A river rages through Ob Luang National Park in Chiang Mai is unique for its gorge through which runs the free-flowing Mae Chaem River that's popular among adventure buffs for its strong rapids. At one point the river is just two metres wide, sandwiched by giant rocks 50 metres high that almost block off its path. The park is 17 kilometres from the district of Hot on Highway 108. It attracts rafters with several of its level 5 rapids, beyond which rafting can be potentially risky. "Rafting along the section where the river passes through a ravine is too risky because the current is very powerful," said a park official as she proceeded to recount the tragic horror of 1999 when some visitors perished navigating that fateful stretch. The park has closed that section since and created a new rafting route which has rapids rating 1-3 on the difficulty scale, which is considered moderate except for a few obstacles and rocks. "We don't want to repeat the mistake again. Today we provide visitors with rubber boats which are quite safe," she said. The rafting season runs October to April when visitors can enjoy the scenery along Mae Chaem River amid the shade of bamboos and other towering trees. It's believed that the gorge was created by the strong current of the Mae Chaem, which after hundreds of years of sustained pressure on the mountain standing in its path managed to drill a hole through it, which over time widened and became the gorge we see today. In the old days locals called the river Mae Nam Saluk Hinn or the river that carved rocks, which further lends credence to that theory. They called the gorge Ob Luang which in northern dialect means a passage through mountains. Before being declared a national park in the 1991, Ob Luang used to be a stop for timber companies that used the river to transport logs they felled in the forest. The park covers an area of 553 square kilometres. It has natural attractions such as waterfalls, Mae Bua Kam and Mae Na Peun, only two kilometres from the park's headquarters. It also has caves, hot springs and prehistoric sites, including a grave dating back to the Bronze Age. The grave can be reached via a rope bridge linking the gorge. It is a short walk up a 1.2-kilometre rocky trial. It was discovered in 1985 by a team of Thai and French archaeologist who excavated a human skeleton in a grave two metres long and 0.85-metre wide, complete with a set of 32 teeth, arm and leg bones, bronze bracelets and a necklace made from sea shells believed to be that of a young adult. The bones and artifacts are kept at the National Museum in Chiang Mai, while all that remains at the site is the grave that's marked and well preserved. Further up is another prehistoric site, the Pa Chang cliff. There are paintings of elephant, other animals and man, evidence that people lived in the area long before civilisation. Along the way visitors can take pictures of giant granite rocks, flowers, herbs and some 200 species of birds that inhabit the park. The park allows visitors to pitch tents as well as rent them. It has only two lodges for which advance booking is required. MoreINFO Ob Luang National Park is on the main highway. From Chiang Mai drive along Highway 108 and turn right at Hot-Mae Sariang intersection. The park is only 17 kilometres from there. The park is also accessible by public bus. Take the Bangkok-Mae Hong Son bus at the Mor Chit Northern Bus Terminal. It will drop you off at the entrance to the national park. For more information, visit the Department of National Park's web site at www.dnp.go.th or call Ob Luang National Park at 053-229-272. |