8 Chiang Mai Kayak Tours to Build a Morning Around

1.No.1 Full-Day Chiang Mai Caving & Jungle Kayaking: Chiang Dao

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 206 reviews · from $81Our pick

Travel from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao for a guided cave walk with headlamps, Buddhist shrines, bats, and large natural chambers, then paddle the calm Mae Ping River. Guides including Jane, Golf, Tony, and Aiden provide instruction, safety support, lunch, water, and transport.

“The Caving was good, not great. There are some Buddha statues in the cave which was kind of neat. Other than that, nothing too unique about the cave. Note that the women were not allowed in with short shorts (which was not communicated ahead of time), but they did have pieces of cloth to tie around as a skirt for no additional charge. There are a few crawl spaces, so you'll want to be relatively mobile. Lunch was pretty good, pad Thai. The kayaking was really good! It was a good blend of gorgeous scenery and some rapids every now and then. It was lots of fun! In the communication…”

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2.Ping River Night Kayaking into City Center

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 144 reviews · 2 hours · from $50Best value

Start with hotel pickup around 5:45 to 6:00 PM, then paddle from Wat Taa-Luk toward Nawarat Bridge with an English, German, or Thai-speaking guide. Expect a gentle 6-kilometer route, hard-shell kayaks, safety gear, riverside music, wildlife, and Chiang Mai lights.

“The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. This isn’t an exciting kayak trip but instead a peaceful and relaxing one! The river is very quiet and still, and the only lights are from the resorts/restaurants you pass. Good for beginners or people with experience.”

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3.Kayak the Jungle Rivers of Chiang Dao Valley!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 89 reviews · from $74Top rated

Leave Chiang Mai for a roughly five-hour kayaking trip near Chiang Dao. Guides such as Aidan teach beginners to handle hard-shell single or double kayaks through creeks, flooded forest, and gentle rapids. Lunch, hotel transport, water, safety support, and a small group of up to eight are included.

“Altogether awesome trip! The tour guides were great and kept us entertained throughout the day. The cave was pretty interesting. Guides were great about pointing out the features and wildlife throughout. Kayaking was relaxing and not rusRead more”

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4.Safety whitewater rafting in Chiangmai by Khampan Rafting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · from $55

Khampan Rafting takes you from Chiang Mai to the Maetaeng River for a 6 km, roughly one-hour rafting run. Expect a 1:30 pm start, grade 2 to 4 rapids, river views, elephants near a sanctuary, hotel pickup, and vegetarian pad thai with fruit.

“This was a lot of fun, got picked up from hotel on time by Yu. He was very informative and helpful. Our first time rafting, but the raft guide was a good instructor. We saw several elephants ao our journey, which was exciting and very wet,lol. TRead more”

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5.25km Leisure Mountain Biking & Jungle Kayaking

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 45 reviews · 4 hours · from $65

Ride quiet farm tracks through the Mae Ngat Valley, stop at Wat Ban Den and a local market, then paddle a hard-shell kayak through the Mae Taeng Forest Reserve. Guides such as Jane and A are praised for friendly pacing and local insight. Hotel pickup, gear, water, support, and lunch are included.

“It was the most perfect day. The introductory session, the visit to the temple, biking and kayaking. The perfect balance of exercise, scenery and culture. The guides were so knowledgeable and helpful. I will definitely do it again . Thank you”

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6.15 km Leisure River Kayaking at Mae Ngat forest

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 24 reviews · 1 day · from $62

Spend a full day kayaking from Chur Lare Bridge through the Mae Taeng Forest. Your English, German, or Thai-speaking guide handles safety and support while you paddle a single or double kayak, watch for birds and buffalo, swim, and stop for a vegetarian-friendly lunch.

“The activity was really good nothing to say about anything except we only did half of the 15km”

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7.Kayak the Jungle River of Chiang Dao Valley!

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 8 reviews · 1 day · from $64

Paddle the Ping River beneath Chiang Dao’s famous mountain range with English-speaking guides, including Aidan when available. You’ll receive instruction, use a hard-shell kayak, pass jungle creeks and farmland, and stop for a vegetarian-friendly lunch. Expect beginner-friendly water with two kayak portages.

“Insane activity seeing the landscape of the Chiang Dao Valley, the instructors were excellent and informative while allowing you to explore all the while being very comfortable. This is definitely suitable for beginners and I cannot recommend this enough!”

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8.Sticky waterfall, lake kayak and cycling tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 5 reviews · 8 hours · from $112

Spend eight active hours outside Chiang Mai with an English-speaking guide such as Birdy. Climb Buatong Sticky Waterfall, ride a long-tail boat to Mae Ngat Dam, kayak, eat lunch at a floating cottage, and cycle about 15 kilometers through farms and villages.

“Superbe journée. Promenade en VTT au milieu de champs de pomelos, de bananeraies, de rizières, de multiples villages ainsi que de friches fleuries. Un véritable bonheur pour les yeux. Apres un bon snack séance de kayak super sympa avant un déjeuner gargantuesque. Tout ceci en compagnie d un guide des plus sympathique et attentionné.”

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