We lived in a small city in Northern Thailand called Chiang Mai.  Chiang Mai has about 200,000 people and in comparison to Bangkok that has 5.1M people, Chiang Mai is a very small city.  But just like any other city in the world, Chiang Mai life can get hectic.  The traffic is pretty bad in Chiang Mai specially during rush hour and if there’s any construction (always) or accident (always).  Adding to the traffic congestion is the number of tourists that cross and walk all over the streets of the city without any real concern for speeding cars and motorcycle drivers who simply don’t understand pedestrian safety.  Don’t get me wrong, life in the small city of Chiang Mai is still very, very, very laid back in comparison to large cities like Bangkok and Toronto, but for Northern Thailanders, Chiang Mai is a very busy place.  So once in awhile, we try to get out of the city to really experience that Thai mountain life a lot of us expats are after.  One weekend we decided to take our 20 year old car up to Chiang Dao to check it out and see why it’s worth the trek from Chiang Mai.

Chiang Dao is about 87 km north of Chiang Mai and it has about 16 villages.   It’s a perfect destination for a day trip or a weekend getaway from Chiang Mai.  Chiang Dao is perfect for a quiet getaway because the roads are not busy, the locals are not in a rush and you’re surrounded by lush jungles everywhere you turn.  Here’s a list of things to do and see in Chiang Dao:

  • Chiang Dao Cave at Wat Tham:  There’s a guard at the entrance of the cave who will ask you for a small donation towards the temple.  When you pass him, you climb up to the mouth of the cave and once you’re inside the mouth of the cave, you will likely be approached by local guides.  When we visited, the rate for the guided tour was about 200 baht.  The guided tour includes a guide with a lantern and it’s a 725 meter trek into the darkest parts of the cave.  If you’re up for an adventure and not afraid of tight spaces, then support the local economy and hire one of the guides.  If you’re not super adventurous and claustrophobic, no problem.  You can take the self-guided tour which is an easy 200 meter path that leads to the reclining Buddha.  The second route if well lit so you don’t have to worry about not having a lantern or a flashlight.  Tip: because this cave is part of a temple, make sure you wear appropriate clothing (i.e. long pants/skirt, no bare shoulders) and wear non-slip shoes.

One of the oldest shrine erected in Northern Thailand by the Shan people

  • Sri Sungwan Waterfall: This three tiered waterfall is located in a Pha Daeng National Park which is about 20 km from Chiang Dao.  There’s a charge of about 100 baht per person to enter the park and you may also get charged an additional 20 baht for parking.  For some reason, when we visited the office was closed and we didn’t have to pay anything to get in.  The waterfall is a short trek down from the parking lot and although it’s not the tallest waterfall you’ll ever see in your life, it’s pretty awesome because you can climb up the waterfall.  You can climb up and down the three tiers or you can sit in one of the many shallow pools and enjoy the cascading cool water.  It’s a popular spot for local kids to hang out in and it’s not yet saturated by tourists!  We spent an easy 2 hours just climbing up and down the peach coloured rocks and lounging in one of the shallow pools. Note that if you have to exercise extra caution if you chose to visit the waterfall during rainy season.

  • Pong Arng Hot Springs:  The hot springs were really close to the waterfall so you don’t have to travel far to get to it.  However, because it was hot when we visited, we didn’t feel like soaking ourselves in hot, sulphur smelling water.  But if you want to go visit the hot springs, here’s a link for more information.
  • Visit local villages/farms:   We took one of small side street off of the main street and ended up going through lychee and dragon fruit farms, met a couple of hill tribe ladies and befriended a handful of kids when we gave them candy.  Yeah I know it sounds creepy and stranger danger like, but we meant no harm, the kids are so cute and we asked the grandmother’s permission first.  The second small street we turned into led us into a local creek where kids and adults were swimming in the not so clean water.  We would have never jumped in the water because we’re scaredy cats but it was awesome to people watch!

We gave this family quite a laugh when we tried to speak to them in Thai.  The kids thought we were hilarious!

Who needs a water park when you have a gushing river and slide beside your house? 

 

  • Stop by at the local Tuesday Morning Market:  We love Thai markets.  You can easily find anything you’re looking for, whatever it may be.  The Tuesday Morning Market is super popular with the locals  and it’s best to get there early to secure a parking spot.  You can go through up and down the main road and peruse to your heart’s content.  One side of the market has fresh fruit, veggies, meat, fish, etc. while the other side of the street has clothes, shoes, plants, housewares, etc.

You can’t beat the fresh fruits and vegetables picked right from the surrounding farms 

  • Other things to do: climb up Doi Chiang Dao which is the third highest peak in Thailand, bamboo rafting in the Ping river, hike one of the many nature trails, camp at Pha Daeng National Park and climb up Tha Pha Plong

The quiet mountain life surrounded by greens like this rice paddy is what we city people need once in awhile.

Where to stay and eat in Chiang Dao:

  • Chiang Dao Nest:  We stayed at Chiang Dao Nest 2 which is walking distance or a 2 minute drive from Chiang Dao Nest 1.  The pool is located at Chiang Dao Nest 1 but both locations have their own restaurants open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The menus are different so you can visit either one to get some variety if you’re staying longer than a day trip.  We really liked our simple two person hut and the food options in Chiang Dao Nest 2.  Make sure you order their fried bread for breakfast.  It’s so amazing we fought over who got to eat the last bite!  We met the Thai owner of the resort and she’s super friendly and informative.  If you want more information, here’s their website: https://www.chiangdaonest.com/

  • Chiang Dao Resto: If you want good food and stunning views, go to Chiang Dao Resto.  We went there for dinner and had their papaya salad with fried soft shell crab and it was fantastic! The papaya salad was not Thai hot, as per our request, but the fried soft shell crab took it to another level.  As we ate our delicious food, we watched the sun set and saw the sky change colours.  It’s a perfect place to end the day.

  • Roadside grilled chicken: If you know us well, you know we love our street food.  We’re all for trying popular restaurants with fancy schmancy menus, but reality is we love simple food.  This roadside grilled chicken place is just down the street from Chiang Dao cave and Chiang Dao Nest 2.  When you go eat in you’re actually eating in a makeshift restaurant right in front of their houses so you’re in full view of their everyday living running chickens and screaming babies and all.  The food is good, the people friendly and the place authentically Thai, what more can you ask for?

This lovely lady welcomed us into their make shift restaurant and served us  amazing grilled chicken and sticky rice !

  • Other options:  Chiang Dao Hut (bungalows with fan, pet friendly), Malees Nature Lovers Bungalow (family friendly), Malees Restaurant.

If you’re an expat wanting to have a small getaway, try heading up to Chiang Dao and you might just fall in love with this City of Stars that you’ll consider packing your things and holing up there instead.   If you’re a traveler and want to escape all the other tourists in Chiang Mai, check out what Chiang Dao has to offer.  Either way, you won’t be disappointed by Chiang Dao.