Leave for Mae Chan, 40 kms away. Then drive uphill to visit the Yao & Akha hilltribe villages. Continue driving up Doi Mae Salong to Santi Kiri KMT Yunan Chinese Refugee settlement, with its tea plantations and also see the co-op store where home-made wines, medical herbs and other locally grown products are sold.
The villagers are ethnic Chinese, descendents of KMT Nationalist Chinese army regiment who took refuge in Thailand almost 50 years ago when Communist Forces won the civil war in mainland China.
Doi Mae Salong enjoys a cool and refreshing climate all year round. In January, Japanese Sakura flowers cover the hillsides.
