The 15 Best Treks in Chiang Mai

1.3-in-1: Doi Inthanon Tour, Elephant Sanctuary, and Trekking Trail

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,087 reviews · from $48Our pick

Set out around 7 a.m. from Chiang Mai for Living Green Elephant Sanctuary, Doi Inthanon’s summit, the royal pagodas, Pha Dok Siew Waterfall, and Ban Mae Klang Luang. Expect a long day, curvy mountain roads, a local lunch, and a trek that can turn slippery after rain.

“Picked up right on time. Started off with a white knuckle drive including an unnecessary stop at a coffee shop ( someone must be getting kickbacks). Driver was very aggressive and unsafe in our opinion. If you’re prone to car sicknesRead more”

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2.Doi Inthanon Trip with Pha Dok Siew Guided Trek

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 910 reviews · 1 day

Spend a full day in Doi Inthanon National Park with an English-speaking guide, a two-hour Pha Dok Siew walk, Karen village lunch, waterfalls, twin pagodas, and Thailand’s highest point. Guides such as Toey, Bobo, Mint, and Daniel are known for adding humor and local insight.

“I absolutely loved this trip! Our guide, Mint, was everything you could want and more—super friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and kept us laughing all day long. The hike itself was stunning, featuring beautiful waterfalls and rice terraces at a very comfortable, easy pace. Lunch was both delicious and plentiful, providing a great taste of the local cuisine. We also appreciated that the stop at the King and Queen Pagodas felt relaxed and not at all rushed. This tour covers a lot of ground and is truly great value for money. Highly recommended!”

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3.2-Day Jungle Trek with Elephant Farm & Raft Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 881 reviews · 2 days · from $97

Spend two days hiking from rice fields into northern Thailand’s bamboo forests, sleeping in a Karen village, and meeting rescued elephants. Guides such as Witoon, Moon, Sammy, and Louie are known for warm, personal care. Expect steep sections, simple lodging, local food, and a relaxed bamboo raft ride.

“really down to earth and back to basics, deep sacred jungle very nice”

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4.Doi Inthanon Park and Pha Dok Siew Trail Trek

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 752 reviews · 1 day · from $61

Spend a full day in Doi Inthanon National Park with an English-speaking guide such as May, Chai, Paul, or Nine. Visit the summit and royal pagodas, hike the Pha Dok Siew trail, eat lunch in a mountain village, taste local coffee, and see Wachirathan Waterfall.

“I really enjoyed the trip. The guide was excellent, ready to answer all our questions. This is truly a wonderful opportunity to climb to the highest peak of Thailand, visit the fascinating King and Queen Pagodas, walk through stunning nature by the waterfalls, and finally enjoy a traditional Thai lunch and coffee tasting in a local village. The only thing I would recommend changing is the forest walk—although it lasted over an hour, it still felt too short, as if we were rushing the entire time. There were so many beautiful spots to stop and take photos. I think the local guide from the village should walk a bit slower…”

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5.Doi Inthanon Private Tour with Trek & Lunch from Chiang Mai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 622 reviews · from $135

Spend about nine hours exploring Doi Inthanon with a private guide and vehicle. Visit Wachirathan Falls, Thailand’s highest point, the Twin Pagodas, a Karen village coffee stop, and Pha Dok Seaw Waterfall. Lunch, park admissions, hotel pickup, and drop-off are included.

“Our tour guide, M, was amazing! Not only was he highly knowledgeable and informative, but he was also extremely kind and very fun. We shared lots of laughs learned quite a bit while seeing some of the most amazing sites in Thailand. He also ensured we had everything we needed with cold waters, snacks, and tips on how to get the most out of the tour. Plus, he was nearly a professional photographer with our iPhones, constantly capturing perfect moments of us so we didn’t have to. Thanks M! We miss you already!”

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6.Doi Inthanon National Park and Pha Dok Siew Trek

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 527 reviews · 1 day · from $39Best value

Spend a full day in Doi Inthanon with guides such as Bobo, Mint, Matthew, or Chai, depending on the date. You’ll visit the Twin Pagodas, walk the Pha Dok Siew trail downhill through forest and rice terraces, taste local coffee, meet Karen villagers, and see Wachirathan Waterfall.

“Amazing! Comfortable van, our guide showed a lot of knowledge of the places we visited and the trekking and food was nice too. A lot of steps to go down at the trekking, not suitable if you have knees or ankles issues.”

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7.Gibbons, Trekking & Mae Kampong Small Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 504 reviews · from $77

Travel from Chiang Mai to Mae Kampong with guides such as TK or Nee, a local forest guide, and a gibbon caretaker. Walk steep forest trails, seek wild gibbons, visit a waterfall, sample edible plants, enjoy coffee with a view, and eat a local lunch.

“We really enjoyed our trip today to Mae Kampong. Nee and Golf were great guides and hosts and made us feel very welcome! We saw the gibbons and enjoyed learning about different plants. When our son did not feel so well they kindly adjusted the programme a bit so he could still participate. It was great to get out of the city and be in nature with a bit cooler temperatures!”

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8.Doi inthanon National Park + 2Hour Fantastic Trekking with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 233 reviews · from $50

Spend about 11 hours exploring Doi Inthanon with an English-speaking guide and trekking leader. Hike Pha Dok Seaw or Kew Mae Pan by season, visit the twin pagodas, share lunch near a Karen village, and finish at Wachirathan Falls. Guides such as New, Mit Mew, and Yo-yo have earned special praise.

“It was very crowded, and we were in a group with people all coming from the same country, so we were the only ones from another. The guide was very nice and enthusiastic, which is what makes it three stars. The nature was beautiful as well.”

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9.Doi Inthanon National Park with Nature Trail Trekking 1-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 230 reviews · from $47

Travel from Chiang Mai in a small air-conditioned group to Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak. You’ll see Wachirathan Falls, royal pagodas, a hill-tribe market, and a seasonal 2-hour nature trek, then taste coffee in Ban Mae Klang Luang. Guides vary, with Choo, Billy, Oliver, and Kalaya among those named by guests.

“What a hike but we had a great guide who made sure I didn’t get left behind. Foggy day so you couldn’t see most of the view from the top but it was still a good trip. Seeing the pagodas and the amazing gardens and was a treat.”

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10.Full-Day Kerchor Elephant Eco Park Tour & Trek

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 224 reviews · 8 hours · from $57

Meet guides such as F or Rocky, learn how Kerchor cares for its elephants, feed them bananas and sugar cane, make herbal medicine balls, and watch them bathe without riding. Thai lunch, a waterfall hike, and bamboo rafting round out this active eight-hour day from Chiang Mai.

“Overall, I enjoyed meeting the amazing people at the Elephant Eco Park and Elephants. It was a breathtaking experience. The ride there and back was quite bumpy, but that’s all part of the adventure. My Guide was really entertaining and ready to take photos/videos. The only issue I faced was showing up at the pickup address, which was different than the actual suggested meetup point. I would ask the organization to improve the accuracy of the pickup address and meetup point.”

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11.Chiang Dao Cave Trekking Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 126 reviews · 8 hours · from $106

Travel from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao for Buddha-filled caves, a paid lantern tour into darker passages, local food, and Bua Thong Sticky Waterfall. English-speaking guides such as Art, Nom, and Tik are praised for thoughtful pacing, photos, and cultural context.

“Samphan was a great guide and went above and beyond. He was very knowledgeable about the caves and the tour was excellent.”

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12.High Mountain Day Trek

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 119 reviews · 7h 30m · from $73

Spend a full day hiking northern Thailand’s forest trails, learning about plants and village life from a Thai-English guide such as Sap or Ban. The 4.5-kilometer trek includes local lunch, tea or coffee, mountain views, and a stop at Wat Ban Den Temple.

“The trekking was very good, the guide was very funny and knowledgeable.. I recommend the tour .”

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13.Off the Map Chiang Mai Jungle Coffee Trek Roast and Brew

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 107 reviews · from $123

Jack and Jeff guide a small-group day from Chiang Mai into Karen coffee country. You’ll ride a 4WD mountain road, trek through coffee and medicinal plants, plant a tree, eat a vegetarian village lunch, roast 150 grams of beans, and brew them with a V60.

“Jack is super passionate about sharing all his knowledge about coffee and the coffee camp. They did a terrific job managing the time, sharing information about the coffee plants in the jungle and other medicinal plants. The lunch was dRead more”

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14.2-Days Jungle Trek, Waterfalls and Karen Village

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 103 reviews · 2 days · from $96

Spend two days hiking through Mae Win jungle and White Karen farmlands, swimming at waterfalls, and sleeping in a simple village cottage. English-speaking guides such as Kong, Pat, Pong, Jo, and Nu lead small groups of up to 13, with meals, transport, and insurance included.

“Kong our guide was fantastic, he made the trip so easy and interesting too. Saw some great sites along the way, waterfalls etc. Was very enjoyable and relaxing and great way to experience the jungle. It was very strenuous journey, we travelled with some young adults and we all felt very safe and in good hands. I would not recommend this trip for anyone who wasn’t fit and who can’t cope with a lot of uphill climbs or hiking for @6hrs each day . Accomodation was very basic but adequate and all part of the unique experience. This 2 day trip is a must do if you are physically able…”

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15.Chiang Mai 2-Day: Trekking, Tubing & Elephant Observation

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 95 reviews · 2 days · from $102

Spend two days near Mae Taeng with guides such as Bang, Jack, Toby, and Nine. Trek to Tard Mok Waterfall, tube past Elephant Nature Park, slide through a natural pool, enjoy Thai meals, and sleep in an air-conditioned forest pod or private villa.

“Amazing guides all throughout the activity, the tracking was beautiful and very fun, our guide Nine was knowledgeable and extremely nice we really enjoyed everything she shared with us :) Tubing in the river was a very pleasant activity, getting to see elephants while you flow with a great can of beer that was handed by the guide ( and then picked up by him in order to keep the river clean) it was really a great activity for sure. Feeding the elephants was a dream for sure, you get to give them their snack for the day which in our case consisted in loads of watermelons which they ate…”

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