Top Scenic Day Trips from Chiang Mai (Doi Inthanon, Temples and Mountain Villages)
There are so many beautiful day trips you can do from Chiang Mai - from mountain villages and temples, to lakes and reservoirs. Instead of hopping about, we kept our base in Chiang Mai and experienced a variety of accommodations. You can find them in my article here: Chiang Mai Guide: Luxury on a Budget
In this article, I will share with you all the day trips we did during our time in Chiang Mai and how we got there. From riding scooters through the countryside, visiting an elephant sanctuary with a tour provider, and hiring a private driver to Thailand’s highest peak for sunrise - I’ll tell you about my experiences and what I would do differently next time.
CONTENT:
Ethical Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai
Doi Suthep: Hmong Mountain Village
Doi Inthanon: Thailand’s Highest Peak
Huai Lan Lake: Secluded Sunset Spot
Huay Tueng Thao: King Kong
Mae Kwang Dam: Local Spot
Transport for Day Trips
Map Overview of Day Trip Locations
1. Ethical Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai
When in Thailand, a visit to an elephant sanctuary is a must! We went with the provider called: Maerim Elephant Sanctuary. But there are so many and you are easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of providers.
Despite the decrease in elephant riding camps, there still exists many ‘disguised’ non-ethical camps - so I really encourage you to find an ethical provider and support the wellbeing of these magnificent creatures.
I’ve written a more detailed blog article about how to source ethical Elephant Sanctuaries here: Choosing An Ethical Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand
2. Doi Suthep: Hmong Mountain Village
About one hour from the city centre of Chiang Mai is the beautiful mountain of Doi Suthep. You could spend an entire day exploring the mountain as there are several walking tracks, look out points, villages with market stalls and food, as well as the famous Bhubing Palace.
Most people stop at the Palace, but I would highly recommend going further to the quaint little Hmong Village, situated on the mountain tops with beautiful gardens, markets and food stalls.
3. Doi Inthanon: Thailand’s Highest Peak
Surprisingly close but also far away, is Thailand’s highest peak at 2800m elevation. We left Chiang Mai at 3am and arrived here at 5:15am to see the sunrise (around 6am) before starting our day with a 3km hike along the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail.
We had a private driver for the day, who knew all the best spots. So after our hike, he took us to see the two temples of Doi Inthanon and the five major waterfalls, which are all very impressive. We spent an entire day on this massive mountain and felt like there was still so much more to discover!
There are quite a few ticketing points to enter certain places like the National Park, the Pagodas, and you even have to pay to see some of the waterfalls … so the cost for this day trip does add up, but it was very much worth the experience.
Will be writing a future blog post with more detail about this particular Day Trip soon.
4. Huai Lan Lake: Secluded Sunset spot
A very nice little lake, surrounded by mountains and modest villages. This was a 40min ride with our scooters and I came here twice, for sunrise and sunset. Although, I do think sunset was much prettier here!
There is one very small eatery by the lakeside with numerous bamboo huts, which were so cozy and so beautiful. Don’t expect too much in terms of markets and food, this is a very quiet and rural local area.
5. Huay Tueng Thao: King Kong
A day trip I can highly recommend for sunrise! This is such a beautiful, yet fun and quirky area. It’s a large lake (technically reservoir) lined with bamboo huts and lots of food and drink stalls with a hilly landscape backdrop.
One of the biggest attractions there is the King Kong like film set and large animals made of straw. There are also other activity providers such as zip lining and kayaking.
It only took about 30 mins by scooter from the city centre - would suggest taking the small rural streets over the main roads when you can, as the local villages you pass through are so much more scenic.
Would allow a good half day for the trip.
6. Mae Kwang Dam: Local Spot
If you prefer a more local scene, then Mae Kwang Dam is a good place to go. It’s much further away - the journey took us about 1hr by scooter and it was definitely a more adventurous route.
There are a few nice local eateries in the area and scenic bridges you can cross - but during our visit, parts of the road near the bridge were dirt tracks. Overall, this is certainly a very nice getaway from the bustling city.
7. Transport for Day Trips
You can either hire a scooter or private driver to get to these places so that you have more flexibility of your time. The private drivers also know the best spots around the area and are surprisingly not that expensive. Alternatively, you will find many tour providers in the city, but they usually like to pack those tours rather full.
Trains and buses on the other hand, are more for city to city routes. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend them for these day trips. Here’s a quick breakdown of all the transport options:
Private Drivers - GRAB or Red Taxis
Some of the Red Taxis and GRAB drivers also double up as private drivers - they can literally take you anywhere, anytime, and all for a very affordable price. You arrange the time, approximate number of hours and a fixed quote.
Payment is usually made in cash at the end. This is much better than renting out a car yourself because these drivers know the roads, so you don’t need to deal with the stress of getting lost or organising a car rental.
Red Taxis
These are the red taxis you see everywhere with the semi-open back. Most of them actually fit 3-4 people comfortably in the front (inside), and roughly another 8 people in the back.
We took this option when visiting Doi Inthanon National Park and paid 2300 Thai Baht for a whole day. He came to pick us up at 3am (in the middle of the night) and drove us around to the most beautiful places and waterfalls at the National Park, before dropping us off at 6pm! So worth it!
GRAB Cars
GRAB is a free app and it basically works like UBER. Cars are all super clean and very comfortable. Occasionally, I see GRAB drivers private chartering tourists around the National Parks - so it is possible. You might just have to discuss this with your driver as the pricing can vary a lot.
Scooter
I would highly recommend renting out a scooter - but only if you are a confident rider! The traffic in Chiang Mai is very chaotic and many locals don’t follow traffic rules or indicate when turning. There are scooter rentals everywhere for about $8-10 USD per day.
Cat Motors was my scooter provider and they have an excellent website with lots of safety information for foreigners riding scooters/motorcycles in Thailand. Unlike many other providers, they really care about your safety and even offer insurance. Highly recommend checking them out.
Website: Cat Motors
Address: 197/1 Ratchamanka Rd, Tambon Phra Sing, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai
8. Map Overview of Day Trip Locations
Here is a map overview of all the day trip locations. You’ll find them all pinned on the map below. Feel free to save or share the map for your Thailand Trip!
What were some of your favourite Day Trips from Chiang Mai? If you have any questions about any of these places, feel free to comment down below or message me @emilypeilan .