Hundreds of people flocked to Chiang Mai’s Mae Wang district to go rafting down the Wang River over the weekend now that Thailand’s cool season is finally over.

Local merchants set up booths and makeshift eateries as tourists settled down by the riverbank from dawn till dusk.

One of the vendors said the February 26-28 long weekend saw a bigger than usual crowd of people, who travelled in groups of five to 10, settling down along the 10-kilometres of the riverbank. This area doesn’t just offer beautiful scenery but is also easy to navigate on a raft.

“Raft-rental operators said they were all booked up before noon,” he said. “We expect to see more tourists in March and April when the summer heat will encourage more people to seek cooler destinations.”

Mae Wang Police Station has deployed officers to ensure traffic flow as well as put up no-swimming signs in deep areas to prevent drowning accidents.

 

 

 

 

 

The Nation