Mon Cham is sometimes called Mon Jam. It's on top of a small mountain and has incredible, incredible views of hills, villages, Royal Project farms and valleys rolling into the distance. Mon Cham is a Chiang Mai day trip, or a side trip from the Samoeng Loop. It's only an hour's drive from the busy city to this wonderful, relaxed spot. Everyone I've taken here has adored it. The canteen serves delicious Thai and Western food, which visitors can eat in an open-walled bamboo hut perched on the mountain's edge, or you could find somewhere to sit in the garden. In a pinch, the bamboo picnic platforms in the gardens can also be used as beds by tired travelers.
The gardens at Mon Cham are just gorgeous. You can see an almost 360 degree view of mountains all around you as you wander among the flowers. The delicious food is cooked with fresh Nong Hoi Royal Project ingredients, some of which grow right at Mon Cham itself. The Royal Projects are funded by the King and royal family as a way to improve the lives of poor villagers, reduce negative environmental impact and improve local economic development. Local villagers used to grow opium, but now they grow high value crops. Nong Hoi Royal Project is on a mountain, so farmers can grow cool-climate crops which fetch a higher price in local markets. The Project teaches local farmers how to grow them, because they aren't traditionally grown in the area. Usually Mon Cham is bathed in gorgeous sunshine, but sometimes it's cloudy, cool and extremely windy! It's delightful after spending time in the hot, sticky, polluted city. Butterflies flit around the mountain top at all times of the year! Here's a map to Mon Cham from Chiang Mai Old City. It's open every day til around dusk