CHIANG MAI — Just weeks after opening, a new hip Chiang Mai cafe will be partially demolished for encroaching on protected land.
Wildlife authorities ordered Jungle de Cafe to demolish a wooden suspension bridge, deck and net-floored seating area overlooking a waterfall for encroaching 80 meters into the Mae Rim Conserve Natural Forest.
The Forest Department filed encroachment charges against the owner of the cafe, which markets itself as “coffee worth tens of baht, taste worth hundreds of baht and views worth millions of baht.”
Once the intruding structures are removed, the cafe can continue operating, according to Mae Rim district chief Chaisang Pattanasakpinyo.
Jungle de Cafe’s owner Aranya Tarin said she will comply by demolishing the offending parts of the structure.
Jungle de Cafe is located inside the Pongyang Jungle Coaster Zipline Camp and Resort in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district.
Soon opening in late November, it drew positive reviews and thousands of visitors for its photogenic location in a natural setting.
Photo: Jungle de Cafe / Facebook
