Mon Cham in the cool season

What it is

Mon Cham, also written Mon Jam, is a hilltop in the Mae Rim district north of Chiang Mai. It is part of a royal project that helped hill farmers, many of them Hmong, switch from opium to vegetables, strawberries and flowers. From the ridge you look down on terraced plots and across to forested mountains. In the cool, dry months the gardens along the ridge are planted with bedding flowers, and bamboo huts serve food made from the project's produce. Mornings often begin above a sea of mist. It is a favourite winter outing for Thai families escaping the heat of the plains.

Before you go

• Arrive for sunrise to see the valley mist.
• The road is steep and winding. Hire a driver if you are not used to it.
• It is properly cold in the early morning in December and January.

The flowers you will see

Scarlet sageA bright bedding plant with spikes of red, white, or purple flowersGarden cosmosA tall annual with feathery leaves and pink, purple or white daisy-like flowersAztec marigoldThe golden-yellow flower of Mexican altars and Day of the Dead offeringsPetuniaA South American garden flower with trumpet-shaped blooms in many colours

More in Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai · Jan to DecWild Himalayan cherry on Doi InthanonPink cherry trees and royal flower gardens on Thailand's highest mountain. 🇹🇭 Bangkok · All yearPak Khlong Talat by nightBangkok's round-the-clock flower market near the river, at its fullest after dark. 🇹🇭 Bangkok · All yearThread a phuang malai garlandA short class in the Thai craft of threading jasmine and other flowers into offering garlands. 🇹🇭 Pattaya · All yearNong Nooch Tropical GardenA very large private botanical garden near Pattaya, known for palms, cycads and orchids. 🇹🇭 Chaiyaphum · Jun to AugSiam tulip fields of ChaiyaphumIn the early rains, pink wild flowers called krachiao cover forest clearings in north-east Thailand. 🇹🇭 Udon Thani · Jan to DecRed lotus lake of KumphawapiA shallow lake in north-east Thailand that is covered in pink water lilies on cool-season mornings.