Welcome to Chiang Mai, Thailand

         Chiang Mai's rich history goes back hundreds of years. Because of its prime location and fertile land, the valley that extends from the base of Suthep Mountain to the Ping River was settled in early times by several different ethnic groups, including the hill tribe group know as the Lua tribe. Later, King Mengrai unified the different towns and villages into what came to be known as the Lanna Kingdom. In 1296, he fortified the fertile valley area with a rectangular shaped brick wall measuring 1.6 Kilometers (1 mile) wide, and 2.0 kilometers (1.25 miles) long.

          There are many hill tribe people living in the mountainous districts surrounding Chiang Mai such as Omkoi, Mae Jam, Chiang Dao, and Mae Ai. Statistics reported by the Tribal Research Institute of Chiang Mai stated that in the year 1992 there were 1,049 hill tribe villages in the Chiang Mai province, constituting a total of 174,195 people. Of this amount, 106,116 were from the Karen tribe, 27,392 from the Lahu (Musur) tribe, 17,198 from the Hmong (Meo) tribe,10,873 from the Lisu tribe, 8,862 from the Lua tribe, 2,609 from the Akha tribe, 1,145 from the Mien (Yao) tribe, and 485 from the Palong tribe.

        The hill tribe people are agricultural; planting fields, raising animals, and hunting for a living. Since each tribe has its own culture and language, they blanket the hills of Chiang Mai with an interesting patchwork quilt of diverse variety. Whether you are mountain hiking or mountain biking, Chiangmai offers a variety of colours, cultures and scenery to ensure you get a different scene for everyday.