Jungle track
ATV quad ride, hidden waterfall and bamboo raft
- No licence needed, briefing on site
- Waterfall stop away from the crowds
- Best for
- Driving yourself, with a quiet waterfall after
- Skip if
- Engine noise in farming country sits badly with you
8 tours
Day Trips from Chiang Mai
Eight possible day trips, from a waterfall you climb barefoot to the highest point in Thailand.
Seven of the eight trips go to four places: the Bua Thong falls, known as the Sticky Waterfall; Doi Inthanon National Park; the hill village of Mae Kampong; and the temples of Chiang Rai. The eighth is a quad bike and raft day west of the city. Choose by the time you have, the hours you will spend on the road, what you want to do and the month.
Which day trip from Chiang Mai suits you?
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A waterfall to climb
Three trips go there; the linked page compares them.
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A mountain, and a walk
The ridge walk is usually open from November to May.
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A village, coffee and a slow walk
Cooler hill air, and no fixed activity.
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Temples, at the end of a long road
Two trips go there; the linked page compares them.
Doi Inthanon, and whether it earns the whole day
Mae Kampong on your own or with a tour: the ways up compared
The eight we list
Bua Thong
Sticky Waterfall and Angel Waterfall park day trip
- Climb the falls barefoot
- Dantewada gardens as a second stop
- Best for
- Climbing a waterfall barefoot, with children or without
- Skip if
- You cannot put weight on wet uneven rock
Dan Tewada
Dan Tewada Land, bamboo raft and waterfall
- Newest trip on this list
- River raft plus waterfall stop
- Best for
- A river raft and a waterfall in the same day
- Skip if
- You want a short day
Dan Tewada
Dantewada Land of Angels and Sticky Waterfall
- Pairs the park with Bua Thong
- Good half-and-half day
- Best for
- Half park, half waterfall, in five hours
- Skip if
- Price per hour is how you judge a day trip
Mae Kampong
Giant Cafe and Mae Kampong village day trip
- Coffee in a treehouse cafe
- Mountain village
- Best for
- Coffee in a treehouse and a mountain village
- Skip if
- You want an activity rather than a view
Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon National Park and Kew Mae Pan trail
- Highest point in Thailand, 2,565 m
- Kew Mae Pan ridge walk
- Best for
- A Doi Inthanon day built around Kew Mae Pan
- Skip if
- You are here in the rainy season and the ridge is closed
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai temples day trip with hot springs
- Hot spring stop on the way
- Long day, early start
- Best for
- Chiang Rai's three coloured temples in one day
- Skip if
- Long days in a vehicle wear you out
Chiang Rai
Lalitta Cafe and the White, Blue and Red temples
- All three coloured temples
- Waterfall cafe stop
- Best for
- All three coloured temples, plus the waterfall cafe
- Skip if
- You dislike long days in a vehicle
The month shapes these trips as much as the choice of trip does. The waterfalls carry the most water late in the rainy season and just after it, roughly September to November. After heavy rain the current can turn fast and brown, and the national parks sometimes close a waterfall until it drops, so a trip may change its stops. On Doi Inthanon, the Kew Mae Pan ridge closes over the rainy season, and the summit area is cold at dawn in December and January, often in single figures.
Mae Kampong is a village of wooden houses along a stream, with cafes beside the water and a tea and coffee economy that predates tourism. It is at its calmest early in the morning and in the evening, before and after the day visitors. Thai holidays, New Year above all, bring the most traffic on the road up.
Pickup times and points are confirmed when you book, and the Chiang Rai days start earliest, usually between 6 and 7 am. If you are staying outside the centre, towards Hang Dong or the airport, check that your hotel is inside the pickup zone before you book.
Common questions
Is the Sticky Waterfall really not slippery?
The limestone itself grips remarkably well barefoot. The green algae patches beside it do not, so stay on the pale rock and use the rope handrails where they're fixed.
When is the Kew Mae Pan trail open?
Usually from 1 November to 31 May. The park closes it over the rainy season, from 1 June to 31 October in recent years, so the ground can recover; the dates have changed before, so check them when you book. In the closed months a Doi Inthanon trip still runs, with the waterfalls and the pagodas in place of the ridge.
How long is a day trip, door to door?
Around five hours for the shortest Sticky Waterfall trip and six to eight for the other two, about eight for Mae Kampong, around eleven for Doi Inthanon, eleven to thirteen and a half for Chiang Rai. The durations given on each tour page are door to door, hotel pickup to hotel drop-off, not time spent on site.
Do these run in the rainy season?
They do. A park may close a waterfall for the day after a heavy storm, so a trip can change its stops, and the Kew Mae Pan ridge is closed over this season. The afternoon storms are heavy and short. A poncho weighs nothing and the vans are air-conditioned to arctic.