Samoeng Tai

The main town of Samoeng Tai is situated in a valley between the mountains and it is around five to six hundred meters above sea level. Temperatures are very pleasant all year round and it can get quite cool in December and January as the cold air settles in the valley and it drops below ten degrees celsius. The local population of around five thousand is made up of mainly farmers who grow rice through the rainy season and a variety of seasonal crops through the dry season. Many of the products end up in the local market in the town center which is open from early morning to early evening seven days a week. Monday market is a big event for both the locals and for people from the hill tribes in the surrounding areas who bring their products down to trade. The market opens at first light and goes on until around midday.

The Samoeng Loop

Samoeng is known to many as 'Strawberry Town' but it is probably best known for the Samoeng Loop - one hundred kilometers of winding roads through the mountains of the Samoeng Forest but never more than just fifty kilometers from the center of Chiang Mai city. The loop is very popular with motorbikers and cyclists and you will often see organised groups riding in both directions of the circuit. Bikers can choose to start their ride from Hang Dong and go clockwise or Mae Rim and go anti-clockwise. The loop prefectly portrays the term 'riding in the twisties'.

There are too many stop off points to mention but you shouldn't skip the Samoeng lookout point which gives amazing views over the Samoeng Forest. There are dozens of cafe's and restaurants to choose from on your way around the loop. Di Bosco's in Pong Yaeng seems to be the most popular with motorbikers and Tha Chang Hill the most popular with cyclists.

You hear all the time how awesome the Sameong loop is but what you rarely hear about are the accidents that happen for many different reasons. The majority happen between Mae Rim and the Samoeng lookout point. The main reason is due to slippery road surfaces - even in dry season when it has not rained for months. The road from Chaing Mai city starting at Hang Dong has an excellent road surface at the time of writing (December 2024). It has undergone a lot of repairs and a large percentage of it is very smooth and free from potholes. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Mae Rim section which is much busier.