Chiang Dao Day Trip from Chiang Mai Temples Caves Hot Springs and Camping

One of the best day trips to take from Chiang Mai will take you to not one but two stunning temples, an elephant cafe with three roaming elephants, a natural hot spring, a huge cave with a temple deep inside, and end by watching the sunset behind one of the most stunning mountains in Thailand. Welcome to the town of Chiang Dao, a small, stunning mountain town about an hour’s drive north of Chiang Mai.

There is no regularly scheduled public transport and, as far as I am aware, there are no tours that run specifically to these places. This means that you either have to rent a car, which costs about 1,000 Thai Baht per day, or rent a driver to take you to each spot, which costs around 2,000 to 3,000 Thai Baht per day.

Wat Doi Temple in Chiang Mai Province

We started our trip by visiting Wat Doi. The temple is situated in the Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai Province, nestled amidst lush greenery and serene surroundings.

The temple features traditional Thai architectural elements, including ornate roofs, intricate wood carvings, and colorful decorations. What really stood out to us were the beautiful marble carvings.

El Cafe by the River

Next up was El Cafe. This is definitely one of the coolest cafes that I have ever been to. It is a dog and elephant cafe in a really picturesque setting by the river.

The elephants have been rescued and are allowed to roam freely beside the cafe. You can buy a pack of bananas from the cafe to feed these giants. There are a number of dogs that have free rein of the cafe too, and they can be seen running around begging for treats.

I thought this cafe was really cool because a lot of people pay a lot of money to spend time with elephants in some of the elephant sanctuaries in the area. Whilst these are definitely worth doing and more immersive, this was a much more laid back way to spend time with Thailand’s national animal. On top of that, the coffee was not bad either.

Wat Ban Den Temple

After El Cafe, we moved on to what I believe to be the most underrated temple in Thailand, Wat Ban Den. This hidden gem of a temple is hidden away up in the mountains and has a stunning mountain backdrop.

It is definitely less explored than some of the more famous temples of Northern Thailand, but it is just as beautiful. The striking aspects are the towering stupas, the intricately designed statues, and the reclining Buddha. This is one of my favorite temples in Thailand.

Chao Hot Springs

After visiting Wat Ban Den, we drove for another 40 minutes or so to reach the outskirts of the town of Chiang Dao and the Chao Hot Springs. This is not the fanciest hot spring in the world, and it is less picturesque than other hot springs that I have been to in Northern Thailand.

It uses concrete tubs, but it is still a fully functioning hot spring and it is great to stop and take a dip in the warm waters. It is also nice that it is situated by the river for a nice view. This hot spring is free to use and open to the public.

Chiang Dao Cave

A short drive away from there was Tham Chiang Dao, or Chiang Dao Cave. Chiang Dao Cave is one of the largest cave systems in Thailand, stretching for several kilometers into the limestone hills. However, only a portion of the cave is open to the public for exploration.

The cave features impressive stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations that were formed over thousands of years. Once you enter the cave, you have to hire a guide for a small fee. There were some people trying not to pay for a guide, but once you step inside, you will quickly realize that you need one. This cave is huge and you could easily get lost in there, so just pay the fee for the guide.

We did a short loop within the cave. There are several shrines and Buddha images that have been placed there by devout worshippers. The cave is also used for meditation by monks. This is definitely one of the more interesting caves that we have ever explored in Thailand.

Mount Chiang Dao and Camping

For the final stop of the day, we headed to the town of Chiang Dao to get a view of Thailand’s third tallest mountain, Mount Chiang Dao. It might be the third highest mountain, but I think it is arguably the most beautiful.

If you are doing this as a day trip only, this might be the point that you head back to Chiang Mai or on to your next destination. However, we decided to spend a few nights to spend more time in nature and really explore the area.

Chiang Dao is famous for its camping spots, with lots of these camping spots having stunning mountain views. There are also some fancier ones with outdoor bathtubs and jacuzzis with mountain views too. We opted for something much simpler with outdoor cabins in a forest setting. We paid about 1,500 Thai Baht per night, which we felt was a reasonable price, and we really enjoyed being able to step out of the doors into nature.

Cycling Through Chiang Dao

The next morning, I woke up to one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. It was amazing to see the misty fog and the valley below the mountain.

On our second day exploring Chiang Dao, we rented some bicycles from our hotel. We did not really have a set route. We just kind of cycled aimlessly from our hotel, but there was plenty to explore. We first rode through some rural villages, and there were lots of friendly people welcoming us through their town. We then made it to a more agricultural area and rode along some rice paddy fields. From here, again, you get an unobstructed view of Mount Chiang Dao in all its glory.

In this area, there were a number of coffee shops to explore. One is called Cafe and Happiness, and it had an amazing view of some of the rice paddy fields. Here, I got an iced Americano. Not far from there was a place called Cafe My Day Off, which had some nice snacks, cake, and wine too. We spent most of the day just riding through the fields to see what we could find.

We ended up stumbling across King Naresuan Stupa, which is a monument dedicated to a former king of Thailand. Throughout the trip, we had noticed a giant Buddha statue at the top of a mountain, so we decided to end our bike trip by cycling towards it. This was quite a challenging cycle because the area around Chiang Dao was obviously quite hilly, but it was well worth it. Once at the top, we had amazing views of the mountains and the valley below.