The main university campus, known as Suan Sak campus () or Cherng Doi (), lies about five kilometres west of the city center. Set against Doi Suthep, the campus occupies a site, bounded on three sides by main shopping streets and on the fourth by the Chiang Mai Zoo. The campus includes the university's administrative centre, the science, engineering, humanities, and social science faculties, political science and public administration, law, the graduate school, all of the campus resource facilities and services and major sports facilities. An attractive feature of this campus is the Ang Kaew Reservoir. Constructed to supply water for the university, it is also a recreational area for campus residents and the local community. In the 1960s, the area was still forested. With conservation in mind, university buildings were constructed between the trees, with the result that the campus still retains much of its original setting.