Planning your trip · 15 October 2026 · 6 min read
Mae Kampong from Chiang Mai: how to get there, and should you stay the night?
A tea and coffee village in the hills east of Chiang Mai: the ways up, the ways back, and what a night there gives you that a day trip cannot.
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Mae Kampong is a village in the hills about 50 km east of Chiang Mai, in Mae On district. Wooden houses line a stream in a steep, forested valley. People go for the cooler air, the coffee, a small temple whose ordination hall stands in the stream, and a slower pace than the city. It is a place to walk and look rather than a list of sights.
Getting there is the part that needs planning. The last stretch of road is a steep climb, a shared van runs from Warorot Market only a few times a day, and getting back down is harder to arrange than going up. This guide compares the ways in and out, then helps you choose between a day trip and a night in the village.
What you come up for
The village grew up around miang, fermented tea leaves that are chewed rather than brewed, and later around coffee. Today villagers also host visitors in their own homes, alongside cafés and guesthouses.
The village itself. Houses, cafés and small shops along the stream and one steep main road. Expect slopes and steps rather than a flat stroll.
Wat Khantha Phueksa. The village temple, also called Wat Mae Kampong. Its small ordination hall stands in the stream itself. Dress for a temple: shoulders and knees covered.
Mae Kampong waterfall. A short way above the village. The path is wet and slippery after rain.
Kew Fin viewpoint. A viewpoint above the village, where in the cool season the valleys can fill with mist at dawn. A night in the village makes an early start easier; ask your hosts how to get up there.
Mae Kampong and the other places outside the city, on the map
Getting there and back: the options compared
Mae Kampong is about an hour to an hour and a half from Chiang Mai by road, east through San Kamphaeng, then up a mountain road whose last stretch is steep and winding. Whichever way you choose, decide first how you will get back down.
| Option | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organised day trip | Hotel pickup in Chiang Mai, a driver, fixed stops, about eight hours | A first visit with nothing to arrange | Set timings, no evening or dawn in the village |
| Car with driver | You agree the route, the stops and the waiting time | Groups, or the village plus The Giant (a café in a tree, see below) | Settle the price and the return time before leaving |
| Shared van from Warorot | Four scheduled departures each way, between Warorot Market and the village | Travelling alone, or a night in a homestay | Does not go to The Giant; the last van down leaves around 16:00 |
| Grab or Bolt | A ride-hailing car up to the village | Going up to stay the night | A ride back down can be hard to find |
| Your own car or scooter | You drive the climb yourself | Experienced drivers and riders | A steep, winding final climb, slippery in the rain, limited parking at busy times |
Each option, in practice
Organised day trip. The simplest option: someone collects you, drives the road and brings you back. The price covers the transport, not the coffee or the meals. According to its listing, the day trip below stops in the village, at the waterfall and at The Giant. Read the option you choose closely: some trips are shared, others private.
Car with driver. A private car or a hired songthaew (the red shared pickups of Chiang Mai) for the day lets you set the stops yourself, including The Giant, which the shared van does not reach. Agree the price, the stops and how long the driver waits before you set off.
Shared van from Warorot. Hotspring Van Transport runs a van between Warorot Market in the city and Mae Kampong. Its page on the booking site 12Go lists four departures each way: 07:40, 09:30, 11:40 and 14:30 going up, and 09:20, 11:20, 13:20 and 16:00 coming down, for a trip of about an hour and a half. Timetables change, so check them when you book; your booking also confirms the exact pick-up point. With an early van up and the return booked, it works for a day trip, and it is a simple way to reach a homestay.
Grab or Bolt. Getting a ride-hailing car up is usually possible; finding one to come back down can be hard. Use it if you are staying the night and taking the van back, or arrange the return before you go up.
Your own car or scooter. The road is paved, but the last climb is steep and winding. Drive or ride it only if you are experienced on mountain roads, and avoid it in heavy rain. Parking in the village is limited: at busy times, visitors may have to park below the village and take the community shuttle up. Chiang Mai News reported on 14 August 2025 that the shuttle cost 100 baht per person for the return trip.
Warorot Market, where the shared van leaves
Our page on the Giant Cafe and Mae Kampong day trip
Book it
If you would rather book a day trip
For readers who prefer to leave the road and the stops to someone else, this is the day trip we list: about eight hours with an English-speaking driver and hotel pickup in Chiang Mai, with stops in the village, at the waterfall and at The Giant. Live availability and prices below, from GetYourGuide.
Links to GetYourGuide on this page are affiliate links. Booking through them costs you nothing extra and funds this site.
A day trip or a night in the village?
A day trip is enough to see the village, the temple and the waterfall, and to have a coffee. What it cannot give you is the village when the day visitors have gone: the quiet evening, a cool night and, in the cool season, the early morning, when the mist is in the valleys and the viewpoint is worth the climb.
On a day trip. Count on about three hours on the road in total. You arrive mid-morning and leave in the afternoon, so you are there at the busiest time of day.
With a night there. Go up in the afternoon, by van, driver or ride-hailing car, walk the village in the evening, get up early for the mist in the cool season, and take a morning van back. You see the village at its quietest, and the time on the road is split over two days.
What a homestay is like. You stay in a village house. Comfort is simple and varies from one house to the next, so ask what the price covers (meals, bathroom) when you book. In the cool season the nights can be cold: bring warm clothes for the evening.
Booking. Book ahead, especially at peak times such as New Year, when rooms fill and the road is busy.
Money. Bring enough cash for the night, the meals and the transport back.
The Giant and the stops around the village
The Giant Chiang Mai, the café built on platforms in a tree, is not in Mae Kampong itself but up a separate side road. It is not a realistic walk from the village, and the shared van does not go there: to combine the two, you need a tour, a driver or your own transport.
San Kamphaeng Hot Springs lie along the same route, an easy stop on the way up or down if you have your own transport or a driver.
When to go, and what to bring
The cool season, from November to mid-February, is the most pleasant: clear mornings, mist in the valleys and cold nights. It is also when the village is busiest, especially around New Year.
From around mid-February to April, sometimes into early May, smoke from fires usually settles over the north, and the altitude does not guarantee clean air. In the rainy season, from about June to October, the roads and paths are slippery.
Wear shoes with a good grip: the village is on a slope and the waterfall path is wet. Steps and gradients make the village hard going for anyone with limited mobility.
Smoke season: when it happens and how to read the air
Read nextWhen to go to Chiang Mai: a month-by-month guide ▸
Read nextWarorot Market in Chiang Mai: what to see, what to eat and how to visit ▸
Sources and verification · October 2026
We checked the van timetable and the shuttle fare against the two sources marked below in October 2026; timetables and fares change, so confirm them when you book. The other references support the description of the village and its temple.
- Van timetable (checked): 12Go, Hotspring Van Transport operator page
- Community shuttle fare (checked): Chiang Mai News, 14 August 2025 (in Thai)
- Location, miang and coffee: Wikipedia, article “Mae Kampong”
- The temple and its hall in the stream: Wikipedia, article “Wat Khantha Phueksa”
- The temple and its hall in the stream: Posttoday, feature on the ordination hall of Wat Mae Kampong (in Thai)
- Homestays in the village: Mekong Tourism, Baan Mae Kampong community-based tourism profile
Common questions
Can you visit Mae Kampong without a tour?
Yes. A shared van runs from Warorot Market a few times a day, and you can also hire a car with a driver or drive yourself. What a tour saves you is arranging the return trip.
Can you walk from Mae Kampong to The Giant?
Not realistically. The Giant is up its own side road, away from the village. You need a tour, a driver or your own transport.