Abode in the mountains of Thailand: Chiang Rai’s new luxury tented camp

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

The scenic mountains of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand will see the debut of the Visama Mae Chan luxury tented camp on 1st November. The new establishment is Visama Hospitality Group (VHG) Asia’s first high-end lodge and features 10 tastefully furnished tents. Willem Niemeijer of YAANA Ventures and Christopher Stafford, who developed the upscale boutique hotel management company The Occident & Orient Company, are the co-founders of VHG Asia.

This non-profit camp aims to help the nearby Friends of Thai Daughters foundation, which works to combat child trafficking by empowering girls from hill tribe communities. 

The foundation was established by its current directors, Patty Zinkowski and Jane McBride, and is officially recognized as a not-for-profit organization in the United States. In their statement, Patty Zinkowski and Jane McBride said that they anticipate a long-lasting and fruitful cooperation with Visama and would offer the girls employment possibilities as well as a reliable source of money for the organization. 

The size of the opulent tents, which go by hill tribe names like “Akha,” “Lahu,” “Yao,” and “Hmong,” ranges from 48 to 80 square meters, with a 12 to 20 square meter veranda. Air conditioning, a phone, an espresso maker, a French press coffee maker, WiFi, rain showers, safety deposit boxes, refrigerators, his and hers bathrobes and slippers, bathtubs, and a round- the-clock concierge are just a few of the amenities that are considered standard.

The Ambalama, a venue for storytelling and discussions by visitors like authors and historians, will be a highlight. Visitors can experience the greatest Lanna cuisine, regional farm-to-table organic selections, and international favorites at the Reu Doo Gaan restaurant.

On September 27, a small group of representatives from the travel industry were given information about the new VHG property at the Siam Hotel in Bangkok.

Chris Stafford, Chief Operating Officer of VHG said, “We want to immerse guests in a fusion of luxury and Lanna culture set against the stunning backdrop of mythical mountains of the Golden Triangle”. According to Stafford, event butlers will provide visitors with private lunches, individualized arts and crafts classes, foraging excursions, meditation instruction, and even archery.

Further Niemeijer, who co-founded award-winning eco-lodges and tented camps in southern Thailand and Cambodia said that visitors to Visama Mae Chan could choose from two to four-day “journeys” at the camp where they could engage in the arts, go on outdoor excursions, and see the surrounding attractions while learning about Lanna culture.

For stays beginning on November 1, 2023, and onward, Visama Mae Chan opened for reservations and purchases on September 27.

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