Mae Ping River Cruise
Last updated 2008-02-14
A popular activity in Chiang Mai that can be done in a morning or an afternoon is the Mae Ping River Cruise. The duration of the trip is around two hours and at the halfway point, fresh fruit and drinks are provided as part of the package. At the time of writing, it is 500 Baht per person.
The boats set of from the landing at Wat Chiang Mongkol, just a hop and a skip from the Chedi Hotel and the day cruises operate from 08:30 to 17:00. Any tuk tuk driver will know where to take you.
The boats, which seat around 20 people, head slowly up the river and the pilot points out vary things of interest along the way, including royal residences, well known riverside restaurants and hotels amongst other things.
After some time, you will arrive at a small riverside Thai cookery school, where the boat pilot will show you around a small garden with all kinds of local herbs and spices and invite you to smell the aromas and give you a small tour of the building, proudly claiming it was the set for a movie. You will be invited to eat some fresh fruit and enjoy some home made drinks.
The return leg is just a reverse of the outbound journey. There are some truly beautiful riverside private residences in the Lanna style along this stretch of the river. It gives you a different view of Chiang Mai and is certainly a very relaxing way to spend a couple of hours, although we thought 500 Baht was a little on the high side and clearly aimed at foreign tourists only.
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