Wat Tham Chiang Dao Temple
Wat Tham Chiang Dao Temple
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Plan your visit
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
23 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
72 reviews
Excellent
30
Very good
34
Average
8
Poor
0
Terrible
0
TheHotelTesters
Basel, Switzerland42 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
We randomely discovered the Wat Tham Chiang Dao on our route from Chiang Mai to the Golden Triangle. But the highlight on this (not very big) temple complex wasn't the temple itself. It were the enormous caves, whose entrance is hidden behind unimposing stairs. Once we entered the cave against a small fee, we found ourselves in a cave with many buddha statues and an information desk. There are two caves with electric lights, in one of them is a holy buddha (it's a national pilgrimage site). The other caves arn't lit. In order to access those, we had to get a local guide at the information desk who guided us trough the caves with only a oil lantern. We had our own guide, although you might be grouped if there are many people. The unlighted caves are worth the crawling and ducking down it takes to get there. They're huge and the path that leads to them is an adventure itself!
Tip 1: not suitable for claustrophobic, achluophobic, overweight or elder people (however a visit to the lighted caves is possbile for those).
Tip 2: a 100 baht tip is expected.
Tip 3: there arn't many options to eat something, so bring a picnic.
Tip 1: not suitable for claustrophobic, achluophobic, overweight or elder people (however a visit to the lighted caves is possbile for those).
Tip 2: a 100 baht tip is expected.
Tip 3: there arn't many options to eat something, so bring a picnic.
Written 19 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
parrot45
Chiang Mai, Thailand28 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
I visited this temple three times during the four months I stayed in Chiang Dao from December 2014-March 2015. One time alone in January - when I also visited the Reclining Buddha cave - and then again with my Thai boyfriend in February, and then for a third time in March, for Makha Buccha day, in a group with my boyfriend and another person. So I have a pretty good knowledge of this place.
It's a huge temple complex in a very pleasant environment. There is an atmosphere of great spiritual energy, with many different small caves and Buddhist shrines. As usual at Thai temples, you can get your fortune told, or donate money for the day of the week you are born and your Chinese astrological birth sign. There is an area with Hindu god statues also. Usually, there are crowds of Buddhist pilgrims here, as well as many tourists. When you enter the area, you see a Thai school, and many shops and restaurants. There are special stalls selling all kinds of unusual traditional medicines. There is also a big pond where you can watch some big, colorful fish - and if you want, buy food to feed them. Also, there are many women making traditional baskets that are for sale. It's fascinating to watch them work.
There is no fee for going to the temple, but if you want to go in the Cave of the Reclining Buddha, you must pay 40b for the electricity, for which you get a ticket. If you want to go to other caves, you must hire a local guide with an electric lantern and pay 100b.
Getting here, if you're on a budget, is the most difficult part of this trip. The best idea would be to stay in one of the many guesthouses located along the route from Chiang Dao town to the temple. Take the Thaton/Fang bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao town (50 Thai baht) and then have a songtaew or moto taxi drop you off at one of the guesthouses. Many of the guesthouses rent motorcycles and bicycles, and from there, it's easy to walk or bicycle to this temple and the caves.
When I went alone the first time, this wasn't an option for me, as I had to go for the day from Chiang Dao Hill Resort. So I found the turn-off, not far from the bus stand in Chiang Dao, with big signs for The Nest and Malee's Nature Bungalow, and walked part of the 5 kms to the wat. I got a ride halfway through from a lady who sells soap at the caves, I walked back to the town in the evening, also! However, I found the walk very interesting, in a pleasant, forested area, with many sights along the way. It was very busy, height of tourist season, so I felt safe.
The second time, in February, when I went with my Thai boyfriend, the two of us also walked, and he got very tired! It wasn't as busy at this time, though it was Sunday. On the way, at the second highway junction from the turn-off, we were able to visit the beautiful Wat Mayeet, which was almost as nice as Tham Chiang Dao. This is a huge temple with colorful carvings of evil spirits and lost souls in Hell undergoing torture! We took a shared songtaew back to town, which was costly.
The third time, in March, I was in a group with my boyfriend and another Thai person. We were able to take the Chiang Dao Hill Resort vehicle there, as a detour from doing other errands for the resort. It was Makha Buccha, an important Buddhist worship day in Thailand. It was very busy then, with lots of Thai worshippers, lively Thai pop music, and vending stalls, though there didn't seem to be any special program going on (at least not in the afternoon when we got there). We were able to get there easily and quickly, but couldn't stay long that day.
It's a huge temple complex in a very pleasant environment. There is an atmosphere of great spiritual energy, with many different small caves and Buddhist shrines. As usual at Thai temples, you can get your fortune told, or donate money for the day of the week you are born and your Chinese astrological birth sign. There is an area with Hindu god statues also. Usually, there are crowds of Buddhist pilgrims here, as well as many tourists. When you enter the area, you see a Thai school, and many shops and restaurants. There are special stalls selling all kinds of unusual traditional medicines. There is also a big pond where you can watch some big, colorful fish - and if you want, buy food to feed them. Also, there are many women making traditional baskets that are for sale. It's fascinating to watch them work.
There is no fee for going to the temple, but if you want to go in the Cave of the Reclining Buddha, you must pay 40b for the electricity, for which you get a ticket. If you want to go to other caves, you must hire a local guide with an electric lantern and pay 100b.
Getting here, if you're on a budget, is the most difficult part of this trip. The best idea would be to stay in one of the many guesthouses located along the route from Chiang Dao town to the temple. Take the Thaton/Fang bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao town (50 Thai baht) and then have a songtaew or moto taxi drop you off at one of the guesthouses. Many of the guesthouses rent motorcycles and bicycles, and from there, it's easy to walk or bicycle to this temple and the caves.
When I went alone the first time, this wasn't an option for me, as I had to go for the day from Chiang Dao Hill Resort. So I found the turn-off, not far from the bus stand in Chiang Dao, with big signs for The Nest and Malee's Nature Bungalow, and walked part of the 5 kms to the wat. I got a ride halfway through from a lady who sells soap at the caves, I walked back to the town in the evening, also! However, I found the walk very interesting, in a pleasant, forested area, with many sights along the way. It was very busy, height of tourist season, so I felt safe.
The second time, in February, when I went with my Thai boyfriend, the two of us also walked, and he got very tired! It wasn't as busy at this time, though it was Sunday. On the way, at the second highway junction from the turn-off, we were able to visit the beautiful Wat Mayeet, which was almost as nice as Tham Chiang Dao. This is a huge temple with colorful carvings of evil spirits and lost souls in Hell undergoing torture! We took a shared songtaew back to town, which was costly.
The third time, in March, I was in a group with my boyfriend and another Thai person. We were able to take the Chiang Dao Hill Resort vehicle there, as a detour from doing other errands for the resort. It was Makha Buccha, an important Buddhist worship day in Thailand. It was very busy then, with lots of Thai worshippers, lively Thai pop music, and vending stalls, though there didn't seem to be any special program going on (at least not in the afternoon when we got there). We were able to get there easily and quickly, but couldn't stay long that day.
Written 25 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christopher T
208 contributions
Oct 2019
A normal temple outside the cave. Just at the entrance to the caves, I enjoyed watching the fish. There's various catfish species including maybe the mekong catfish or patin. I saw one or two sebarau and there's a good number of Thai mahseer Neolissochilus stracheyi. You can buy food to feed the fish.
Written 3 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John_MtEden
Auckland, New Zealand467 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We visited this cave/temple complex and were very disappointed. The caves were unexceptional apart from some statues. The main pathway was well lit. The part where we had to pay for a guide with a lamp was abandoned because the lamp prevented us seeing beyond as it was lighting a small area with a too bright light. There was little air and it was very hot. The smell of paraffin was nauseating. We abandoned this part. The best part of the complex was the old temples and rocky setting. The staff were somewhat surly. An unusual experience in Thailand.
Written 24 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BenLdn
London58 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
We only followed the walk ways lit by electric lighting, but nevertheless the caves are absolutely stunning: vast open areas with huge stalactites and other-worldly rock formations. Many statues of Buddha along the way. The grounds around the cave are also very picturesque. Worth a visit!
Written 6 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fujimaytan
San Francisco, CA56 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
The lamp lady is needed to go to the deeper parts of the cave and that is more interesting. However the ladies only know few words so it’s hard to get the information. If they don’t speak English, perhaps they can have an English board for explanations. I went at the end of the day and no one was there so it was nice but the lady really rushed so she can go home....
Written 31 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yonatan R
69 contributions
Feb 2018
The place is nice and clean but it's nothing special compare to other average caves. You can go inside and see interesting parts of the cave. Defiantly won't go to Chiang Dao only for the caves but as part of longer trip.
Written 25 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fhoffmannb
Düsseldorf, Germany482 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
To see a temple in a cave is something different and worthwhile to visit. The other temples were all nicer places, but here the cave makes the difference.
Written 8 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James B
Phnom Penh, Cambodia12 contributions
Dec 2021
When you exit the cave, you can easily walk to the white pagoda that is set in a lovely park beside a bodhi tree.
Written 18 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eugene Nyunt
Bangkok, Thailand901 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
ဂူများသည် son posiblemente las más famosas ပေမယ့် the resto de los grounds of the large ဘုရားကျောင်း are just as လှပတယ်။
ဂူ များ အာလုံးကြည့်ချင်ဆိုရင် ၂နာရီလောက် လိုပါလိမ့်မယ်။ If you know you’ll be satisfecho con las lit areas of the cuevas, ၄၅ မိနစ်လောက် should be suficiente.
ဂူ များ အာလုံးကြည့်ချင်ဆိုရင် ၂နာရီလောက် လိုပါလိမ့်မယ်။ If you know you’ll be satisfecho con las lit areas of the cuevas, ၄၅ မိနစ်လောက် should be suficiente.
Written 15 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hi.. im planning to.include this on my tour by next month.. im a solo traveler. can you give me an idea of how much will cost for a hired taxi or car with driver.?! and also is it open on october?!
Written 11 September 2017
Sorry I can't advise on the taxi fare or hired driver fare because I drive my own car to Wat Tham Chiang Dao temple from Chiang Mai City. It takes about 1.5 hours drive there. This temple should be open all year round.
Written 12 September 2017
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing