Chiang Dao is a valley about 70 km north of Chiang Mai, under the limestone wall of Doi Luang Chiang Dao, Thailand's highest limestone mountain. Stay a night or two for the cave temple, the Pong Ang hot spring and the cooler air; climb the mountain itself only on the guided overnight trek, which runs from mid-November to mid-February and must be booked online in a short window (26 to 30 October in 2026).
Most people see Chiang Dao on a day trip. An overnight stay is better: the light on the mountain is best in the early morning and late afternoon, the valley is quiet after the tour vans leave, and you have time for the hot spring and a walk. This page is for that slower visit, and for anyone thinking about the summit trek, which has strict rules that many websites still get wrong.
Doi Luang Chiang Dao trek 2026/27 (checked October 2026)
- Managed by
- Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, Department of National Parks (DNP)
- Booking
- Online only, Monday 26 October 2026 08:00 to Friday 30 October 2026 16:00 (Thai time)
- Trekking season
- Mid-November 2026 to mid-February 2027; exact dates on the booking site
- Daily limit
- 100 people; one night only; no stays on Wednesday nights
- Compulsory
- Online course, on-site training the day before, nature guide, medical certificate
- Route
- Den Ya Khat ranger unit to Ang Salung camp and the summit, about 8.5 km, 5–6 hours up
- Summit
- 2,225 m, Thailand's third-highest peak
- Refunds
- None; no changes of date or name
The cave temple, in one paragraph
Chiang Dao Cave, at Wat Tham Chiang Dao on the edge of the village, is the sight that brings most visitors. The Tourism Authority of Thailand calls it the largest and most important cave in the area, linked to the guardian spirit of the mountain. Only part of the cave system is lit; for the darker chambers you go with a local guide carrying a lantern. Our article on the best day trips from Chiang Mai describes the cave and the temple; if you are staying overnight, go early in the morning before the day-trippers arrive, and dress as for any temple. Travel sites give the entry fee as 40 baht for foreigners, plus a separate fee for the lantern guide, but we found no official price list.
Doi Luang Chiang Dao: the trek and its rules
Doi Luang Chiang Dao rises to 2,225 m. It is the highest limestone mountain in Thailand and the country's third-highest peak, not the highest, whatever some tour pages say. Its upper slopes hold Thailand's only sub-alpine vegetation, and in 2021 the area was named a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The mountain is also sacred to local people, which is part of why access is so tightly controlled.
There is one permitted route. Trekkers start at the Khun Huai Mae Kok ranger unit, known as Den Ya Khat, walk about 8.5 km in 5 to 6 hours to the Ang Salung campsite below the summit, spend the night there and continue to the summit before descending. Camping is allowed only at Ang Salung and only for one night. The DNP sets fixed times for going up and coming down.
The mountain was closed indefinitely in April 2024, after a fire season with nearly 200 hotspots and problems with encroachment, hunting and unlicensed homestays. It has reopened for the 2026/27 season under the rules below, so older reports that the trail is "closed", and older blogs that say you can simply turn up and walk, are both out of date.
How to book the Doi Luang trek, step by step
Booking is done only on the sanctuary's own website, wildlifesanctuaryfca16.com/chiangdao, which the DNP uses for this trek. In October 2026 the booking page still said booking was not yet open. Foreign visitors book with their passport number. The site lists the steps as follows:
- Book in the window. For 2026/27, bookings open on Monday 26 October 2026 at 08:00 and close on Friday 30 October at 16:00, Thai time. There is no booking on arrival.
- Pay quickly. Payment is due within 6 hours of booking. Bookings cannot be changed to another date or another name, and fees are not refunded.
- Upload the signed application. A signed entry-permit form must be uploaded within the time stated on the site (the site's own texts give different deadlines, so follow the one shown when you book).
- Pass the online course. Every trekker must complete an online course and keep the certificate. We could not check whether the course is available in English, so ask the sanctuary if you do not read Thai.
- Get a medical certificate. It must be issued no more than 7 days before the trek.
- Attend the training the day before. On-site training is held at the multipurpose pavilion of Ban Tham, by Wat Tham Chiang Dao. Missing it means losing the booking, with no refund.
The fee covers several items: a booking fee, the sanctuary entry fee (with a separate rate for foreigners), the nature-interpretation guide, a toilet kit and a management fund. Shuttles between the office and the trailhead, tent hire, pitching your own tent and porters (up to 20 kg each, paid directly) are extras. A waste deposit is refunded when you show that you brought your rubbish down. The amounts appear only when booking opens, so we do not print them here. The sanctuary's contact numbers are on the booking site.
The two dates on the booking site do not match. The home page gives the season as 15 November 2026 to 12 February 2027; the announcement on the same site says treks run from 16 November 2026 to 13 February 2027, with 13 February as the last day coming down. The most likely reading is training on Sunday 15 November and the first ascent on Monday 16 November. Check the date you choose on the booking page itself.
On the mountain: cold nights and strict rules
The sanctuary warns that temperatures on the summit can drop below 0 °C from November to February. Bring a proper sleeping bag, a warm jacket, a hat and gloves even if Chiang Mai feels warm. From June to October, the sanctuary says, the trails are slippery.
The DNP's rules for the trek, set under the wildlife conservation law, are strict:
- No fires or smoky cooking.
- No single-use plastic, foam food boxes or wet wipes.
- No alcohol and no drones; our page on flying a drone in Thailand explains the wider permit system.
- No feeding animals and no collecting plants or anything else.
Rangers can remove anyone who breaks the rules. It is a long, steep day for anyone not used to hill walking; if you are unsure, a walk around the valley or a morning at the hot spring may be the better plan. Check that your travel insurance covers trekking at altitude.
Pong Ang hot spring and Pha Daeng National Park
The hot spring visitors call "Chiang Dao hot springs" is, officially, Pong Ang hot spring. It is not in Chiang Dao town but in Mueang Na sub-district further north, inside Pha Daeng National Park, which also has the Si Sangwan limestone waterfall. As a Category 1 park, Pha Daeng charges 100 baht for a foreign adult and 50 baht for a child.
We could not confirm the distance or a public transport link from Chiang Dao village, so plan on your own wheels or a hired driver. A morning soak after a cold night is the classic way to use it, and it pairs well with a stop at the waterfall.
Bird watching in the forests around the mountain
Early mornings in the forests around the mountain are the time for bird watching, and that alone is a good argument for sleeping in the valley. The biosphere reserve covers more than 85,000 hectares and is home to rare animals including the Chinese goral, a mountain goat, and the clouded leopard. We found no official bird list for visitors, so the best approach is to ask your accommodation about local bird guides and to go out at first light, when birds are most active. The cool season from November to February is the most comfortable time to be out early. If you walk in long grass or forest edges, read our page on scrub typhus, a fever spread by mite bites in rural areas.
Staying in the valley, and when to go
Accommodation in Chiang Dao is mainly guesthouses, bungalows and small resorts spread along the roads below the mountain, rather than hotels in the town. The cool-season weekends are the busy time, so book ahead from December to February. If you are deciding between a night here and more nights in the city, our guide to where to stay in Chiang Mai covers the city areas.
The trek season, November to February, is also the best time for the valley: dry days and cool nights. From about February to April the north has its smoky season, when haze can hide the mountain completely and the 2024 fires showed how bad it gets here; our page on PM2.5 air pollution explains how to check the air before you travel.
Getting to Chiang Dao from Chiang Mai
By car or scooter, Chiang Dao is a straightforward drive north of Chiang Mai, about 70 km, and a car makes it easy to reach the hot spring and the trailhead shuttle. Our guide to renting a car in Thailand covers licenses and insurance, and our sister site has more detail on driving in and around Chiang Mai.
Without a car, buses and shared trucks heading north from Chiang Mai stop at Chiang Dao. They are usually said to leave from Chang Phueak bus terminal, the station for routes to the north of the province, but we could not read a current timetable or fare, so check at the terminal. In the valley, local songthaews (the shared pickup trucks explained in our songthaew guide) and your accommodation's own transport fill the gaps. For a longer route through the north, see our northern Thailand itinerary, and for the city itself, the Chiang Mai guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you hike Doi Luang Chiang Dao without a guide?
No. The trek is only open in the season from mid-November to mid-February, with a guide fee built into the booking, compulsory online and on-site training and a medical certificate. Booking is online only, for 2026/27 between 26 and 30 October 2026.
Is Doi Luang Chiang Dao the highest mountain in Thailand?
No. At 2,225 m it is the third-highest peak in Thailand and the highest limestone mountain, according to the Department of National Parks. Doi Inthanon, also in Chiang Mai province, is the highest.
How many people can climb Doi Luang Chiang Dao each day?
The limit is 100 people per day, with one night at the Ang Salung campsite and no stays on Wednesday nights. Places are booked online in a five-day window before the season, so popular weekend dates go quickly.
Is Chiang Dao worth an overnight stay?
Yes, if you like quiet countryside. An overnight stay lets you see the cave before the day-trippers, soak at Pong Ang hot spring and enjoy the mountain at sunrise and sunset. If you only want the cave, a day trip from Chiang Mai is enough.
Sources
- Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary (DNP) – Doi Luang Chiang Dao booking and rules 2026/27 (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Doi Luang Chiang Dao trekking rules (January 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Closure of Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary (April 2024) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Pong Ang hot spring, Pha Daeng National Park (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Doi Chiang Dao declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve (checked October 2026)