Over the past 3-4 years, we have had the opportunity to visit Chiang Mai every year. This is because we have received reviews of hotels, resorts, and resorts in Chiang Mai.

And it's great that we get to go during the green rice season. We wouldn't just go and collect information and take pictures of hotels and resorts and then return to Bangkok. But we have to find new places to visit in this province that we've never been to before. Doi Pui, Doi Suthep, Mon Cham, which are close to Muang district, have all been visited.

And many times already. I don't think I'll go again.

In the past two years, we have chosen to travel to the rice terraces in Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai.

The first year we went, we chose to go back and forth because we had to return to sleep at a hotel in the city. It took a long time to drive.

It took more than 3 hours to get there, including getting lost 555

The following year, we had the opportunity to return to the "Ban Pa Bong Piang" rice terraces again.

With a gap of 1 full year, the same place with the same people.

For our second trip, we decided to stay at a resort in Mae Chaem district. Our goal was to visit several places and see the morning mist. We had to cross our fingers and hope for the best.

We rented a 4WD pickup truck for 1,200 baht per day and a house with air conditioning for 900 baht.

We met at 6 am at the resort where we would be taken to visit the rice terraces for the second year in a row.

The reason we are writing this blog is because the name of the rice terraces, "Ban Pa Bong Piang", is often mispronounced.

Even on social media, where we went and checked in, people have stamped it as "Pa Pong Piang", which is the wrong name.

Ban Pa Bong Piang is a village in northern Thailand, inhabited mainly by the Karen people. The village's name comes from the name of a type of bamboo,

which is called "Bong" in the northern Thai language. The word "Piang" means "mountain ridge plain". In the past, there were many bamboo trees in this area,

making it a bamboo forest on a mountain ridge plain. Today, it is a popular destination for tourists and photographers, known for its beautiful terraced rice fields.

Mae Chaem is renowned for having some of the most stunning terraced rice fields in Thailand.

The rice paddies in Mae Chaem are only planted once a year. Seedlings are planted in August, and the fields turn a lush green in September. By October, the rice plants are heavy with grain and ready to be harvested. From November onwards, the fields turn a golden yellow as the rice ripens. The harvest takes place shortly after.

If you prefer the lush green scenery, visit from mid-September onwards. I visited once in late September and once in early October, and the smell of the ripening rice was intoxicating.

Ban Pa Bong Piang has two access routes to the rice terraces: one via Doi Inthanon National Park, which is a shorter but more challenging route (if coming from Chiang Mai), with a steep gravel road that requires a 4x4 vehicle, a high-powered pickup truck, or a local 2-wheel drive vehicle driven by an experienced driver.

We actually took both routes. The Doi Inthanon route was definitely more difficult, especially during the rainy season when the road becomes very muddy and requires constant vigilance. The route from Mae Chaem district is also challenging and longer.

We believe that dirt bikes could also make the journey, but we opted for a 2-wheel drive and a 4WD vehicle in both years.

P' Peck, a well-known and respected local in Mae Chaem, recommended our accommodation and advised us on the best places to park our car to get the most stunning views of the rice terraces.

He is a true local expert who knows every corner of the rice terraces here.

This year, we will focus on weekdays for our trips to the green rice fields, avoiding long weekends or Saturdays.

On weekends, there are a lot of people, but it's also a different kind of atmosphere. This place

is becoming more and more popular every year. With the rise of photography and mobile phone use, many people want to check in and take beautiful pictures here. There are even organized trips

with groups of tourists taking vans from Bangkok.

...to check in...

...to take pictures...

And ... to be a model, hehe

This is the one in the bottom picture (middle) P'Pek, Mae Chaem, the tour guide who took us to the beautiful viewpoints.

of the terraced rice fields of Ban Pa Bong Piang

We also asked the locals to confirm the correct name of the real terraced rice fields.

The locals unanimously confirmed that "Ban Pa Bong Piang Terraced Rice Fields" is the correct name.

It's better to come back at 6 am after the car picks us up from the resort. The first destination that P' Peck will take us to is

Ban Na Viewpoint, which is our first time here. We want to see the sunrise and enjoy the morning mist view here.

This is a picture of the morning light we saw the sea of fog from the viewpoint of Baan Bon Na. Actually, the picture we saw in front of us had been seen from Facebook.

Of P' Peck, Mae Chaem, it's very magnificent. If the sky is blue, it's really clear. But well, nature that requires a lot of luck. It's not like you'll see it the first time you come here. This is okay.

To get this magnificent view, standing on the ground level would not be possible because the corn stalks are almost as tall as our heads. I'm not that short, am I? ><

We have to find a high place to take pictures. Hehe.

Our tour of the green rice fields isn't over yet. The first year, I admit, we had to make time.

The next year, we also had to make time. That is, to make time to continue our trip to other nearby areas.

That is, Doi Ang Ka, Huai Sai Luang Waterfall, in Doi Inthanon National Park. We'll tell you more about it again, okay? ^^

Thank you for watching.

We go all out for every review, in every location, no matter what the trip is.