Mae Kampong History and Karen Mountain Village Culture

First, let’s talk about the history and culture of the town.

Although the area has been inhabited by the hill tribes of northern Thailand for centuries. The town of Mae Kampong was not formed until the 1900s when tea cultivation became an important industry for Thailand with the area’s lush hillsides providing ideal conditions for growing tea plants. The development of tea plantations contributed to the local economy and shaped the landscape of Mae Kampong.

Mae Kampong is home to the indigenous Karen ethnic group who have inhabited the region for generations.

One of the great attractions of Mae Kampong is the traditional Karen architecture.

Almost all the houses are made of wood which helps them to blend together in their natural surroundings.

It’s impressive to see these houses built progressively higher in the mountainside. Walking along the steep and twisting road that passes through the village it feels as though you’ve been transported back into Thailand’s past.

Things to Do in Mae Kampong Village

So, what is there to do in Mae Kampong? Well not a whole lot actually but that’s okay.

Mae Kampong is a sleepy town best enjoyed by those wishing to escape the city and relax in nature.

It only takes about an hour to walk through the whole town without stopping.

Mae Kampong Coffee Cafes and Mountain Views

While here you should definitely spend some time drinking a coffee or tea with a view.

Mae Kampong is situated at a higher altitude in the mountains of northern Thailand. The cooler temperatures and ample rainfall create favorable conditions for cultivating tea and coffee, both of which thrive in such environments.

This means that some of the best tea and coffee in Thailand comes from this region.

The town of Mae Kampong has some excellent cafes with amazing views. We stopped in a few during our time there but you should definitely check out Chom Nok Chom Mai which is situated at the top of the mountain, so it gives one of the best views overlooking the village. From here, you get a bird’s eye view of the valley below.

Another one of our favorites was tedu Cafe. This is actually situated towards the bottom of the hill at the entrance of the main town. What we liked about this was that it had a really natural setting by a waterfall. The coffee was delicious, and to exit the cafe you had to make your way over a jungle canopy walkway which was pretty cool.

Mae Kampong Waterfall Hike and Jungle Walk

When visiting Mae Kampong you’re going to do some walking.

This town is situated on the hillside so to actually see it you need to hike up it.

Once you hike your way to the top of the town and after you’ve reached Chom Nok Chom Mai Cafe and had a coffee, you can continue on to the Mae Kampong waterfall.

The waterfall consists of multiple tiers or cascades, with the main Cascade of the waterfall being about 30 m or 98 ft tall.

There’s a hiking path that you can follow to take you further up the mountain to explore the more elevated tiers of the waterfall. It’s a steep hike but definitely worth doing because it gives you much better views of the waterfall than the section towards the bottom.

Mae Kampong Street Food and Local Drinks

As you walk through the main walking street of Mae Kampong, you will notice a number of snack stands. Mae Kampong has some delicious snacks, some of which are unique to the town.

Probably the number one snack from the town is the northern Thailand spicy sausage. Spicy sausages are a delicious street food. They are typically seasoned with the blended Thai herbs and spices including lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallots, and chili peppers.

You can also find grilled bananas meat sticks and omelets cooked in banana leaf. There must also be a baker living in the town because we noticed a lot of delicious cakes available too.

As you sit and watch the sunset you can sample one of the locally made fruit wines. Honestly these were a little sweet for our tastes but it was definitely worth a try. We tried the lychee flavor wine but there was also strawberry and peach wine too.

If that’s not your thing you can also chill out with a beer.

Staying in a Mae Kampong Homestay

Should you spend the night in Mae Kampong? Mae Kampong town can be explored in just a few hours so you definitely don’t need to spend the night. You can see and do everything by arriving in the morning and leaving in the late afternoon or evening.

There wasn’t a lot going on at night and surprisingly there weren’t a lot of restaurants to eat at which is strange for Thailand. However part of the fun at least for us was getting to spend time in a quiet rural village.

There are no hotels in the village but there are a lot of homestays. This means that someone from within the village is renting out a room so you’ll get to see what it’s like to stay in one of these wooden stilt houses.

In our opinion they were surprisingly comfortable and the lack of city noise and sounds of nature really help you get good night’s sleep.

The following morning you have a delicious breakfast cooked for you by your host. One night in a homestay cost us around 1,500 Thai Baht, and we stayed a little bit outside the main town.