The cave in Chiang Dao was not as big as I expected. More precisely, the cave may be large, but you only see a small part of it if you are walking with a guide. You can also walk without it, but at your own peril and risk, and ideally at least have a card, because I saw all sorts of different branches there, it is real to get confused. On the other hand, why is it necessary, after all, you can get a show anyway, and look at all sorts of stalactites in the beaten track. But I am not a speleologist and not too big a fan of caves, so the standard route is enough for me..
The content of the article
Temple territory
The cave is located near the Wat Chiang Dao temple. The territory is small, but it is quite beautiful, be sure to walk around and take a look. Behind a modern temple in style «Gzhel» two stupas stick out and there are several statues of Buddhas in niches among stones and jungle. These are probably the remains of an old temple. Looks interesting, straight piece of the lost world.
The road from the highway to Chiang Dao is very beautiful
Mount Chiang Dao is visible
Modern temple in the style of Gzhel
Gzhel inside too
Remains of an old temple
Mossy stones, withered wood ...
Monk in his shabby house
Chiang Dao Temple Territory
Buddha lost in the stones
Funny little men spinning the wheel
Toilet for lamers ... What did they mean?
On the territory of a small museum
Near the cave entrance there is a pond with crystal clear blue water. This is rarely seen, usually the ponds in the temples are muddy and dirty. But here the mountains and the water flows down from the mountains, running. Naturally, there are well-fed catfish in the pond that you can feed..
Emerald water pond
Pond with emerald water and sky reflection
Fat catfish
Chiang Dao Cave - Chiang Dao Cave
There is only one cave, but there are many halls in it (Lablae cave, Crystal cave, Reclining Buddha cave). Some of them are illuminated, some are not. Accordingly, you can safely walk through the illuminated part on your own, especially since it is a dead end, back and forth. Well, more precisely, not a dead end, the move goes on, just the light ends in the hall with the reclining Buddha. To save money, you can finish on this and not take a guide, because I won't say that the part that is not directly illuminated is somehow special.
Chiang Dao Cave Map
Chiang Dao Cave Entrance
The sun breaks through the cracks in the ceiling
Pioneers carry a bell somewhere
First hall with guides and lamps
If you go to the left, you will find an elephant, if you go to the right, you will meet the Buddha.
Kerosene lamp, God forbid!
The guide will take you for about 30 minutes, and it depends on how long you will be stuck at this or that stalactite trying to photograph it. That is, you can walk in 15 minutes, there is a very short distance. There are no difficult places on this route, you do not need to crawl anywhere, the maximum is to go squatting, that is, you will not get dirty. And you don't need warm clothes, it's some kind of «wrong» cave, it is slightly cooler than outside. And then I'm used to it, it's usually about 4-10 degrees inside. In addition, the kerosene stove (the guide with the lamp is walking) also heats up decently, it's a real stove. Next to the guide, if you go, you will be all wet.
Small halls give way to large ones
There are also narrow manholes, but not complicated
We meet groups of other tourists on the way
At the end of the path, an altar filled with toys
Illuminated cave
There is a riot of life around each lamp
There are stalactites along the way
Remains of Buddha on the sidelines
The last lit area and here is a hall with Buddhas
Gifts to Buddha from Visitors
Deep darkness, long exposure on the camera and a flashlight
By the way, almost all formations on the walls (influxes and stalactites) have names associated with elephants, either the guides do not know other words, or the discoverer's imagination was not very rich.
Some kind of elephant, although this particular one may not be an elephant, something well does not look like at all
Sinks on the wall with an elephant name
Information to visit
Entrance to the cave 40 baht. Guide service 100 baht, kerosene lamp 100 baht, total 200 baht per guide is obtained.
Whether it is possible to take a kerosene stove without a guide, or a guide without a kerosene stove, I do not know. But the kerosene stove is really a useful thing, it illuminates, bless you. I had a very good headlamp with me, so it's just a bunch of fucks compared to this one. In principle, 200 baht is not much, especially if divided into 2-3 people.
The guides sit inside, not outside, as you go to the first hall, there are literally 50 meters from the entrance. So there is no need to look for them on the street, as I initially tried.
And if you suddenly decide to spend the night, you can stop, both in Chiang Dao itself near the cave, and on the highway, for example, already near Fang. I spent the night in Chiang Dao, here in the Chaing Dao Hut bungalow hotel (here is my review), it is inexpensive and very simple. If you need something better, then consider Chiang dao roundhouses, it is very close to the cave. By the way, there are quite interesting bungalows in it, look at the pictures. Or, Baan din chiang dao, it is similar to the previous one, but far away.
I recommend booking hotels in advance. I decided to check on the day of arrival what else is available in the area and a lot had already been booked. To be honest, I was surprised, I didn't know that the place was so popular. The easiest way to search for hotels is through RoomGuru, it will show hotels from all booking systems, otherwise it often happens that this or that hotel is only in Agoda, or only in Booking, and prices differ.
On the map
Getting there by your own transport is not difficult. It is literally an hour and a half to drive from Chiang Mai, the distance is about 70 km. It is quite possible to keep within one day (round trip) and there will still be time. Alternatively, after the cave, go a little further to hot springs in Fang.
A visit to the cave and the territory takes about 2 hours, but you can run around everything in 30 minutes, so if you go in the morning, then you can have time to capture the springs.
Chiang Dao area
Chiang Dao area:
