Cultural Tourism in Ban Pangha Community, Chiang Rai Province
If you are someone who loves to travel in order to see a special lifestyle and the peacefulness of a community and to manually make traditional mulberry paper, then Ban Pangha Community in Mai-sai District in Chiang Rai, which is more than a hundred years old and located in the northernmost reaches of Thailand, is the perfect choice. Most of the locals do agricultural and handcrafting work and it has been developed into a community for tourism. There are 12 stations with learning activities that are also cultural and ecological tourist attractions, such as Ban Thian (candle) Station, Ban Tee Meed (forging a knife) Station, Ban Kaset Insee (organic farming) Station, Ban Yok (jade) Station, Ban Juk San (weaving) Station, Bom Bai Ya (ripening tobacco leaf) Station, Ban Taan (charcoal) Station, Ban Jing Reed (cricket) Station, and the temporarily permitted area at the Thailand-Myanmar border.
Moreover, there are some community-connecting tourist attractions, such as Pra Jao Saan Temple, which has a principal Buddhist image woven from bamboo or the scenic point of the woven land of Sa Ngo Mountain, and others.
Additionally, the homestays within the community can accommodate 40 tourists. There are also local performances of Lanna, Shan or Tai Yai, Tai Lue, Tai Kun, and other ethnicities; however, the main show that attracts tourists is Jinnaluk.
The Learning Center for Traditional Mulberry Paper, which is also a souvenir shop, provides an opportunity for those who come to learn about the history and process of mulberry paper making, before doing it themselves whilst sipping coffee.
Travelers who are interested in coming to Ban Pangha and would like to come in groups are advised to book at least a week in advance by calling 06 4679 7470 or 08 1883 9062. The Community is open daily from 08.30 to 17.00 hr.