If you plough across the Ping Valley on Rte 1317 past the housing developments and the rice fields to Mae On district, the road begins to narrow and climb into the forested hills of Mae Kampong, one of Chiang Mai's closest and most accessible high-altitude villages. Most visitors are first introduced to the area on day trips with Flight of the Gibbon, a zipline canopy tour.
Sitting at an altitude of about 1300m, Ban Mae Kampong is a Thai village that produces mêeang (pickled tea leaves), the northern Thai equivalent of betel nut. Most villagers make their living in this small-scale industry (an average annual salary for a farming family is 35,000B). Recently though, the villagers have expanded into coffee production, as demand for mêeang has declined. In the early mornings the pickers stop by the local temple where the monk has prepared a restorative brew of medicinal herbs before they head out into the fields to collect the tea leaves. The village itself is a gravity-defying collection of maze-like huts hugging the steep hillside. Flowers bow in the cool breezes and the jungle insects screech at each other.
The community has banded together to develop a tourism initiative to encourage visitors to experience their traditional lifestyle. Several families participate in a homestay program that includes three meals and basic lodging. It is estimated that homestay families earn about 10,000B to 15,000B per year through the program, and 10% of the income enters a village development fund that has been used for infrastructure and forest conservation. A similar homestay set-up is Baan Chom Nok Chom Mai. You can arrange tours of the village through Khun Sukanya.
The narrow road through the village summits the hill and winds down into Chae Son National Park, where you'll find waterfalls and hot springs.
If you visit Mae Kampong as a day trip from Chiang Mai, stop in at the restaurant of Tharnthong Lodge, south of Ban Mae Kampong, for a bite to eat and wander around their photo-op garden.
Mae Kampong is 48km east of Chiang Mai and can be reached by following Rte 1317 towards San Kamphaeng. At the T-junction at Ban Huay Kaew, turn right towards the signs for Ban Mae Kampong. There is no public transport to the village but it can be reached via motorcycle or car.