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40 km, as the crow flies, east of the Ping (Bing) River in Chiang Mai and within 3 km of the multi-peaked mountain range separating Chiang Mai from neighbouring Lampang province, lies a cluster of Thai villages, named Ban Mae Lai after the stream flowing through the narrow valley.
Mae Lai village, at c. 1000m elevation, is situated at 18°52’ north latitude, 99°22’ east longitude on the west side of Doi Lohn (Lahn). The summit ridge c. 1525 m of this north-south aligned mountain is the boundary between Lampang and Chiang Mai Provinces. There are two summit peaks, each at c.1825 m, which provide a panoramic view of the entire valley and western lowlands of the Ping (Bing) River basin.
The Mae Lai Valley, one of several on both sides of the mountain, includes one main permanent stream, Mae Lai. This stream merges with the Kaeo (Gayo) Mae Kampong stream c. 5 km below Kaeo Mae Lai village at c. 850 m, which, in turn, forms the Kaeo stream, which flows through Kaeo village and eventually to the Ping (Bing) River. The Mae Kampong valley is contiguous to the south with the Pok (Bawk) Valley to the north.
The village was established over a century ago, and is populated by Thais who produce tea and miang products as their main crop. As of July 2005, there are 53 households and about 180 people in the village that still depend on the forest to provide all of their water and many other necessary products for their lives. There is no subsistence farming in the village, but home gardens are common. Mae Lai village is the highest village in the valley. The east side of the mountain is in Jae Sawn National Park, while the west side is in the highly fragmented Mae Takrai National Park. All villages on both sides are excluded from National Park jurisdiction.
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