Mae Kampong day trip

Nestled in a valley between two mountains, Chiang Mai offers a wealth of day trip opportunities by motorbike. In this post, we’ll guide you through a scenic journey to the picturesque mountain village of Mae Kampong, with stops in San Kampaeng and Doi Sakhet along the way.

Leaving the City for San Kampaeng

Begin your adventure by leaving the city and heading towards San Kampaeng, where you’ll find the local fresh market. Along the way to San Kampaeng, consider visiting the Bo Sang Umbrella Village, Siam Celadon pottery, or other interesting spots. In San Kampaeng, enjoy a quick stroll around the local fresh market and then head a few kilometers further, to the serene atmosphere of Chuen Cafe, which offers a beautiful lake and Mountain View with great food and drinks (and you can feed the big fishes in the lake too!). Afterwards either explore the Chiang Mai Art Museum, cuddle sheep at the Dutch Farm or continue your way towards Mae Kampong.

On your way to Mae Kampong there’s actually one more amazing stop to make. Tham Mueang On, a Buddhist cave, on a big hill, which offers both the cave experience and an amazing outside view from the Buddhist pagoda on top of the hill, a great quick hike. An amazing little adventure before driving to Mae Kampong

Exploring Mae Kampong

Once in Mae Kampong, stroll around the village, enjoy the river, and grab a bite to eat. For stunning views, drive a bit further up the road to a coffee shop overlooking the village. Further more we recommend visiting the Waterfall of Mae Kampong as it’s a very serene place and offers a small hike up as well, as the waterfall has many different levels which can be climbed up pretty high. There is a limited Mountain View due the surrounding jungle and trees, but further up the waterfall it’s like you have your own private oasis from a Tarzan movie.

Mae Kampong is the main attraction of this trip. So you can stay as long in Mae Kampong as you like or you can explore some of the many other restaurants and coffeeshops that can be seen along the way, just you reached Mae Kampong.

Hot Springs and Doi Sakhet

Depending on the time, you can head to next destinations. After Mae Kampong you can go to the Soi Sakhet Hot Spring for some refreshment or continue your journey to Doi Sakhet Lakes and Dot Sakhet Temple. Admire the temple sites and enjoy the views from this breathtaking location.

If there is still time, you can consider a visit to a big and beautiful temple site, named “Wat San Pu Loei“.

Keep in mind that many temples close between 17:00 and 18:00. Which is also a reasonable time to drive back to Chiang Mai city, just before sunset, before it gets dark.

Do you love hiking?

Look up “Doi Nangmo” in Google Maps. It’s an amazing and challenging hike for experienced hikers (up to 4-6 hours)! Let us know (@WhattodoinChiangMai) if you’re interested and we can plan this together.

Google Maps Link:

For a map of our suggested points of interest, visit this Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DsWP9x972zuUzKc79