- Choui Fong in Mae Chan district, about 40 km north of Chiang Rai city, is free to enter, open daily from 08:30 to 17:30, and has a café with windows looking out over the terraced tea rows.
- Doi Mae Salong (Santikhiri), about 64 km and roughly 90 minutes from the city, is Thailand’s oolong mountain. Tea Plantation 101 there offers free tastings of up to six oolongs.
- The tea on Mae Salong traces back to a 1973 project that imported tea from Taiwan for the former Kuomintang soldiers who settled the mountain.
- Go between October and February for cool, clear weather. In early January, the cherry trees planted along the Mae Salong road in 1982 are usually in bloom.
- Singha Park, 12 km from the city, is the easiest tea stop to reach. Entry is free, and the tram costs about 150 THB for adults.
Most visitors come to Chiang Rai for the White Temple and a quick look at the Golden Triangle. Fewer realize that Thailand’s best-known tea country is an hour north of the city. Within one province you can sit in a café over the terraced green rows at Choui Fong, then drive up to Doi Mae Salong. There, Yunnanese families descended from an exiled Chinese army make Taiwanese-style oolong at about 1,200 m above sea level.
This guide covers the plantations you can actually visit, what each one is like, how to get there with or without a car, and how to fit them into a short trip. Hours and prices come from the Tourism Authority of Thailand and recent visitor guides checked in October 2026. Small operators change their hours often, so confirm before a long drive.
Chiang Rai Tea Country: Quick Facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Country / province | Thailand, Chiang Rai province (far north, bordering Myanmar and Laos) |
| Main tea areas | Mae Chan district (Choui Fong); Mae Fa Luang district (Doi Mae Salong) |
| Signature tea | Taiwanese-style oolong, including No. 12 and Four Seasons; green tea at Choui Fong |
| Best time to visit | October to February (end of the rainy season into the cool season) |
| Currency | Thai baht (THB) |
| Languages | Thai, plus Yunnanese Chinese, Akha and Mien in the Mae Salong hills |
| Nearest city | Chiang Rai (Choui Fong about 40 km; Mae Salong about 64 km) |
| Entry fees | Choui Fong, Tea Plantation 101 and Singha Park grounds are free |
The Best Tea Plantations to Visit
Choui Fong Tea Plantation, Mae Chan
Choui Fong is the plantation that appears in most Chiang Rai photographs. The Tourism Authority of Thailand calls it one of the most popular attractions in northern Thailand and notes its terraced fields. The company traces its roots to 1977 and is reported to farm more than 1,000 rai, a Thai land unit equal to 1,600 square meters. It runs more than one estate. Visitors go to the Mae Chan site, whose address TAT gives as 97 Moo 8 Ban Pa Sang, Mae Chan.
The visit costs nothing. You park, walk the paths between the rows, and climb to the viewpoint above the café. The café is built into the slope with glass facing the tea, and it serves hot and iced teas such as lychee oolong, plus green tea cakes, tarts and rolls. A shop sells the plantation’s packaged tea. Tour buses arrive mid-morning and crowd the viewpoint terrace, so arrive before 10:00 on a weekday. If you come early you may also see pickers at work. TAT lists the hours as 08:30 to 17:30 daily. Updates appear on the plantation’s official Facebook page.
Doi Mae Salong (Santikhiri)
Doi Mae Salong sits in Mae Fa Luang district, about 6 km from the Myanmar border. Its history is unlike any other tea region. Around 1961, about 15,000 Kuomintang soldiers who had retreated from China after the civil war relocated here from Burma. The village is officially called Santikhiri, meaning peaceful hill. The Thai government gave the soldiers residency and citizenship in 1982. A tea project begun in 1973 brought tea plants from Taiwan. The result is a Yunnanese town that grows Taiwanese oolong in Thailand.
Today the main road through the village is lined with tea shops offering tastings, and terraced gardens fall away on both sides. The Chinese Martyrs’ Memorial Museum explains the 93rd Division’s route through Myanmar. Recent guides list its hours as roughly 08:00 to 17:00 and its fee as anywhere from free to about 50 THB, so check on arrival. The morning market runs from about 05:30 or 06:00 until around 08:00. Yunnan-style noodles there typically cost under 40 THB.
Tea Plantation 101, Mae Salong
Tea Plantation 101, at 83 Mae Salong Nok, is the estate most visitors pick for a sit-down tasting. Entry and tasting are free. Staff will pour up to six oolongs on a balcony above the fields and explain how they are grown and processed, with no pressure to buy. Teas listed include Oolong No. 12, Oolong No. 17, an osmanthus-scented oolong and a darker red oolong. Hours are reported as 08:00 to 17:00 daily. Mornings are best, when mist still sits on the terraces. Bring a light jacket, because the deck is high and breezy.
Wang Put Tan and Other Mae Salong Gardens
Wang Put Tan is the other name that comes up repeatedly on Mae Salong, both as a tea plantation and as a restaurant. Smaller family tea shops along the main road also offer tastings, usually free or for a small charge, with the hope that you will buy a packet. Prices for packaged tea vary widely with grade, so taste several before you buy.
Singha Park
Singha Park, known in Thai as Rai Boon Rawd, is a large farm about 12 km southwest of the city near Wat Rong Khun. It has tea slopes among lakes, fruit orchards and lawns. Entry is free. A tram tour costs about 150 THB for adults and 50 THB for children, with departures roughly every 30 minutes between about 09:00 and 16:00. Bikes rent for roughly 100 to 150 THB an hour. Singha Park is a landscape stop more than a tea estate, but it is the easiest one to reach and it pairs well with the White Temple. It also hosts the annual balloon festival in February.
Types of Tea You Will Taste
Most of the tea in this province is oolong, made from Taiwanese cultivars, so the cup tastes closer to Taiwan’s high-mountain oolongs than to Thai iced tea.
- Oolong No. 12: the cultivar Taiwan sells as Jin Xuan. It brews a pale golden liquor with a soft, creamy texture, which explains the milk oolong name on some packets.
- Four Seasons oolong: a hardy cultivar that can be picked several times a year. It is floral and light.
- Oolong No. 17 and osmanthus oolong: both are on the Tea Plantation 101 tasting list. The osmanthus version is scented with the flower.
- Red oolong: more heavily oxidized, with a darker amber cup and notes closer to black tea.
- Green tea: Choui Fong’s café builds much of its menu around green tea, from iced drinks to cakes.
If you want to compare these with a Thai tea ritual, our guide to the Thai tea ceremony covers how tea is served in Bangkok.
Tea Experiences
- Free oolong tastings at Tea Plantation 101 and the family shops along the Mae Salong road.
- Café with a view at Choui Fong, where tea drinks and green tea cakes come with the terraced hillside outside the window.
- Morning market and museum at Mae Salong, for Yunnanese breakfast and the Kuomintang history behind the tea.
- Picking season at the plantations, where early arrivals often see workers in the rows.
- Cherry blossom drive in early January, when the Nang Phaya Sua Krong trees planted in 1982 bloom pink along more than 4 km of the Mae Salong road.
If you want to see processing up close, our guide on how to book an authentic tea factory tour lists the questions to ask before you go.
Best Time to Visit
| Months | Conditions | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| October to November | End of the rainy season, green fields | TAT names the end of the rainy season as a peak time for Choui Fong |
| December to February | Cool season, clear mornings | Best weather; Mae Salong cherry blossoms in early January; Singha Park balloon festival in February |
| March to May | Hot season, haze in some years | Fewer visitors; views can be hazy |
| June to September | Rainy season | Lush green rows, slippery mountain roads |
For how Chiang Rai compares with other tea regions month by month, see our guide to the best time to visit tea plantations.
How to Get There
By Car or Scooter
Self-driving is the easiest way to see both areas in one day. For Choui Fong, TAT’s directions are to drive about 30 km from Chiang Rai on the Mae Chan to Mae Sai road. At the junction with Doi Mae Salong signs, turn left and continue about 10 km following the signposts. Mae Salong is further up the same direction, about 64 km from the city on a slow, winding road. Allow about 90 minutes with photo stops.
By Public Transport
No public transport runs directly to Choui Fong, so hire a driver or join a tour. For Mae Salong, take a local bus from Chiang Rai to Mae Chan, then a shared songthaew uphill. That leg costs about 60 THB and sometimes closer to 100 THB. Songthaews may run only a few times a day, so ask about the last one down before you go up.
Where to Stay
Chiang Rai city has the widest choice of hotels and is the practical base for day trips. To wake up among the tea, stay on Mae Salong. Recent guides report basic rooms from about 300 THB and more comfortable guesthouses from about 800 THB a night. Sleeping on the mountain also puts you at the morning market by 06:00, before the day-trippers arrive.
Costs and Budgeting
| Item | Approximate cost (THB) |
|---|---|
| Choui Fong entry | Free |
| Tea Plantation 101 entry and tasting | Free |
| Singha Park tram | 150 adult / 50 child |
| Mae Chan to Mae Salong songthaew | 60 to 100 |
| Morning-market noodles | Under 40 |
| Mae Salong room | From about 300 (basic) or 800 (comfortable) |
| Memorial museum | Free to about 50 |
The plantations themselves cost almost nothing to visit. Your main costs are transport, café orders and the tea you take home.
Sample Itineraries
One Day (by car)
Leave Chiang Rai at 07:30 and reach Choui Fong before the tour buses. Spend an hour on the paths and in the café. Continue up to Mae Salong for a tasting at Tea Plantation 101, lunch in the village and the memorial museum. Drive back before dark.
Two Days
Day 1: the White Temple and Singha Park in the morning, then Choui Fong in the late afternoon. Drive up to Mae Salong and stay the night. Day 2: the morning market at 06:00, a misty tasting at Tea Plantation 101, then the family tea shops along the main road before returning to the city.
Three Days
Add a full day for the Mae Salong hills or for continuing north toward Mae Sai and the Golden Triangle. If you are building a Southeast Asia tea route, the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia make a good second stop for a different style of plantation.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Choui Fong tea plantation free to visit?
Yes, Choui Fong tea plantation is free to visit. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, there is no admission fee and the plantation in Mae Chan opens daily from 08:30 to 17:30. Your only costs are drinks, cakes and tea from the café and shop. Arrive before 10:00 to avoid the tour-bus crowds at the viewpoint.
How far is Doi Mae Salong from Chiang Rai?
Doi Mae Salong is about 64 km from Chiang Rai city, roughly 90 minutes by car on a winding mountain road. Without a car, take a bus to Mae Chan and then a shared songthaew uphill for about 60 to 100 THB. Songthaews run only a few times a day, so plan your return before you go up.
Can I visit Choui Fong and Mae Salong in one day?
Yes, you can visit Choui Fong and Mae Salong in one day if you have a car or a hired driver. Choui Fong is on the way, about 10 km off the Mae Chan road toward Mae Salong. Leave Chiang Rai early, spend an hour at Choui Fong, then continue up the mountain for a tasting and lunch before driving back.
What tea is grown in Chiang Rai?
Chiang Rai mainly grows Taiwanese-style oolong, along with some green tea. On Doi Mae Salong, cultivars brought from Taiwan through a 1973 project include Oolong No. 12, known in Taiwan as Jin Xuan, and Four Seasons. Choui Fong is known for green tea and oolong, served in its café as drinks and cakes.
When is the best time to visit Chiang Rai tea plantations?
The best time to visit Chiang Rai tea plantations is October to February. The rainy season ends and the cool season brings clear mornings. TAT singles out the end of the rains and the start of winter for Choui Fong. Visit in early January to also see the cherry trees blooming along the Mae Salong road.