Chiang Dao, between Mountains & Rice Fields

Vol. 17 - Jan 2025

Most people treat this stretch of the year as dead time. But builders like you know it’s actually prime time. And with beehiiv powering your content, world domination is truly in sight.

On beehiiv, you can launch your website in minutes with the AI Web Builder, publish a professional newsletter with ease, and even tap into huge earnings with the beehiiv Ad Network. It’s everything you need to create, grow, and monetize in one place.

In fact, we’re so hyped about what you’ll create, we’re giving you 30% off your first three months with code BIG30. So forget about taking a break. It’s time for a break-through.

Start building for 30% off today.

Chiang Dao surprised us in a quiet, comforting way. Not long after leaving Chiang Mai, the pace drops, the mountains start to close in, and rice fields stretch out beside the road. The air feels lighter up here, warm but fresh, and it’s easy to relax almost straight away.

For this Chiang Dao edition, we’ve gathered the places that stayed with us most, a simple day you can follow, and a few calm corners that made us want to stay a little longer.

Enjoy this weeks List!
Ploy & Jochem

A travel story

We came to Chiang Dao looking for calm, but what we found was a whole kind of gentle immersion in nature. This part of northern Thailand feels a world apart from the usual tourist routes.

The drive north from Chiang Mai slowly unwinds you. Traffic thins out, the road curves more gently, and suddenly the outline of Doi Luang Chiang Dao (mountain) appears ahead, calm and unmoving. From that moment on, everything feels quieter.

We stayed just outside town at Lhong Chiang Dao Glamping, surrounded by open land and wide skies. We love Glamping as it’s the perfect balance between comfort and raw travel :) Mornings began with light moving across the fields and mist lifting slowly from the edges of the mountains.

Chiang Dao’s charm is its rhythm. Some days we walked to hidden caves, moments from the main road, tracing cool shadows deep inside. Other days we drove toward waterfalls tucked into forest edges, the sound of water a quiet welcome after warm sun on our shoulders. There was a morning when we climbed a steep set of steps up to Wat Tham Pha Plong, a hilltop temple build in the rain forest, where silence feels like a presence you can almost touch.

At the base of the giant Doi Luang Chiang Dao (mountain), you feel like the tiny human being we actually are. A few people we met headed up for longer hikes higher into the mountains, but we were happy staying lower.

In the evenings back at Lhong Chiang Dao Glamping, everyone tended to gather around sunset. People shared where they’d been that day, what they’d seen, what they’d eaten.

As the sky changed colour, and the clouds came rolling in, the day felt complete.

Being with the mountains brings calm to the heart.

Songs for discovering Thailand: from scenic drives to hidden escapes. New vibes added every week .

Click on any of the tracks below to get in the travel mood.

If you liked this week’s edition, here’s how we’d spend one perfect day in Chiang Dao:

• 7:30 am : Slow sunrise coffee

Begin on the terrace at Lhong Chiang Dao Glamping. Watch light spill across the bright green fields.

• 9:00 am : Walk toward Chiang Dao Cave

Cool shadows greet you as you explore the entrance paths. Move at your own pace, listening to distant drips of water.

• 11:00 am : Hilltop temple moment

Climb the steps to Wat Tham Pha Plong and enjoy the incredible views.

• 12:30 pm : Lunch in town

Find a local spot for rice, herbs, and spicy papaya salad.

• 2:00 pm : Waterfall wander

Head to a nearby waterfall, refreshing shade and water that invites bare feet by its ledges. We recommend the ‘Sri Sangwan Waterfall’ with it’s beautiful limestone and surrounding rainforest (it’s located in Pha Daeng National Park).

• 5:00 pm : Tea and slow conversation

Return to Lhong Chiang Dao Glamping for a relaxed tea and conversation about what you saw today (our kind of wellness!)

• 7:00 pm : Dinner with mountain breeze

Dine simply, savor fresh food, and watch dusk settle over distant peaks.

• 9:00 pm : Stars above

If the night is clear, step outside and take in a sky alive with stars - quiet like nothing else.

• ข้าวซอย (Khao Soi) : A northern noodle classic, creamy and rich, perfect after time in the cool hills.

• กาแฟภูเขา (Mountain Coffee) : Locally grown beans with smooth, earthy notes.

• น้ำพริกหนุ่ม (Nam phrik nùm): Northern green chilli dip, smoky and gently spicy, usually served with fresh vegetables, sticky rice, and crispy pork skin. Simple, rustic, and deeply local. Best shared in the middle of the table.

• Chiang Dao Cave : Cool, shadowed caverns with pockets of quiet and natural history.

• Sri Sangwan Waterfall : A layered cascade where you can cool off beside clear pools.

• Doi Luang Chiang Dao viewpoint : Majestic peaks and green slopes that anchor the whole region.

• Tuesday Market : A lively local market if your travels align with the schedule.

• Ban Mae Na : A small farming village tucked into the foothills, where life still follows daylight and seasons. Come early morning to see mist lift off the fields, farmers heading out, and mountains slowly revealing themselves.

• Ban Pa Pong Piang : Tucked high in the mountains south of Chiang Dao, these stepped rice fields feel almost unreal when you arrive. Narrow paths cut through bright green terraces, wooden farm huts sit quietly on the slopes, and clouds drift low over the valley. Come early morning or just before sunset, when light moves slowly across the fields and everything feels hushed. This is farming first, beauty second, so walk gently and take your time.

Every week we drop new pins onto our Local Secrets Maps - special spots you won’t always find in the guidebooks. Street stalls tucked down alleys, rooftop bars only locals know, temples that feel like they belong to you alone.

This map is just for Insiders, and it grows with every edition - a living guide that keeps unlocking Thailand, piece by piece.

👉 Tap the link on your smart phone or computer, and choose “Open in Google Maps” for the full interactive experience! 🌏

We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Thai List. If you did, please share the love 💕 by inviting your friends and family to join our little community.

Each week we uncover local secrets, hidden escapes, and the best food and drinks Thailand has to offer.

Don’t miss out on the journey.

Wishing you save travels,

The Thai List - Your weekly postcard from Thailand 🇹🇭