiting Mae Fah Luang Garden and Chiang Rai? Contact us now!