Mae Salong Vacations, Mae Salong Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Mae Salong Vacation Guide

Mae Salong is a unique mountain village in that it is populated by Yunnanese Chinese who fought for the Kuomintang and fled China after the Communist victory in 1949. They fought their way out of China, led by General Tuan Shi-wen, and lived a nomadic life in Burma before seeking asylum in Mae Salong. In return for asylum granted by the Thai government and Thai citizenship, they fought against communist insurgents along the border until 1982. The area was previously famous for being one of the top opium growing and producing areas until the warlord Khun Sa was routed in the late 1980s. At that time, in an attempt to disassociate the area with its previous reputation, the Thai government renamed the town Santikhiri (meaning “hill of peace”), though it is still commonly known by its original name.

The town sits on the highest peak of the Doi Mae Salong range, lending it a temperate mountain climate that is always crisp and cool and quite cold during the winter months of November to February. The region is now famous for its high-quality Oolong tea. You can find many tea shops and agro-tourism and homestay farms in the area.