Surrounded by the tallest mountains in Thailand, Northern Thailand is cooler than the rest of the usually sweltering country and thus particularly popular in December and January. In the mountains at night temperatures occasionally dip below freezing, although in the plains the daily average is rarely less than 25 Centigrade.
Culturally, Northern Thailand shows heavy influences from the neighboring cultures of Myanmar and Yunnan (China). The kingdoms of '''Lanna''' (centered at Chiang Mai) and '''Sukhothai''' were the first historical Thai nations.
Much of northern Thailand was for a long time off limits due to a series of Communist insurgencies and Myanmar's drug battles and civil wars spilling over the border. Both problems have been largely resolved, although caution is still advised near the border with Myanmar in the provinces of Tak and Mae Hong Son.
The people of Northern Thailand speak their own dialect of Thai called ''Kham Meaung'' (or ''Kham Muang''; ???????), however standard Thai is widely understood. In addition, the hill tribes speak their own languages.
Here and there, especially at temples, you may spot signs written in a curious rounded script that looks more like Burmese than Thai. This is '''Lanna''', the ancient script of the Lanna kingdom, and while very few people can read or write it anymore, it's still popular in ceremonial usage.
The main airport in Northern Thailand is Chiang Mai, which has connections throughout Thailand and some international links too. Domestic flights (some of which may be seasonal) connect with Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Ko Samui, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Pai, Phitsanulok, Phuket, Sukhothai and Udon Thani.
Trains from Bangkok go regularly to Chiang Mai via Phitsanulok.
There is an extensive bus network with the main backbone being between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. From Chiang Mai, buses head north-west to Mae Hong Son and Pai, and further north to Chiang Rai.
Regular flights connect Chiang Mai with Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Pai, Phitsanulok and Sukhothai.
The only railway line within Northern Thailand runs between Chiang Mai and Sukhothai (and further on to Bangkok).
Minibuses, songthaews and tuk-tuks also serve many places which are not directly accessible by bus. Cheap but not always comfortable.
The most reputable motorcycle tour company is '''Thai Motorcycle Tours''' [http://thaimotorcycletouring.com/] (Tel: +66 (0) 86 231 0097) who run bike tours in both Chiang Rai and the Mae Hong Son loop. For renting your own bikes, try '''Mr Mechanic''' at 4 Soi 5, Moonmuang Rd, Chiang Mai, Tel: +66 (0) 5321 4708, [http://www.mr-mechanic1994.com/].
'''Temple-tramping''' in Chiang Mai and '''historical sites''' in Sukhothai are the major cultural attractions of Northern Thailand, the birthplace of Thai civilization. Many people also visit the Golden Triangle of opium fame, and while the drug is no longer grown there, you can still check out the hill tribes and day-trip over to Myanmar and Laos without a visa.
Northern Thai food is somewhat different to that eaten in the rest of the country. Northerners prefer sticky rice over steamed, bitter flavours to hot ones, and avoid using coconut milk. The favoured meat is pork, which finds it way into a variety of sausages (cooked or fermented) and whose skin is fried as the ubiquitous snack ''khaep muu''. The traditional way of sampling Northern food is a low round table known as a ''khan tok'', laden with dishes. Some favorites include:
While the larger towns (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok) offer a broad range of accommodation, in the smaller villages the tourist has to refer to guest houses and smaller hotels. Prices are usually lower than in Bangkok. Booking ahead (using the Internet or travel agencies) may give you better rates at some hotels.