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

The caves were amazing, I have been to a handful of different caves and this was very unique! The kayaking is why we booked this trip and it was well worth it! The views from the river were beautiful and the river itself was fun, with a good pace but nothing too crazy to tip in (although a couple first time kayakers did). Bring a change of clothes! And a dry bag if you have it, a waterproof phone case was nice to have. The lunch stop we ate at was delicious. It was in a small local area/village. We only had 4 people in our group so we did an SUV with no AC but larger groups would get an AC car so I’m told.

This was just what I needed after a busy few days at a conference. Relaxing and peaceful. The cave was pretty cool to explore. Our guide was super kind and inviting, knowledgeable, and funny. His English was excellent. The river was a very peaceful paddle. Enough of a current that you dont have to work too hard. You can stop paddling and take in the scenery and birds or take pictures without falling behind. Loved it. Just enough work to leave me feeling tired, super relaxed, and ready for a peaceful night of sleep. The river can be very sunny in places. I recommend a hat, sunscreen, and long sleeve shirt.

We really enjoyed exploring the cave and the lunch was great! The rain was unrelenting though and there were only 4 of us, we agreed as a group that kayaking in it was not going to be a good experience. We cancelled the kayaking portion. Rest assured, It was no reflection on the guides or the company, they were great!

We had a great time and would recommend this to anyone who likes unusual adventures and places. The cave was so amazing. The bats were incredible and the temples were really cool. Kayaking the river was a great way to end the tour. Relaxing for the most part, though there were a few rapids, it was fun and beautiful. Our guide, A, was awesome. He’s just an all around great guy. Our driver, Golf, was also great.

It was an amazing experience seeing the caves and kayaking was so peaceful, suitable for beginners. Had so much fun. Tour guides were very friendly and knowledgeable.

If you’re looking to pack some good mild adventure into one day this could definitely be a good tour for you. Experienced and helpful guide with two really fun activities that are adventurous but could be completed by most fully mobile people. Thanks for a fun day!

Super fun day of caving and kayaking! The Chiang Dao cave, with its myriad shrines and amazing caverns, is definitely a must-see. And the kayaking portion was tons of fun! The river was very gentle and shallow, so suitable for beginners. There were just enough challenges to keep it interesting - I’ll confess I wasn’t the best at steering so I did fall in twice (wear something you don’t mind getting wet!). But again the water was super shallow so I just stood up and got back in. And the guide was great about helping me out of those situations. FYI the drive from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao takes about 2 hours in the back of a truck, so be mentally prepared for that, and don’t make any evening plans. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for an adventure!

Interesting visit to a cave, and (at least right now, in the dry season) pretty easy but enjoyable kayak trip. The guides were excellent. The only negative was the long amount of time spent driving from and back to Chiang Mai in the back of a Hilux - fun ride, but longer than we'd have preferred.

We had a brilliant day out exploring the Chiang Dao caves and then kayaking on the Ping River. An unforgettable experience! Thank you Mr Jane (Jennifer Lopez ;-) )

Awesome day trip. Great for anyone looking for fun adventures. The cave was incredible. Even before we got in the site outside is beautiful and colorful. The cave was so fun. I've been into caves in the US and they are smaller and narrow; here it was huge and so open. There are some tight and narrow spaces you have to crawl through but that's expected with any cave. The kayaking was a great way to end the day. It was a fun route, the guides will help if you spin or get stuck. We had lunch after the cave too. Overall great day trip and would recommend to anyone looking for an outdoor adventure day in Chiang Mai.

This tour far exceeded our expectations. The guides were highly informative, entertaining, and kept us updated on the day's events. The cave was really quite impressive with a couple of crawl through spaces that even those with claustrophobia can handle easily. It is well lit in several parts and in others you have guides with lanterns and torches to light it up well. The kayaking was perfect part relaxing and entertaining with enough back eddies and obstacles to keep us laughing even though the river was quite low (January - no rain). Our ages range from 20-56, all work in tourism, & all rated this experience 5/5.

The day of the trip, my wife got her periods and we asked to reschedule, they called and told me it was fine and there would be an additional 500THB fee, which we agreed to, now on the day of the reschedule no one on their side picked up the call, if you have any issues or emergencies this is not the tour group you wanna go with, very unprofessional,

Out of the full day the thing we loved was the cave - amazing guide and the cave itself. We could go in the areas of the cave where was no lighting, just the guides with lanterns and us with headlights. Also special thanks to the nicest drivers. The kayaking (the first part) was a complete disappointment from the start. The guide - Aidan - a very arrogant man that has only one right opinion - his. He spoiled our mood by making us demand a double kayak. Yes, we did not want single one - what is the problem? My husband had to threaten that we cancel the booking right away if he does not stop being pushy. He thought it will be no fun. Please, let me decide myself what is fun or not fun for me! Also, they try to hide costs. They wanted additional 300 baht. Out of that 200 is river fee (that was stated in the tour, however without exact amount) and 100 added just like that for the insurance that you don't even need. And they would not even ask us if we want it if I did not check myself what tgese costs are and what for they need my passport number. Also, for such a price per person, I would expect phone water protection case for free - we had that always on comparable tours. Here they want 150 baht per case. As for kayaking itself - it was very boring. We had to stop boats literally every 50 meters to wait for people who could not manage with their boats... They could also create two groups - experienced and first timers. The scenery was also not especially amazing... We have done far better around with other tour companies. So overall, unfortunately we cannot recommend this experience as a whole because of kayaking disaster.

Highly recommended trip with experienced guides . The kayak trip is very beautiful and the caves was also a great experience

Well-planned day with excellent pacing throughout. The timing of each activity felt thoughtful and unhurried. Both guides were attentive, friendly, and highly professional; clearly experienced, genuinely enjoying their work, and communicating confidently in good English.

The time spent in the cave was too long. It’s a good cave but once you’ve been to Carlsbad Caverns all other caves are kind of disappointing. The lunch was pretty good. Kayaking was fun but felt a little short and rushed for the price paid. With the guides had offered more info about the area and things we saw.

One of the best excursions I have ever been to. The guide A and the driver Rick were very helpful. The kayak experience through the picturesque river was awesome!

The cave and kayaking trip is awesome. Our tour guide, Jane, was fantastic. Very informative and a lot of fun to be around. If you are lucky enough to get him as a guide ask him to perform his J-Lo dance:)

Really great time checking out the ancient cave system. Kayaking was fun too and the guides were great! We made a couple stops on the way and learned about the history.

The cave and kayaking tour was great! Despite the rain we had a great time. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable about the cave.

The tour was professional and well organized. The guides were the best part. They were knowledgeable, friendly, and made the experience enjoyable. The cave was interesting, and the kayaking was a lot of fun. I would have loved to spend even more time on the river. A great choice for anyone looking for an active and well-run day trip from Chiang Mai.

This was the most fantastic experience!!! We went caving and river ping kayaking - all the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, laughed a lot , entertaining. We had the absolute best time. The owner of the company even came to pick us up as our hotel was out of the normal driving route. I would 1000% recommend this tour !!! Danielle C .

Good for beginner's or experienced kayakers. A little fast water. The owner Aiden gives a very good presentation on basic kayaking skills. Ive been kayaking for years and learned a few things.

Our tour guide, Jayne, was terrific! Very friendly, knowledgeable, funny, kind, generous! Caves were intriguing and interesting. Perfect amount of time in them - and ability to get around was fine (some tight spaces, but nothing too difficult). Also, the Kayak portion was so relaxing and Jayne was so excellent at explaining how to navigate the kayaks; and all with good humor and obviously in control of the situation. Felt very safe. The reason for my lower star rating is because the trip from Chiang Mai to the cave is about 1.5 hours and the tour description says: "A/C van is our usual choice or SUV 4x4 for smaller groups". But, instead, for the 6 of us, we were in the back of an open bed truck (with a covered top, yes, but open on all three sides) on two side-facing benches (I wouldn't consider that to be an SUV. To me, SUV would also be an air conditioned vehicle with forward facing seats and seat belts). The truck was open-air and the fumes from both the truck and the highway were uncomfortable. It wasn't that it was too hot - the air flowed fine. But, it was the matter of the fumes - and without seat belts on a busy highway seemed a bit dangerous (and not what was advertised). My hope is that this was just an incident with our group. However, I want to include it in my review so that the tour company is aware of this and so are future customers (if they are asked to ride in the back of an open-air truck as well). I wouldn't have minded it if it was for a short trip, but this was 1.5 hours each way on the busy highway; and it wasn't as advertised. Otherwise, I truly did enjoy the experiences, and as I said, our guide, Jayne was delightful and engaging!

Well organized, tons of fun, wonderful guides, beautiful scenery, and exhilarating fun. Would definitely do it again.

Quite an exceptional tour. If you are a kayaker, this jungle river ride will keep you engaged. If you are not an experienced kayaker, and have kayaked a bit, you will enjoy the smooth waters that move fast enough that you do not have to paddle much. The cave tour was even better than the water trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable and considerate. He pointed out many small details that we would have missed and knew where to direct us to get amazing photos.

The kayaking was the highlight of the trip. You float down a lightly moving river and get to see locals fishing and going about their daily lives. As a novice with kayaks, I felt fine. The tour guide made sure I was comfortable. The cave was also nice as I got to see several shrines built by the locals, and the guide inside the cave is someone who lives in the town nearby.

What we like in these activities - you can meet new people from all over the world. We had a nice group of six people and during our drive we had nice chatting. The activity itself is worth to do as you can see Chiang Dao cave - walk through the cave, see bats and crickets and interesting rock formations. Kayaking was the best part and solo kayaking is the best option as you are the master of yourself. It was ~5.5 km long route (~ 1 hour) and it was great. We had the best guides - Jane and Tony were funny and very communicative - keep up the good work. Though the ride in the car was quite long and the seats are not that comfortable - the operator could think of providing bus with more comfy seats.

Our guides were really friendly and funny, they really made sure everyone was having a good time, helped take photos, and were very knowledgeable about the caves and river.

Unfortunately I booked for the caving /kayaking adventure. We could not do the caving due to weather so instead they arranged for me to do kayaking/cycling tour. Both kayaking and cycling did not require high fitness levels and were chill and relaxing with lovely views. Guide was very friendly and helpful. We stopped at a temple complex at the start which was very beautiful too.

My first time kayaking (in my 50's) and had a great time. Guides are very good at teaching how to kayak and very patient while everyone masters the skill. Cave is very interesting and a different experience than typical temples.

Great experience visiting the cave and temple. Very unique to see the cave system and lots of bats. Afterwards, we kayaked along the river which was very peaceful and even beginners in our group did well. The staff took extra care to explain how kayak and even took a lot of photos during the excursion and then shared with us afterwards.

Kayaking was so fun. A bit of action and then a bit of calm. The scenery here in Chiang Mai makes me want to live here forever. Everything was beautiful, cave, surrounding area, kayak route, etc. Cave had harmless bats, spiders, crickets and wonderful ambiance. If you like a little action and excitement, this is definitely a good tour for you!

Cave Trek and Kayaking trip was awesome. The Chiang Dow Cave was really huge and really interesting. Our guide Danai and the local guide were excellent. I was a little more than anxious about my first kayaking trip since it is the rainy season and the water is moving. Danai was very clear and gave great instructions. I was amazed at how quickly I picked it up because I am not athletic. We had a great day and would recommend this activity/company highly.

First time to kayak and I couldn’t have been in safer hands. Our guides gave us the best intro on how to kayak and made sure that we were all comfortable and confident althroughout the experience. The cave tour was equally as exciting. Overall, an amazing day!

Perfect day, couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Smooth pickup and drop off, amazing guides who made us laugh and put in so much effort to make the trip fun. The cave was magnificent and lunch was lovely. Jennifer Lopez and Tony stark we can’t thank you enough, you are an asset to the team and we are so glad we got to experience such an amazing day with you! 😊😊

Thanks so much for a fantastic cave exploration and kayaking trip down the Ping River! My girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks to Jenny for his vast knowledge and information shared as well as his great sense of humour! Tony. And Jen were great and made us feel secure and in good hands down the river too! Well worth the experience!!!

The tour was amazing and the guide was very friendly, funny and told us a lot about the sites we were exploring. Because the atmosphere was so relaxed and we were in a small group (4 people) it all felt more like a day out with friends than like a tour. The cave was breathtaking and we got to walk around and explore at ease for quite a while. The kayaking was really well organized and the river route had very nice scenery all along the way. We had some very tasty Pad Thai for lunch too! All in all I can recommend this tour and would definitely do it again!

Fantastic day. Amazing time in the caves with a fantastic local guide. Such an amazing cave. Then kyaks down the river was super relaxing and some great sight seeing.

Very smart and cool guy Jean. Nearly private your with 3 persons, but was a great experience. Dao Cave is very impressive to see and kayaking is quiet, smooth and cool. River was not as high as normal, but enough to go on it.

Excellent tour Our guides Tony and A were very informative and funny. They made sure that we were safe and never rushed us though out the day

Our guide was very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about bats and the area we visited. Kayaking was a great experience with calm waters, although the water was a bit brown since it had rained the day before. The cave wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped, and we were a small group so we travelled in a two row minibus, which was fine for me but just be aware of the possibility.

The tour guide was great. Very engaging, funny and informative. What I was extremely disappointed about was that Trip Advisor said the excursion was 6-7 hours total time gone and I was gone for TEN HOURS. Completely missed the reservation for the group plan I had that evening. Felt like I was kidnapped an hour away from Chiang Mai with no way to get back in a timely manor. I mostly booked this because I wanted to kayak, but it was not much time on the water at all. The type of boat they provide isn't even typically a kayak used on a river. Just cheap, clunky equipment. It was a small group of four, which was nice. It was touristy....but I booked a excursion on Tripadvisor so it is what it is.

The guides and activities were amazing but spending 2 hours each way in the back of an open truck without AC inhaling fumes was disappointing to say the least.

Jane was our guide (man’s name pronounced “Janey”). He has been with the company for 13 years and was very knowledgeable in sharing information and answering questions. There were only three people on our tour so it was really a semi-private experience. Picked me up from my hotel right on time. Off to their office for a briefing on the day, map review of the location of the cave and the route we will kayak afterwards. The cave experience is really two-fold. It starts with an adventure in a dark cave with headlamps moving through various passages into large rooms. Saw many formations and some bats high up on the ceilings. We then connected to the show cave experience. This had walkways, lighting, and temples inside some cave rooms. Had a good lunch at the cave complex then off to kayak. Jane was a lot of fun telling us about the sites, where to paddle around bends and in riffles. Very easy paddle for a couple hours, with water provided, a swim stop for those inclined. My big surprise was the kayaks. I’m not a fan of sit on top kayaks because they aren’t very comfortable, but these kayaks had excellent back support - very comfortable. Highly recommend Jane as a tour guide!

Fantastic trip, possibly the best I have ever been on. The caves were very interring and great to see so many bats up so close( also Huntsman spiders) The kayaking was simply Amazing, an experience I will never forget. Excellent value for money with superb guides.

Jane was amazing!! So knowledgeable and funny, we felt very well taken care of on our excursion! He took care of all our needs and made us feel so special and relaxed!

Our guides Jeni and A were humorous and entertaining. There is a small bit of crawling in the cave so you do need good mobility for this activity. It was an interesting walk looking at Buddhist statues, bats and natural formations in the cave. The kayaking was easy as the river is very calm. Do note that you'll get wet during the kayaking so be ready with a change of clothes. Lunch was very basic: stir fried noodles with chicken and fruits. The drive to the cave and back is about 90 minutes to 120 minutes long. Not the most comfortable ride as it's very similar to riding in a songthaew.

Very friendly staff, good English communication, knowledgeable and fun. Thank you again for a great day. Well recommended