Thanathon Orchard

Thanathon Orchard’s Tha Ton property sits on a low hill in Fang district’s Mae Ai side, overlooking the Kok River as it curves through the valley below — the Thai name, Suan Som Thanathon, simply means Thanathon Orange Garden. This is one of two Thanathon estates; the other, Thanathon 2, sits closer to Fang town and dates to 1984. Both grow oranges, not the mixed longan-lychee-mango planting sometimes described elsewhere — more than 10 orange varieties are under cultivation here, most notably the honey-sweet sai nam pheung and a locally branded Freemont-type fruit.

Rows of orange trees run down the hillside toward the river, with a viewing pavilion positioned to take in both the groves and the Kok River valley beyond — on a clear day the hills toward the Myanmar border are visible from here. A tram or golf-cart ride through the grove is available at Thanathon’s other branch for around 30 THB per person; it’s worth asking on arrival whether the same service runs at Tha Ton, since hours and services can differ slightly between the two properties. Either way, tasting fresh-squeezed orange juice and buying fruit straight from the grower are the standard draw, along with orange-scented candles and bags sold at the estate shop.

Open daily from 08:00 to 17:00, the orchard is at its best early, before the midday sun flattens the hillside light and before tour groups arrive from nearby Wat Thaton, one of the area’s better-known stops. Peak fruit season runs through the cool months, roughly November to February, when the trees are heaviest and the harvest is in full swing; visit outside that window and you’ll still get the river view and the pavilion, just fewer oranges on the branch.

Insider Tip: Pair the visit with Wat Thaton up the road — both sit in the same Tha Ton subdistrict, and the temple’s own hilltop viewpoints look out over similar Kok River scenery from higher up.

Watch out: Thanathon runs two separate properties under the same name, roughly 20 minutes apart by road. If you’re navigating by name alone rather than the address, confirm you’re headed to the Tha Ton branch rather than Thanathon 2 near Fang town — services like the tram ride aren’t guaranteed to be identical at both.

Bring sun protection for the open hillside rows, and cash for fruit and juice at the estate shop — a card machine isn’t a given at a working farm stand like this. Mae Ai district sits roughly an hour north of Chiang Mai city by road, and the orchard works well as a stop on a longer Tha Ton-Doi Ang Khang loop rather than a standalone destination. There’s no entrance fee for the grounds themselves.