Baan Mae Kam Pong

The picturesque Northern Thai village of Mae Kam Pong is located only 50 kilometers from Chiang Mai city. Nestled on a hillside, 1300 meters above sea level and surrounded by pristine forest, Mae Kam Pong has a cool and pleasant climate.

A small stream meanders through the village. Water flowing gently past the typical wooden houses creates an enchanting atmosphere, in particular during the quiet of evening.

“Experience warm Northern Thai hospitality in a home stay; trek through pristine forest and help your hosts to pick tea; learn about local crafts; marvel at the hydro-energy project.”

Cultivating tea is a traditional occupation for Northern Thai, highland people. Mae Kampong village is surrounded by tea plantations which successive generations have woven into the verdant natural landscape. Tea trees grow alongside Arabica coffee, herbal medicines and the stunning natural forest.

Today, tea and coffee cultivation are the main occupations for Mae Kam Pong.  Much of the tea is used to produce ‘miang’, a snack which local people chew after dinner, or if they feel tired.

To produce miang, community members rely on traditional methods of planting, harvesting and fermenting tea. Only the tips of the tea leaves are picked. This allows sufficient sunlight to reach the old leaves, and enables the community to harvest tea all year round.  Guests can learn about the subtle differences in the properties of tea from month to month!

Lush forest, including a well preserved watershed, has guaranteed an abundance of streams, which enable Mae Kam Pong to produce hydro electricity. This clean energy project is managed by a village cooperative, which is even able to sell electricity to the national power grid, making Mae Kampong a model community for ‘sustainable energy.’

Tours:

TCBT02 – Mae Kampong Homestay program – 2 days

TTMT04 - Exploring Mae Kampong - Trekking and Zipline Tour