This drive forms part of an 80km loop encircling the Doi Suthep-Doi Pui National Park, returning to Chiang Mai via the small settlement of Samoeng.

Thirteen kilometres north of Chiang Mai, just beyond the market town of Mae Rim, a well-signposted road leads west into the hills through the lush and beautiful Mae Sa Valley.

The 'Samoeng Loop' via Mae Sa makes a fine day's outing featuring magnificent scenery, ample diversions and attractions, good food and a well-maintained road.

At the start of the Mae Sa Valley there is a snake farm (where cobras are milked for production of anti-venom) and a butterfly farm, filled with gorgeous and often huge specimens. The road continues past an elephant training centre where visitors can watch the great beasts being put through their paces and enjoy a ride on elephant back. Drive west on route 1096 and after 13km you will find the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens, a treasure house of flora created with the assistance of Kew Gardens in England. Beyond the gardens the road climbs high into the hills, winding backwards and forwards in a series of great loops that afford fine views westward over the mountains toward Myanmar (Burma).

Stop for lunch in Samoeng or bypass the town altogether.

The road back to Chiang Mai crosses the Krisda Doi Pass and runs by several attractive resorts amid magnificent scenery.