No.1 Chiang Mai: Leisure River Kayaking: Mae Taeng Forest Reserve

If you are looking for a serene trip to experience north Thailand nature, this is the tour to go! Kayaking was really beautiful and great view of mountains, definitely recommend in December. Also the Chiang Dao is the perfect cherry on top. Shoutout to Twee and the tour guides 🔥

The slide show presentation about how to kayak was too academic to be useful and was a waste of time. No mention was made in the TripAdvisor ad of cave visit in the morning. Also the minibus trip was very long ie 2 hours. Apart from that it was a good experience.

I had an awesome day out on a three hour kayak trip down the river through farmland and forest. It was so calm and peaceful, with lots of birds to see including a kingfisher. We also saw water buffalo grazing by the river. I had kayaked a few times before but not much and Aiden the guide was very helpful with tips and explaining how to read the river. I would definitely recommend the trip.

Such a memorable day! So beautiful in the mountains and jungle. We explored the cave and with our skilled guides we really got a hands-on experience of caving. Our guide Golf, was very knowledgeable about all of the history and religious significance of the cave. Tony, our other guide was fabulous about taking photos and encouraging us. Lunch of chicken pad thai was very good. Really enjoyed the kayaking. A little technical for beginners and a couple of people went swimming. Water very shallow. I think they were relieved to cool off. We were given an amazing talk at the very beginning about Kayaking and how to navigate the River. Very thorough. Fabulous day.

There were several bird sightings. The guides spoke wonderful English. The equipment was great. We only saw a water Buffalo farm and a fishers shack in terms of structures - it was so lush!

Superb day. Family of 4 (including 2 children aged 11 and 9). We took 2 kayaks out and were out on the water for 2.5-3 hours along an 18km stretch of river. Beautiful scenery - we even saw water buffalo and kingfishers. Jenny the guide was amazing and was a brilliant help with the kids especially. Highly recommended - would do again if and when I come back to Chiang Mai.

Art was our guide for the day and very entertaining! There were 7 of us in our private tour with 2 guides and we enjoyed every minute. Most of us had limited experience with kayaking, so were a little nervous at first, but quickly became comfortable with the instruction and practice in the small pool area at launch. It was a pretty leisurely float down 13 kilometers of the Ping River. We would have liked to see more wildlife, but still enjoyed the country side and views. We ended at a quite hut with delicious lunch of local favorite food. Would strongly recommend this experience if you have a day to go!

Got picked up at the hotel on time and where welcomed by our friendly and very funny guide Art. He made the day so much more special. On the way to the river we had the opportunity to buy some snacks and drinks. The kayaking is very relaxing. The river is quiet (dry season) and the nature is beautiful. a nice lunch afterwards in the countryside. A very nice day! Don’t forget your sunscreen and a hat is great too.

We had two great days with Art and his team of great guides! Day 1 we did the full day Kayaking trip, and day 2 we did went mountain biking down the jeep trail. Very satisfying experiences: awesome nature, great activities, and a lot of laughs with Art, Tony and all the other guides. Would definitely book again!

The whole trip was great fun, a bit of a challenge for a beginner like me but the owner and guides got me through it. I was alone but met some great people. Everything is perfectly organised, there were children and teenagers with the group and everyone had a great time and found enjoyment in the day. The kayaks are comfortable and in great condition. We had drinking water in each kayak and a water stop on the way. We stopped to swim and rest a few times. A truly great day. I'm ready to go back as soon as possible.

We had a blast, the guides are hilarious, super attentive and just fun to spend time with, they make this experience stand out. A few hours of chilled-out kayaking on a peaceful and beautiful river, highly recommended.

We were upgraded to a cave visit and kayaking as he said we were new and would be more comfortable with that group as they didnt have experience with kayaking also, our guide was called Jamie and he was a really nice and attentive guy. Would definitely recommend

Not sure if I chose the right tour but ours was the 3 hour paddle. Never mind. We were picked up at our place and dropped of later on, brilliant. Looked after really well all day in fact. Our guide was great, perfect English and plenty to tell. Really knew his kayaking so even with a bit of a current he always let us know what to expect and what to do. Passed through areas of fields and heavy jungle, plenty to look at along the way, you can paddle hard or go about it gently so people of all ages and abilities will have a fun time. You really don't need to have any experience, just a desire to give it a go, you will be in safe hands and by the time you get out you'll be quite a good paddler. And if you go after some heavy rain the river will be moving faster so that could add to the fun. The lunch afterwards before the ride back into town is excellent. I have always found the food after a tour of any sort to be fantastic. These guys do a really good job. Just remember to wear long sleeves a wide hat and maybe something like a sarong to cover your bare legs as the blazing sun for a few hours on the water can leave the unwary feeling rather sorry for themselves. If you are new to the paddling game we suggest you take the short tour unless you feel game. It really was great fun!

My family and I are novices to kayaking. We wanted to have a feel of what its like to kayak down the river. Looking through TA, i wrote via email and the replies were received almost instantly. We booked and made several changes through email prior to the actual day. These included 1)a reduced group size; 2)our concerns about the kids and if they would get bored; 3) we even reduced the timing of the kayaking to about 2 hours due to pt 2. 4)Thirdly, we wanted to be back at the hotel by 3pm. All that was taken care of with prompt replies and recommendations. They 1. Selected a section of the river that was easier for 1st timers; 2. offered us alternative like Sup boards that we could exchange along the way whilst on kayaks so that adults/kids would not get bored; an 8am start to be able to return to the hotel by 3pm. Payment was easy. 30% down payment online to secure the booking followed by balance payment on day or payable in advance online. We preferred the online method. On the day itself, pick up was prompt. We arrived at the banks and Art our Chief guide demonstrated to us how to use the paddle. We had a total of 6 on that day as two of them could not make it. Art and Chang used the Sup boards whilst we had 2 double Kayaks and two singles. Art was hilariously entertaining and made the trip down stream totally enjoyable by motivating the kids to paddle in his comical self. Time passed way too fast. This was when felt that we could have done this for an hour more! Our 10 and 7year olds were not bored as Art made them go onto the Sup boards and help paddle with him. The two also jumped off and played in the river waters. My sibling and his teen daughter took turns on the Sup boards which was really nice. The river is open so do bring a maximum SPF for sun protection, all your hats required, sunglasses, long sleeve and pants etc is best if you don’t wish to burn. Bring an extra set of clothing. All your personal belongings can be placed in their truck. Bring a waterproof phone as well to take those cool pics for memories! After we were done, we drove up a minute to a nice Mango plantation. Sadly there was none on the trees as it was not in season. We were guided to the restaurant bath room where we could change to a fresh set of clothes. Post which, a nice lunch comprising of fried rice, some fresh vegetables and a fried egg was served. Chang and the driver drove us back after we said our farewells and we hope to do this again in the not too distant future. Thank you Art and Chang for making the day awesome! We highly recommend all to try - beginners to experts!

This was such a fun day, We did a one day begginers kayaking trip, They've picked out a beautiful stretch of river and put us in really stable self bailing boats, The river flows just enough that the current does most of the work but not so much that it's too much for first timers to take on even if the occasional small rapids may look at bit daunting from above. I'd definitely do this again next time I'm in Chiang Mai

Very nice staff, a lot of fun and adrenaline ! Really advice it !! The kayaking is very good, you'll go through a few rapids and even pass by some bathing elephants.

i booked two times downhillbiking with this company, its amazing. a great day outside, downhill pist exhausting but fun, the guides are great! then i booked a full day kayak tour, with was also great fun and a very nice day at the river, but: the 1-1/4 ride back home was horrible! we were sitting in the back of a pick up truck with a driver who was BY FAR the fastest on the street, driving like crazy. he overtook almost every car on this road, like it was a formula one race, which maybe funny for the two guys in the front, but definitely not for us in the back. its also totally useless, since nobody will complain if we come 10 minutes later back to chiang mai. when i mentioned it to the guide in the end, he said he was sleeping comfy in the front (funny guy). anyway, i love the company and the tours, but maybe you guys talk to the driver (other people mentioned it also on this page, you should probably listen at least to the clients at least). apart from that, everythings awesome!

We were picked up at our guest house and brought to the main office where we watched a quick presentation on how to kayak in a river, which I found really helpful as I had only ever kayaked on a flat lake. Then we drove about an hour out of Chiang Mai to pick up the kayak trailer and head to the river. We were able to leave our extra clothes and valuables in the truck so nothing got damaged or wet while we were on the river. The beginning was interesting as we learned to "read" the currents and eddies, and soon we were paddling along just fine! By the middle and end the river had flattened and widened for much simpler paddling, and we got to enjoy the scenery, the company of the great group we ended up in, and our guide Aidan himself, who is great to talk to. It was so nice to be out on the water, with just the sound of the breeze and our paddles. My husband says that this was his favorite part of our time spent in Chiang Mai! Aidan also took pictures for us so we didn't have to worry about damaging our camera or phones and uploaded them for us to download within a day. I couldn't manage to download the photos to my tablet (which is all I had with me) and they expired from the website after a week, so I contacted Aidan and he very kindly posted them again once I had got back home to a laptop. I really appreciate that level of customer service!

We had a blast with this company. The owner is hilarious, and speaks excellent english. This is the only company i found in chiange mai that offered a package with only kayaking. Which was great because we arent ones for mountain biking! Im giving this company 5 stars. I have strict dietary needs along with celiacs disease and they made it so i was able to sit down to nice lunch at a local restaurant with everyone. I have been on tours all over thailand, and they are the first to do that. Thank you! I will def be booking again next time i am through town

The instructor was the best! Very experienced and a good talk. We enjoyed the whole day at fullest. We are very thankfull what we got. Our first time kayaking. I was scared / worried at first. But soon with the guide everything went wel. Very happy!

Aidan knows the rivers like the back of his hand. It’s inspiring to meet such a passionate individual who loves what he does. We even visited his friends who live by the river; a monk and a farmer with three dogs. I had a great time and got way more than what I asked for. If you like kayaking, Aidan’s your man.

Did not disappoint, even on the beginners course learned a fair bit having not been in a Kayak for about 10 years :D Great scenery and Aiden is helpful and obviously very experienced. Great way to see a unique part of Thailand

I had no idea it turned to be my new outdoor sport that I can actually do! The kayaking journey taught me a great lesson which is to overcome fear as I can't swim. There were a professional instructor and the experienced local guides to help you learn how to paddle ,tips in the safest way. I enjoyed 17 km all day in the river. We went in a group tour of eight and it's nice to get to know new people as well. I never thought i could do it. I now can row the boat, duck the tree branches and rocks (after hitting them many times) and paddling backward in the river I will learn how to swim after this trip. Thank you for making my trip in Chiangmai colourful,fun and safe.

We did the kayaking tour with our 8 year old son. It was a 1h drive to the creek in a Baht bus - the driver drove a bit too fast for my liking. The kayaking was lovely for the first 2 hours and a great swim. Also nice to see waterbuffalos, local peoples catching fish, etc. It was just way to long for us as it was very hot and no current due to low water, which meant we had to paddle a lot to get home. Our guide spoke maybe 5 words and paddled quite far ahead. At the end (around 3 pm) local lunch which we enjoyed.

Everything ran on time, very relaxed but also attentive to safety. The helpful staff explained all the trip options and Aidan gave us good advice about which one would be best for us (as beginners we did the Mae Ngat Mid Valley trip). We loved the little extras - a waterproof camera to use for free. Would be happy to go with them again.

We've just had an absolutely brilliant day doing the "beginners" mountain biking tour. We were picked up from the hotel, had a full safety briefing and then travelled up to the top of the mountain in one of their trucks. We then got all our safety gear on and had a quick lesson in riding a bike (!!) There are many parts of the ride that are steep and a little slidey but it just adds to the fun!! The scenery is stunning and the guides are great fun and make regular stops for photos and water etc. We ended up at a beautiful lake at the bottom of the National Park where we had a very tasty meal. We loved every minute and every single person on the tour seemed to as well. Highly recommended!!

Aidan looked after us well. The day started with 20 minutes on the theory and safety of kayaking. We then had around 1 hour trip to start of trip. We selected trip D. This was gentle paddle but we went through all basic techniques. The paddle itself took us through forest with egrets and kingfishers. One section we passed a group of water buffalo. A recommended trip.

We went on kayaking trip D. The drive to the river was about an hour in the back of a songtow style truck that was comfortable enough and the drive passed quickly chatting with other guests. Our group of 7 including guide drifted gently downstream for about 4-5 hours including a short rest break. The guide gives tips on technique and river flow, which is great for beginner and advanced paddler to feel in control the whole time. It's dry season so river level was low with no rapids so it was the perfect day out. The boats are comfortable, modern and suited to purpose (they were not clunky bathtubs). the PFDs were new and the paddles light and well shaped. I highly recommend this experience.

I highly recommend Chiang Mai Mountain Biking and Kayaks! We chose the 17km basic kayaking trip and we were not disappointed! Its one of the best things i've done on my trip so far! Lek Lek was an amazing guide and the views were stunning. The trip was super easy making it suitable for anyone! You can even jump in the river and let the current take you slowly down the river, great way to cool off as it gets really hot! The team is really professional and safety is their number 1 priority. I will definitely be booking another trip when I come back to Chiang Mai!

You are in good hands with this lot. Shout out to Aiden, a patient teacher with enough presence to get things going, to Pao who can "surf kayak" too, and Khan A, a Thai kayaking champion. The Mae Ngat valley trip on the Mae Ping river (in December, don't know about higher water months) is a delightful day that I would recommend to families, couples and solo travelers in need of some peace and beauty, about an hour outside Chiang Mai. It's an easy 20 km-paddle, with a great view of the Doi Chiang Dao mountain. Simple but tasty lunch by the river, cooked on the spot, vegetarian options available. I would come back and try out the other runs.

Credit to these guys, booked the jungle kayaking 18km , never done much kayaking before, but this was brilliant, a lot more then I expected. Wanted a day out in the wilderness , and this is what we got. Booked the trip only the day before, me and my wife was picked up by the owner of the company and taken to their premises in chaing mai, where we were given a brief talk by Adain the owner on tips on how to control your kayak , actually these tips came in very handy later on,once we was in the water, but we all were given instructions again in the water.The trip it self was excellent very good, we all got driven to a starting point, about one and half hours outside chaing mai, it felt very remote away from all the tourist's, was so peacefull , just the wildlife ,water,trees and us, perfect. In less then 10 mins on the water we saw eagle's above our heads.The surrounding jungle/forest was beautiful I actually felt like crocodile Dundee! As most of us were all beginners this trip was just right, water was easy going with a few more challenging points to give us that bit of excitement ,but I urge any one to do this, as everyone in our group had a fantastic time. One of the main points of this review is to praise our two guides, sorry I'm not very good with names, but think he was called Dan I, wasn't sure about the other guys name, but these guys deserve a big thank you. These two absolutely fantastic, Dan I , really was professional in the way he handled the group,he spread him self out very equally through out the day amongst different group members and made sure everyone had a greet time, I actually work in the French Alps as a ski guide and guide groups around the mountains on a daily basis, and as I have something in common as leading groups, I really thought I would have to write this review,as i was so impressed by his customer service.Anyway once again ,highly recommended,and also the finishing meal very good.

Top, organisation parfaite.lieux très beaux.repas au bord de l'eau parfait. Aucun problème pour débuter.

We wanted to go rafting with a boat but because the water was low it became a rubber kayak for 2 people and a mate. Super fun! The supervisors are very enthusiastic and do their best to make it to your liking. Our children aged 14 and 10 loved it! Surroundings are beautiful, came along elephants from Elephant Nature Park who took a bath. Despite low tide exciting rapids (for a boat really too low) and safety is well taken care of.

We had a relaxing half day trip with Aidan on the Mae Ping River. Highly recommended, even for beginners.

I had planned a Kayaking Day in the Mae Ngat Valley, but I reversed the days of kayaking and jungle flight, so I called the kayak to complain about not being picked up at the hotel. Not upsetting, they send someone to get me... And I'm joining a different trip than the one originally chosen. Instead of paddling 32km quietly, it will be the shorter but more technical trip E. The river has rapids, but it is rarely more than 1m deep. It's ideal for taking back the basics of kayaking... Especially the inputs into counter currents (avoid back paddling, always forward), and the outputs from these places. Our German guide, Aidan, is a good teacher, he is a great guy who lived 25 years in Hawaii and practiced kayaking on the big waves between the islands. He pays close attention to safety. On a slightly more difficult passage, he even quotes Yoda without knowing it, "you must not try, it is about doing it". Funny... The river is charming, you can see bamboo rafts, Further on you can see a convoy of elephants, the little ones frolicking in the water. We end up with a 20-minute bonus of rapids. Great day!

We booked one of the beginner kayaking trips and were completely satisfied; both the support and safety standards and crew were top. First, we got a brief introduction to the basics of kayaking. After that we went straight to the start. It should be emphasized here that the respective routes are adapted to the existing level of participants as well as the water level. I never felt unsafe at all despite various falls (which was definitely down to me). The route was beautiful and the difficulty level increased continuously, which was fair at all times. We even drove a little longer than initially agreed, as there were still "spectacular" obstacles ahead. This was done at no extra charge. Last but not least, I want to get rid of the fact that pictures were taken all day, which were sent to us at Mail in the evening. An unforgettable day. Thank you dear team

We did a 16 km kayaking tour here. It is also possible to combine this with bicycles, but we found out too late. It is a beautiful trip through the jungle where you can always look out for your eyes. The guide occasionally points out an animal in a tree, we also encountered water buffalo. Very nice to do, but the last few miles weigh the most. Afterwards you get lunch, but it's not spectacular. Highly recommended if you are looking for a sporty and jungle-like day. Staff very friendly and speak good English.