Bua Tong Sunflower Festival

Khun Yuam’s magical carpet of sunflowers

 

Every year in late November and early December, a tiny corner of northern Thailand bursts into yellow life as the sunflowers hit their peak blooming season. It really only occurs in a few small patches of mountainside just outside of Khun Yuam near the Burmese border. But the effect is spectacular enough to warrant the long journey to get there.

To celebrate this annual marvel, and draw in some much-needed tourism, the town of Khun Yuam hosts their Bua Tong Sunflower Festival. The sunflowers that grace entire hillsides around here don’t grow naturally in Thailand. They were brought here from Central America nearly a century ago by missionaries, and their legacy remains. There is actually little to the sunflower festival in Khun Yuam except a visit to the sunflower fields themselves. 

This tiny market town in the Yuam River Valley sees little bustle any other time of the year. But in late November the tourists (mostly Thai or Chinese) pour into the town filling the few guesthouses and creating a rare show of traffic congestion on the mountain roads. Besides the amazing photogenic atmosphere of mountains dripping with yellow flowers, the drive to get to Khun Yuam is the real highlight. From Chiang Mai, you can take the Mae Hong Soon Loop and cruise through Pai and Mae Hong Song, or go the other direction and come up from Mae Sariang to the south. You can even head over Doi Inthanon through Mae Chaem and get to Khun Yuam. Any of these mountain drives are superb, whether done on a fun Honda motorbike or in a car. 

Doi Mae U-Kor is the best known hillside of sunflowers, covering more than 1,000 rai (400 acres). It’s well-signed and there are even a few camping spots up on the mountain. There are a couple of other smaller hillsides to check out, but it’s mainly about shooting some photos and soaking in the normally perfect weather. This time of the year, the rains have stopped and the skies are usually cobalt blue. The weather is definitely cooling off, so be sure and bring some good warm clothes for early morning and nights. If you’re on the motorbike, you’ll need seriously warm gear for the drive. 

There are a couple of resorts in Khun Yuam and around the sunflower fields, but if they are all full you can try Mae Hong Son an hour away. You really need to book a room early for this event because there just aren’t many resorts in the area. Try the Baan Farang or Khun Yuam Resort in Khun Yuam. Driving the mountains of northern Thailand is one of the highlights of this region of the country, and in terms of weather and scenery it just doesn’t get any better than late November and December around Khun Yuam. You’ll have to deal with more tourists than you’d like, but that’s the only annoyance you’ll encounter and it will only be visible at the sunflower fields and in town. Head towards Mae Chaem and the tourists vanish like the mists of Mae Hong Son in late morning.