Location: Mae Sai
Top Things to do in Mae Sai
6 Things to Do in Mae Sai That You Shouldn't Miss
Mae Sai (Thai: แม่สาย, pronounced [mɛ̂ː sǎːj]; Shan: မႄႈသၢႆ, pronounced [mɛ.sʰǎj]), is home to the district headquarters of Mae Sai District in the top of Chiang Rai province, Thailand. Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar. Asian Highway Network AH2 (Thailand Route 1 or Phahonyothin Road) crosses the Mae Sai River to the town Tachileik in Myanmar. The town of Mae Sai and Tachileik are the bi-national conurbation shared between Thailand and Myanmar.
Restaurants in Mae Sai
1. The Thai - Burmese Border Gate
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 252 reviews
2. Wat Phra That Doi Wao
Overall Ratings
4 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By Mako13Man - Dameron, Maryland
My girlfriend and I really enjoyed visiting this temple. Beautiful views looking into Myanmar/Burma from here by the Scorpion statue. A little creepy feeling at the overlook there - pretty steep and I wasn't so sure about the strength of the rails there. Probably fine, but I wasn't about to test it. We took a taxi to get here - you could walk to get here, but it would be a long, up hill walk! Impressive Wat.
3. Doi Wao & Wat Thamphajoen
Overall Ratings
4 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By Mr_Nobody_1979 - Krakow, Poland
There are not so many interesting places to see around this border town, so this temple on a top of a hill stands up above all in terms of altitude and interest. After walking up for around 5 minutes, you will be rewarded with a good view over town itself and neighboring Burma. Apart from vistas, there is a temple complex itself, some buildings are nicely ornamented and picturesque.
Place Well worth a visit indeed.
4. Fish Cave
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 42 reviews
Reviewed By singhasam - Weymouth, United Kingdom
WE visited this place of temples, caves and fish but it was the monkeys which we'll remember!
They caused carnage, so much so that there are stacks of sturdy sticks in various places for visitors to take one to protect themselves against the more aggressive animals.
One woman in our party was bitten on the back of her leg and needed first aid at the ticket point. You could tell it was not the first time something like this had happened because the ticket booth man simply reached down where he was sat and handed our guide a first aid box without batting an eyelid. Probably seen it all dozens of times before.
The injured woman was quite shaken by the experience and stayed close to her husband who had to wave his stick more than once to keep monkeys away from her.The dominant male was a stocky animal as big as a Labrador who didn't take any nonsense from anybody, monkey or man.
I saw him attack another monkey and steal the food he had been given and I also saw him rush one group of Chinese tourists which scattered like chickens before a fox, dropping food and umbrellas all over the place. Strangely, the big male ignored the food in favour of exploring a shoulder bag dropped by a Chinese tourist in her haste to get out of his way. It cost her a mobile phone which the monkey -- they are macaques -- first tried to eat and then dropped, seemingly startled by seeing his reflection in the glass.
It is possible to see where the monkeys come from because they appear to descend from a rocky hillside above and use rusty building structures, wires or branches to get down to the ground where they wait for visitors to throw them food which can be bought from local vendors alive to the main chance for some easy cash.
One of the features of this area are the large trees which spread their branches overhead to provide welcome shade.
For those who do brave the monkeys then the main area has a cave, a staircase up to more caves and a large pond come water feature full of koi carp and catfish by the score, some of which were at least two feet long.
It is certainly an attraction with some interest but it comes at a price because you are constantly watching your back against sneak monkey attacks and I never let go of my big stick until we were climbing back in our guide's car.
He thought the whole situation was very funny and enthusiastically stoked up the monkeys by tossing food all over the place to create a sort of monkey scrum, perhaps not the best idea in the circumstances!
If you are in the area then it is worth a visit, but be very careful how you go and I certainly would not advise buying food for the monkeys. You'll get more than enough attention without that! Have fun....and watch your back.
5. Tum Luang-Khun Naam Naang Norn Forest Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Corgilot
I have picnicked and swam here a couple of times. The waterfall leads to multiple rock pools which are safe to swim in if you don't mind sharing with a few water striders (the spiders). Some of the rocks can even be used as slides though we did see one kid fall and cut his head on it.
Overall, there's nothing grandeur or worth taking a trip to but if you're around, it's a nice and quiet place to relax, eat and cool down.
6. Jinnaluck Mulberry Saa Paper Workshop
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By faranghusband - Weinfelden, Switzerland
Hotel concierges and drivers in Chiang Rai don’t know this place, so you have to instruct them about the location. It’s basically on the way between the Golden Triangle and Mae Sai, but not on the main road. At least when coming from the Golden Triangle, the way to Jinnaluck is clearly marked with plenty of road signs. Just remember their logo you see on the website. It’s not much of a detour since the secondary road going past Jinnaluck continues to Mae Sai. Turn right from main road #1290 into #1041.
Jinnaluck consist of a factory, a shop and a workshop where children (maybe adults, too) can make a nice framed picture with mulberry paper (250 baht, takes about 20 minutes). They also have kind of a museum where the production of paper is explained. You can get coffee and water but there is no real restaurant.
The shop sells various paper sheets for gift wrapping and paper products like boxes, bags, booklets or ornaments. It’s not cheap: cheapest paper sheets (thin, one color) are 5 Baht while most of the really nice sheets are 50 Baht. Quantities on stock are very limited. If you’re also visiting Chiang Mai, HQ Paper has a better selection of sheets at better prices while a wider range of paper products can be bought on the night market.
Jinnaluck is recommended as a charming little place to learn about mulberry paper. It’s not a shopping paradise. Call them to avoid visiting at the same time as tour buses. And have their phone number ready so your driver can ask for directions if necessary.
