Mae Sai Things to Do

Mae Sai's "celebrity" comes from being the most northern City in Thailand. It is located atthe border to Burma and a big gate in the form of a house gards the border, or better you have to walk through it.

A lot of people walk through that gate and the bridge behind it everyday. To go shopping in Burma or bring their goods into Thailand. Burma is interesting because it gets many things from China that are else not available in Thailand. And it is interesting for the people form Thailand, because the goods and food is cheaper there. So a lot go shopping just over the border.

If you stand before the border you find on the left side at the street a small market with special food and spices and such imported from Burma and China. On the other side are the more touristy shops.

Thais can get a one day visa (the copy machine for the two copies you need is standing right on the street), Visitors can?t pass that easily, they need a real visa.

And if you have been shopping in Burma and have overdone it a little, don?t worry, right in front ofthe gate you can find some (female) carriers to hire.

Close to Mae Sai (about 10km outside) is the Fish and Monkey Cave.
You have to turn off the main road. (Coming from Mae Sai to the right).
This is not such a touristy place.
They have a Wat close to a small mountain. Monkeys (Makaken) climb over the temple and the surrounding trees and chase each other.

The Fish cave is a lake that ends directly at the mountain - or better in it, since the cave goes on under water.
In the lake a lot of Koi (special fish - ask any collector how pricey they are) swim.
You can feed the fish and enjoy the surrounding a little.

I really liked the monks around here. Wonderful contrast between their orange robes and the green surrounding.

There are more caves and temples here. Some stairs go up to the Monkey and Lion caves.

The area of Doi Mae Salong is inhabited by many ex-chinese refugees. So maybe it is not so astounding that you can find here a real big Tea plantation.

A tea plant needs to be about 40 years old, until you can use its leaves for tea.
They make here green tea (different sortes) and black tea - which is actually only fermented green tea.

What I thought was nice is the little presentation of their teas they made.
How to brew your green tea right ....

Of course we had to buy one of them. I still like it, sipping it right here while writing this tip. It is one that is called something like "beauty queen" and that sort is only picked once a year - while the normal green tea are picked once a month.

The mighty Mekong River is only a short drive away from Mae Sai. We rented motorbikes from the Honda dealer in Mae Sai and headed down to the river. We hired a fast boat for about 350 baht which takes you on a tour of the Mekong, passing Myanmar, and crossing over to an island on the Laotian side of the Mekong. It's a lot of fun & a great oppurtunity for photos. You can rent the boats in the town of Sop Ruak. Follow the road signs from Mae Sai to Chiang Saen and Sop Ruak.

If your using Mae Sai as a base to explore the Golden Triangle region you should take a trip out to the Mekong River. We drove about an hour through beautiful countryside to get from Mae Sai to the small town of Sop Ruak, home of the Opium Museum, where we spent the afternoon around the Mekong. Down at the docks we hired a fast boat that took us across the river to a small isalnd, in Laos's Bokkeo Province, called Don Sao Lao. This is more of a tourist village that sells Lao handicrafts but it still makes for an interesting visit and at the very least you are on Lao territory. If you don't have a visa for Laos you won't need one to visit this island. The Lao immigration post charges a small 40 baht fee and stamps a piece of paper which allows you entry onto the island. The boat drivers wait at the dock while you explore the shops or treat your self to some Beer Lao. I was lucky enough to have some Lao locals invite me to the back of their residence for a round of rice whiskey shots. It's a fun place to bring the family. If you want a truly authentic Lao experience get a visa and cross further south at the official border crossing to Huy Xai.

it is a must to see this village (just behind the golf club). You walk up a long windy hillside past huts with these long necked ladies sat outside, on benches, they will even let you pose with their traditional clothing on. It is not very touristy.

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Completely on a whim, we decided to cross the border into Tachileik, Myanmar. We obtained the required $5 day pass at the customs checkpoint, and traversed the Nam Ruak River. Once on the Myanmar side, it’s almost like another world. There’s a bustling marketplace mostly full of counterfeit goods, and plenty of little stalls featuring Burmese food. Also, atop a hill near the border is the temple Wat Phra That Doi Wao, which I did not visit, but I heard it provides some nice views.

I was most surprised by how strikingly different the people look being just a few hundred meters from Thailand…. for instance, most of the women (and some men) wear a glistening yellow powder on their faces in various shapes and patterns. Apparently this cosmetic is made from a mixture of tree bark and water, which serves to beautify and protect the skin from the sun.

Bottom-line: Going to Tachileik is interesting for the passport stamp and observing its diverse inhabitants, however there’s not much to do for more than a couple hours.

Mae Sai is the northern most city in Thailand and is located on the southern bank of the Sai River across from the Burmese town of Tachilek. If you have a valid Thai visa and you've brought along your passport then you can easily cross the border into Myanmar for the day. On the Thai side of the border you must get your passport stamped by the Thai authorities at a kiosk just before the bridge. There is a small fee of about 250 baht. Once you've done this you will proceed through the immigration checkpoint on the Thai side of the bridge and walk across the Sai river into Myanmar. You'll then have to leave your passport and a $5 fee with the Myanmar immigration officer who will then provide you with a reciept. You'll will be given until 5 pm to explore the town of Tachilek before you must return to the border, claim your passport, and re-enter Thailand. Your Thai visa will have been cancelled upon your exit from Thailand but you will be issued a new one month visa for Thailand upon your re-entry. You can arrange longer visits into Myanmar with agencies on the Burmese side of the border. They can provide you with a car and driver to take you all the up to the Chinese border and back on a 3 day trip.