Chiang Dao hikes

Without necessarily summiting the third highest mountain in the kingdom there are plenty of excellent, shorter and easier treks on offer around Chiang Dao as well as alternative two-day hikes.

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These tend to be either of a cultural or natural bent with trips emphasising visits to hill-tribe villages or flora and fauna—particularly bird-life. Like many of the north’s higher mountains, (Inthanon, Ang Khang, Pha Hom Pok etc), the area is renowned as a Thai bird watching Mecca. The cool upper elevations form the southern limits for many Eurasian, temperate species with the warm lower slopes being the northern limits for tropical varieties.

Scenic views. Photo taken in or around Hiking, Chiang Dao, Thailand by Mark Ord.

Scenic views. Photo: Mark Ord

Most guesthouses and resorts either offer programmes, will put you in touch with a guide or at least point you in the right direction. Both The Cave and local specialists Malee’s Nature Home advertise bird-watching tours while the former also promote one-day and half-day hiking trips with or without rafting. The latter offer two-day hikes with overnight stays in hill-tribe (usually Lisu) villages. 2018 rates at Malee’s started at 1,950 baht per person for two people on a one day hike and 3,600 baht for a two day version (per person, for two people).

In addition, there are some easy hikes you can do on your own in the area such as a marked nature trail or a climb up to a mountain temple. Just a short distance past Nest you’ll see the nature trail indicated on the left side of the road. It winds its way down a wooded valley to the Chiang Dao caves taking between 1.30 and 2 hours depending on your walking speed. Note in the rainy season this can get a bit overgrown and it may be worth asking your guesthouse if they have a machete you ... please log in to read the rest of this story.