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Chiang Mai is a city built on the roots of a traditional heritage that dig deep into the soil of time. It's a city with a beautiful cultural personality of its own. In addition, it's been blessed with much majestic beauty in nature.

The people themselves are an unforgettable part of Chiang Mai. Handicrafts of silk, silver and wood are timeless souvenirs for visitors from all over the globe.

 

Along with all this, a wide variety of accommodations, restaurants, and entertainment all help to make Chiang Mai one of Thailand's prime tourist attractions.

 

With a population of 1,547,085 Chiang Mai is one of Thailand's largest provinces. Of the above number, 170,348 are currently living in Chiang Mai's city area with the rest distributed throughout Chiang Mai's 21 districts, 2 sub-districts. 80% of the people in Chiang Mai are locals by birth. The remaining 20% is made up of Thai nationals and foreigners who have moved to Chiang Mai to work, study, or retire.

 

The people of ChiangMai have their own lilting dialect, their own customs, their own architectural traditions, a wide range of indigenous handicrafts, their own dances and cuisine. As countless travelers have discovered, ChiangMai's manifold attraction enthrall delight, and to visit this northern Shangri-la merely once is to remain forever enchanted.

 

There are many hilltribe people living in the mountainous districts surrounding Chiang Mai such as Omkoi, Mae Jam, Chiang Dao, and Mae Ai.

 

Statistics reported by the Tribal Research Institute of Chiang Mai stated that in the year 1992 there were 1,049 hilltribe villages in the Chiang Mai province, constituting a total of 174,195 people.

 

Of this amount, 106,116 were from the Karen tribe, 27,392 from the Lahu (Musur) tribe, 17,198 from the Hmong (Meo) tribe, 10,873 form the Lisu tribe, 8,862 from the Lua tribe, 2,609 from the Akha tribe, 1,145 from the Mien (yao) tribe, and 485 from the Palong tribe.

The hilltribe people are agricultural; planting fields, raising animals, and hunting for a living. Since each tribe has its own culture and language, they blanket the hills of Chiang Mai with an interesting patchwork quilt of diverse variety.

Climate

Cool Season : (late October to end of February). average temperature 21º C and much cooler at night. The coldest months are December and January.

Hot Season : (early March to end of May) Average temperature 29.9º C. The hottest month is April.

Rainy Season : (early June to end of October). Average temperature 25.5º C. The wettest month is September.

Chiang Mai popularity stems in part from its pleasant climate. Temperatures from mid-November to January average between 13C and 28C (56F and 83F) in Chiang Mai; the hills are even colder.

Temperatures in Chiang Mai begin rising in February and in the hot season (March-May) range between 17C and 36C (63F and 97F). In the rainy season (June-mid November), the highs can drop but the lows not at all.

There is no considerable variation between day and night-times temperatures in Chiang Mai.

The monsoon in Chiang Mai begins in May and ends in October, earlier than in Central Thailand.

The rain generally falls sporadically - except during August and September when the streets of Chiang Mai can sometimes flood.