Mae Wang Elephant Camp(H108 & R1009)
Full Day. Round trip to summit 200 km. Regular buses to Chom Thong. Yellow minibuses from Chom Thong go to Mae Chaem and the summit)
You must start early if you want to visit Wat Phrathat Sri Chom Thong (60 km.) and go to the summit of Doi Inthanon (47 km. from Chom Thong) in one day. The road to the top passes several famous waterfalls and goes through some dramatic mountain scenery. Alternatively you can just visit a waterfall in the park and then continue south on H108 to see a cotton-weaving village before returning.
A longer scenic circular (overnight recommended) route goes via Doi Inthanon, Mae Chaem, Ob Luang National Park (44 km. from Chom Thong) and Hot. The Mae Chaem valley west of Doi Inthanon offers beautiful scenery and relatively undeveloped rural villages.
(KM.24)
The Saturday morning cattle market (KM. 25 west side) is the best-known feature of this small market town. At the front of the market, tarpaulins cover stalls selling clothing and household goods, while the middle part is a huge second-hand motorcycle market. The cattle market itself is at the back. There you can see animals change hands for 6-8,000 Baht and listen to forlorn calves mew pathetically for their mothers. The site of the market is next to Wat Pa Charoentham, which has large grounds occupied by a number of gaudy modern statues. A very large reclining Buddha image lies on the south side.
Mae Wang Elephant Camp(KM.21 on R1013 west from Sanpatong. 300 Baht. for 1 hour plus ride. Longer rides negotiable & rafting available.)
This camp is less developed than those north of Chiang Mai and a Thai speaker would be helpful for communications.
The high street is typical of northern Thai towns, and wooden buildings cluster on the back streets to the west. The town market is a good place to stock up with grilled meats, sticky rice and fruit for a picnic.
(KM.59)
Chronicles suggest the origins of this famous temple go back as early as 749 AD, when the highly revered Phra Boromathat Chom Thong relic was found. A viharn has-been on the site since at least 1466. The current viharn was built in 1817 and is extensively decorated with wood carvings. The building contains a mondop - a chedi-like reliquary which houses the Buddha relic decorated with golden stucco. The revered Buddha images and finely carved elephant tusks around the mondop give the viharn the feeling of a museum.
On the main Buddhist holidays, the relic, which is reputed to be from the cranium of the Buddha, is brought out of the mondop for display. At the back of the mondop, past cages containing valuable Buddha images, a small room contains a Buddha bed donated by King Muang Kaew, (r.1495-1526) who probably sponsored development of the temple.
See also: [Walking on Doi Inthanon] [Wetland Rice Cultivation]