5 days in Thailand to "hunt" cherry blossoms

Last January, Do An Ninh and Tran Doan Sang, owners of a travel channel with nearly 50,000 followers, visited Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai to "hunt" for cherry blossoms. Having been to the mountainous region of northern Thailand but not yet seen the flower season, Ninh was determined to wait for a good time to return to explore this land.

In the photo, cherry blossoms are in full bloom at the Sakura Bridge camping area in Doi Inthanon National Park.

Ninh and Sang arrived in Chiang Mai at the right time when the apricot blossoms were in full bloom all over the roads and hills. The flower season here usually starts from late December to mid-February every year, with each season having its own blooming area. The place Ninh and Sang chose to see the flowers was Ban Khun Wang in Doi Inthanon National Park. "This year, the flowers were in full bloom around the third week of January," Ninh said.

Two male tourists chose a direct flight from Hanoi to Chiang Mai, with a round-trip ticket costing around VND3.2 million per person. Ninh said that currently there is only one airline, Air Aisa, that operates a direct flight from Hanoi to Chiang Mai, at around 1:30 p.m.

This trip, Ninh's group included children, so he rented a whole house in the center of Chiang Mai, which can accommodate 8 people, and costs more than 2 million VND per night. This accommodation is convenient for traveling to the flower viewing spot and other attractions in Chiang Mai.

Arriving at Ban Khun Wang, Ninh's group visited the Ban Khun Wang Agricultural Research Center, the Sakura Bridge Camping Area, and the Orchid Conservation Center, all of which are places with many cherry blossoms and beautiful views. These locations are located in the Doi Inthanon National Park area.

Ninh shared that he had seen cherry blossoms in Vietnam, but the density of flowers in northern Thailand was thicker and had more shades. The cherry blossom tree in Thai is called Nang Phaya Sua Khrong, with a bright pink color. This flower is also called "Thai Sakura" by locals and tourists.

During 5 days and 4 nights, in addition to the main activity of flower viewing, Ninh's group also visited beautiful cafes in Chiang Mai. Then they rented a car from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai to explore. In the picture is Chom cafe & restaurant in Chiang Mai, the space is like a tropical forest.

Ninh said that when traveling within the city, his group often booked a car through the Bolt app, which is cheaper than booking through Grab. When going out of the city to Ban Khun Wang or Chiang Rai, the group rented a car for the whole day from the locals. The price for renting a 7-seater car with a driver for 2 days is 8,000 baht (about 5.6 million VND). "The local drivers are enthusiastic and very accommodating, picking up and dropping off customers at their doorstep. They even offer free airport transfers if they are free that day," Ninh said.

Image of sheep hill at Akha farm in Chiang Rai, about 210 km from Chiang Mai.

The male tourist said that this trip was a self-sufficient journey because traveling to Thailand does not require any complicated procedures. Tourism services in Chiang Mai are developed and convenient. Ninh's total cost for 5 days and 4 nights in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai was about 10 million VND. Experiencing cherry blossom viewing in Northern Thailand is a reasonable choice and is 2.3 times more economical than going to Korea or Japan.

TH (according to VnExpress)

Source