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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Mae Rim
Spend 1–2 days in Mae Rim for gardens, waterfalls and adventure sports; add a half‑day if you want a zipline or elephant park.
Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai, offers a mix of nature (Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Bua Tong Waterfall), adventure (Extreme Sports Centre, zipline) and cultural sites (Princess Sirindhorn AstroPark, Dara Phirom Palace). It is reachable by road 107 and makes a good side‑trip from Chiang Mai, especially in the cool dry months.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- May–Oct (rainy season)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿1,000–2,000 excl. bed · Mid ฿2,500–5,000 excl. bed · High ฿5,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance / Tourist police 1669
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
Get in
By air
- CNX · Chiang Mai International Airport
- About 30 km (19 mi) south, 45 min by taxi or shuttleAbout 19 mi (30 km) south, 45 min by taxi or shuttle
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Language, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Road 107 runs north‑south through Mae Rim; local songthaews and tuk‑tuks are the main public options. Hire a car or join a tour from Chiang Mai for remote sites.
See and do
Known for
- Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
- Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall
- Extreme Sports Centre
- Princess Sirindhorn AstroPark
- Dara Phirom Palace
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chiang Mai | Road 107 south, songthaew or taxi, about 30 min | 30–45 min |
| Samoeng | Road 1096 west, about 40 min by car | 40 min–1 h |
| Chiang Dao | Road 107 north, about 1 h by car | 1–1.5 h |
| Fang | Road 107 north, about 1.5 h by car | 1.5–2 h |
| Thaton | Road 107 north, about 2 h by car | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Four Seasons Chiang Mai
- Luxury resort, 28,000–160,000 baht per night
- Panviman Resort
- Mid‑range, 5,000–16,000 baht per night
Language
Thai is tonal and written in its own script; English works in hotels, malls and tourist areas, much less in the north-east and small towns. Polite particles (khrap for men, kha for women) go a long way.
- Ask hotels for their address card in Thai script.
- LINE is the messaging app of Thai businesses.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Roads can be winding; drive cautiously in rain.
- Some attractions (e.g., AstroPark shows) have limited schedules – check before you go.
- Entrance fees are cash‑only at many parks.
Mae Rim is generally safe. Watch for winding roads, cash‑only entry fees at some parks, and limited opening hours at smaller attractions. Petty theft is rare but keep valuables out of sight.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Mae Rim yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
- Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall
- Extreme Sports Centre
- Princess Sirindhorn AstroPark
- Dara Phirom Palace
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikidata – Mae Rim: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1234567
- Wikivoyage: Mae Rim, revision 5241022 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241022
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/mae-rim). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.