Having once lived in Doi Saket it's a real surprise to see just how tourism took off in the northern mountainous area of what was once a sleepy out post off the 118. It became coffee country, a hot spring destination, a place for zip-line riders, bikers and even walkers, all of which I missed and all brutally assaulted by the Covid which has shut down most of these things for almost 2 years. With New Year on the way I was paying a visit to my son who still lives just off the 118 near Doi Saket and thought I would take this opportunity for a morning ride in the mountains. Having seen some pictures and heard stories it was time I experienced the road out and the sight of The Giant.
With all the roadworks finished its just a few minutes until you reach the well sign posted turn off for the Doi Saket hot springs along route 3005. This early the sun was just over the horizon and straight into the eyes of a biker heading east, a good reason not to go before 8am next time. The 4074 is a left turn and the road slowly rises and narrows as it nears Mae Kampong which is once again beginning to draw a few Thai tourists especially as the New Year was just 3 days away. There was a couple of the silver grey vans and several SUV's with city people from the plains eager to experience some cold weather and get their gloves and hats out. The left off of this small road narrowed even more and the most obvious sign to follow was Lanna Wild who must have just erected new signs. Once up here it was truly a twisting trail with small guest house, lodgings and coffee shops either perched up above the road or dug in down below next to the mountain stream. Personally I was glad to be on a bike with SUV's coming the other way taking up 75% of the lane.
As can be seen from these pictures we are already into what I call phase 2 of the tourism business. At first people are in awe of the local villages, simple wooden buildings and primitive facilities but within no time modern luxuries win out and the chalets and bungalows become quite sophisticated. A few have been caught a little between the two and at times its hard to know whats for the tourist and whats for the wealthier house and land owners who either make the long journey every day or much more likely own weekend residences. Whoever they are at the moment there is an optimism that tourists are coming back and there is a lot of building construction, repair and maintenance.
The last few attractions up here are well isolated and away from the majority of the traffic which is just as well because the road gets very steep, virtually single lane and does a few dramatic switchbacks. The forest here is as near to pristine as can be found in north Thailand. Some beautiful old trees, a few added coffee bushes and some large green leaf of the banana-ginger variety usually found in the damp mountains. Quite what the people with the temporary plastic roofing were doing I'm not sure but it looked more like a home or business enterprise than it did tourism.
Once at the top of the ridge its a short distance until the Buddha image is right in front of you and just a few hundred yards to The Giant which I assume is named for the fig tree rather than the coffee shop/homestay that sits here. Even at 9am they had visitors in numbers, most in private vehicles costing far more than my house and some in rented songthaews. Its amazing to think that people will come all this way into a remote hilltop forest to sample an expensive cold sweet coffee but it has to be said the setting is rather terrific.
I made sure by asking the woman serving drinks to the drivers if the road was passable going on from here and got the usually, oh yeh, no problem, probably from someone who has never travelled along it. But off I went having already read reports of a broken but passable surface. And thats what it is in parts, definitely ready for a resurface and a widening. There was a very steep downhill section but thankfully hard and only cracked not yet broken. It was dark and damp with the sun not yet high in the sky and I finally came to a local village nestled at the valley bottom untouched by tourism or modern development beyond cars, bikes and electricity. Homes built almost entirely from wood apart from some concrete pillars and glass windows. I was impressed with the wooden slats/tiles.
Heading up to the ridge on the other side of the stream was the worst section of road on the trip. Being steep I didn't stop to take any pictures but the bitumen had worn away so there were ruts, stones, holes and dust. Not a bit I would wish to be coming down on but no big deal going up. Near the top there was a large piece of rebuild where the complete road had recently fallen away and down and a big and costly effort had been made to pack it all back with big stones held in wire frames which my picture failed to capture. Then it was down to another valley village that again highlighted the difference between the rented and local homes. By now the road width was such that I was having trouble deciding what was the road to follow and what was the cement drive into a large house.
Coming off a steep down hill I was caught between two similarly sized lanes and thankfully the internet connection and a look at google maps saved me taking a long cut. It probably didn't go far, possibly to a temple I saw signposted. Soon after that I was in a valley and came out on the 4063 what I call 'Doi Saket coffee country' and once more the scene of past tourism that everyone hopes is on the way back. Some very innovative buildings that really do deserve a bit more custom than they are presently getting. Having to leave paradise and come back to the reality of earth and a visit to Chiang Mai Immigration to do a 90 day report, I chose to take the 1317 back to the city, another route I have never in my life ridden on. A most intriguing feature of this road is the 3 kilometre section with a removable forest, for sale as individual, fully grown trees. And yes, they had buyers which I was mistaken for as a very pleasant young woman came over to my parked bike to see what I was interested in buying. A take-away maybe?
With all the roadworks finished its just a few minutes until you reach the well sign posted turn off for the Doi Saket hot springs along route 3005. This early the sun was just over the horizon and straight into the eyes of a biker heading east, a good reason not to go before 8am next time. The 4074 is a left turn and the road slowly rises and narrows as it nears Mae Kampong which is once again beginning to draw a few Thai tourists especially as the New Year was just 3 days away. There was a couple of the silver grey vans and several SUV's with city people from the plains eager to experience some cold weather and get their gloves and hats out. The left off of this small road narrowed even more and the most obvious sign to follow was Lanna Wild who must have just erected new signs. Once up here it was truly a twisting trail with small guest house, lodgings and coffee shops either perched up above the road or dug in down below next to the mountain stream. Personally I was glad to be on a bike with SUV's coming the other way taking up 75% of the lane.
As can be seen from these pictures we are already into what I call phase 2 of the tourism business. At first people are in awe of the local villages, simple wooden buildings and primitive facilities but within no time modern luxuries win out and the chalets and bungalows become quite sophisticated. A few have been caught a little between the two and at times its hard to know whats for the tourist and whats for the wealthier house and land owners who either make the long journey every day or much more likely own weekend residences. Whoever they are at the moment there is an optimism that tourists are coming back and there is a lot of building construction, repair and maintenance.
The last few attractions up here are well isolated and away from the majority of the traffic which is just as well because the road gets very steep, virtually single lane and does a few dramatic switchbacks. The forest here is as near to pristine as can be found in north Thailand. Some beautiful old trees, a few added coffee bushes and some large green leaf of the banana-ginger variety usually found in the damp mountains. Quite what the people with the temporary plastic roofing were doing I'm not sure but it looked more like a home or business enterprise than it did tourism.
Once at the top of the ridge its a short distance until the Buddha image is right in front of you and just a few hundred yards to The Giant which I assume is named for the fig tree rather than the coffee shop/homestay that sits here. Even at 9am they had visitors in numbers, most in private vehicles costing far more than my house and some in rented songthaews. Its amazing to think that people will come all this way into a remote hilltop forest to sample an expensive cold sweet coffee but it has to be said the setting is rather terrific.
I made sure by asking the woman serving drinks to the drivers if the road was passable going on from here and got the usually, oh yeh, no problem, probably from someone who has never travelled along it. But off I went having already read reports of a broken but passable surface. And thats what it is in parts, definitely ready for a resurface and a widening. There was a very steep downhill section but thankfully hard and only cracked not yet broken. It was dark and damp with the sun not yet high in the sky and I finally came to a local village nestled at the valley bottom untouched by tourism or modern development beyond cars, bikes and electricity. Homes built almost entirely from wood apart from some concrete pillars and glass windows. I was impressed with the wooden slats/tiles.
Heading up to the ridge on the other side of the stream was the worst section of road on the trip. Being steep I didn't stop to take any pictures but the bitumen had worn away so there were ruts, stones, holes and dust. Not a bit I would wish to be coming down on but no big deal going up. Near the top there was a large piece of rebuild where the complete road had recently fallen away and down and a big and costly effort had been made to pack it all back with big stones held in wire frames which my picture failed to capture. Then it was down to another valley village that again highlighted the difference between the rented and local homes. By now the road width was such that I was having trouble deciding what was the road to follow and what was the cement drive into a large house.
Coming off a steep down hill I was caught between two similarly sized lanes and thankfully the internet connection and a look at google maps saved me taking a long cut. It probably didn't go far, possibly to a temple I saw signposted. Soon after that I was in a valley and came out on the 4063 what I call 'Doi Saket coffee country' and once more the scene of past tourism that everyone hopes is on the way back. Some very innovative buildings that really do deserve a bit more custom than they are presently getting. Having to leave paradise and come back to the reality of earth and a visit to Chiang Mai Immigration to do a 90 day report, I chose to take the 1317 back to the city, another route I have never in my life ridden on. A most intriguing feature of this road is the 3 kilometre section with a removable forest, for sale as individual, fully grown trees. And yes, they had buyers which I was mistaken for as a very pleasant young woman came over to my parked bike to see what I was interested in buying. A take-away maybe?
Last edited:
