Samoeng District

Why Samoeng District is special ?

Samoeng is a small farming community located roughly 50 km from Chiang Mai. The district was originally created in 1902 as a minor district (king amphoe). It was upgraded to a full district in 1908, downgraded to a minor district in 1938, and returned to its current designation as a full district in 1958. Samoeng claims to fame are its strawberries, for which it is justly acclaimed, and the so-called Samoeng Loop, a 100 km circuit through the mountains from Chiang Mai, well-known to both cycling and motorcycling aficionados. The town is about as Thai as possible, with only the occasional Westerner in sight.

Source: http://wikitravel.org/

What to explore at Samoeng District?

Samoeng embraces varieties of hill peoples who coexist and uniquely harmonize their cultures with their natural environment to create a way of living and social groupings like no others. And being hill peoples, Samoeng is bound to suit them, since eighty percent of this district is mountains and forests. There are two main rivers that flow through Samoeng, one the Mae Nam Khan and the other the Mae Nam Samoeng. The weather here is usually cool throughout the year, at least in the more elevated areas.

Samoeng district carries a good reputation in cultivating large and sweet strawberries in Thailand. In addition, strawberry can be processed into various kinds of food, such as wine and jam.

Source: http://www.chiangmaitouristguide.com/

How to get to Samoeng District?

There are three roads in and out of Samoeng. When you drive into Samoeng on Rt 1269, you will come to a tee-junction. To the right is Rt 1349. Turning left takes you to town centre, then this unmarked road continues south and eventually turns into a dirt road.

- Route 1269: This is probably the road you came in on. Taking this route back 5 km takes you to the police box at the convergence of Rts 1269 and 1096. The latter leads to Mae Rim, 30 km distant. Continuing on Rt 1269 will eventually lead you back to Rt 108 and a short drive back to Chiang Mai.

- Route 1349: This road leads ultimately to Pai, although nearer Pai you will undoubtedly be on dirt roads. Locals never take this route to Pai. They backtrack to Mae Rim and proceed from there.

A songthaew from Chiang Mai costs 60 baht and will take roughly 90 minutes to reach Samoeng.

Source: http://wikitravel.org/