10 Best Chiang Mai Mountain Resorts

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Want to wake up to mountains? Book in the Mae Rim valley or the Hang Dong hills, a half-hour to an hour’s drive from the Old City. Go between November and January, when the air is clear and the nights turn cold. Avoid March, when crop and forest fires fill the valleys with smoke and the view you paid for disappears. Here’s where I’d book, from the valley floor up to the ridges near Mon Jam.

Chiang Mai Mountain Resorts

Mae Rim, Mon Jam or Hang Dong: Which Hills to Pick

Chiang Mai’s mountain resorts sit in three pockets of hills on two sides of Doi Suthep. Pick by how far you’re happy to drive for dinner in town.

• The Mae Rim Valley Floor: Highway 107 runs north from the city to Mae Rim town. From there it’s a half-hour run back to the Old City, with the Suthep range across the fields.
• Pong Yaeng and the Samoeng Road: Route 1096 climbs west from Mae Rim into forest, past Mae Sa Waterfall and Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden. Stay up here and the valley’s sights are minutes away, but every trip to town means the full drive back down.
• Towards Mon Jam: The Nong Hoi ridge above Pong Yaeng tops 1,300 metres at the Mon Jam viewpoint. Stay up here for the coldest nights of a cool-season trip.
• Ban Pong in Hang Dong: This side sits on the south-west slopes of Doi Suthep-Pui, reached from the city on Route 1269. It suits a stay split with the south of the city, and it’s well away from the Mae Rim weekend traffic on Highway 107.

Rooms That Face the Mountains

Mountain resorts here sell garden-view rooms too. Name the view you want when you book.

• Book the View Category: Pick the room type sold with a mountain view, because the same resort will put you in a garden room for less. Rooms at Veranda High Resort Chiang Mai – MGallery Collection face either the mountains or the garden, and the booking decides which.
• Views Without an Onsen: At Onsen at Moncham, the Grand Mountain View rooms come without an in-room onsen. If you want both the soak and the hills from your own terrace, book a suite.
• Get It in Writing: Email the hotel before you pay and ask which rooms look out to the hills. Then ask them to note the answer on your booking, so the front desk sees it when you arrive.

When the Mountain Views Are Clear

Chiang Mai has a cool season, a hot season and a rainy season. Each changes what you’ll see from the terrace.

• Go Between November and January: These months bring clear air and cool mornings, before the burning starts. Pack a fleece for sunrise at the viewpoints.
• Smoke Hides the View: From February to April, fires set to clear crop waste and forest fill the valleys with haze, and March is the worst month. Temperature inversions trap the smoke in the valleys until the rains clear it in May.
• June to October Rains: June to October brings the rains, and September is the wettest month. Mae Sa Waterfall runs full down all ten of its tiers from June.

Getting There From the Airport

There’s no regular bus up into the hills. Book the first ride before you land.

• Transfer Times: Mae Rim is 25 to 35 km north of Chiang Mai airport on Highway 107, and a taxi to the valley floor takes 30 to 45 minutes. Hotels further up take longer: Panviman Chiang Mai Spa Resort puts its own transfer at 50 minutes and a taxi at an hour to an hour and a half.
• Getting Back Down: App-based taxis drop you at hill resorts but rarely come back up to collect you. Some drivers turn down far-off pickups, so get the front desk to book your return before you head out.

Driving the Mae Rim Hill Roads

The roads that climb out of Mae Rim are paved but steep. Hire a car with good brakes if you’re driving yourself.

• Route 4051 to Mon Jam: Route 4051 climbs steeply for 6 km to Doi Mon Jam, then drops down 7 km of switchbacks to Pong Yaeng. Check the brakes before you set off, and expect the road to be busiest over New Year and Songkran.
• Samoeng Loop by Car: The full loop runs about 100 km over good asphalt and takes three hours without stops. Past the Seven Curves restaurant on the pass, it drops through steep switchbacks, so keep your speed down.

Day Trips From the Mae Rim Valley

The valley’s sights sit along the same few roads that climb out of Mae Rim. Pair them by road to cut the driving.

• Ten Tiers at Mae Sa: Mae Sa Waterfall drops through ten tiers inside Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, a few kilometres along Route 1096 from the Mae Rim junction. December to May brings lighter flow and drier paths.
• A Canopy Walk at the Botanic Garden: Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden has a steel canopy walkway about 400 m long, hanging 20 m above the forest floor. Glasshouses at the top of the hill hold rainforest and desert plants, and no public bus goes to the gate, so come by car.
• Sunrise on Mon Jam: The Nong Hoi Royal Project turned this Hmong ridge into flower gardens and a camping ground. Come early, while mist still fills the valley.
• Stop at 1,120 Metres: Samoeng Forest Viewpoint sits on the loop’s northern leg, the same stretch as Mae Sa Waterfall. Do both in one drive.

FAQs

1. Is Chiang Mai in the mountains?

Not quite: the city sits about 335 metres up, on the Ping River, in a valley ringed by mountains. Doi Suthep rises right outside it to almost 1,700 metres, and its temple stands above 1,000 metres on the slopes. Doi Inthanon, the country’s highest peak, is in Chom Thong district to the south-west. For mountain views from your room, sleep in the hills.

2. Is it better to stay in the mountains or in Chiang Mai city?

Split the trip if you have four nights or more. The Old City puts temples and night markets on your doorstep, while the hills give you cool nights and the view. Every trip into town from Mae Rim or Hang Dong means a drive, so a hill resort works best for two or three slow days. Sleep in the city for sightseeing and in the hills for the rest.

3. How far is Mon Jam from Chiang Mai?

Mon Jam is roughly 40 km north of the Old City, an hour’s drive in light traffic. The last stretch climbs a narrow road of hairpin bends from Mae Rim. No regular bus goes up, so take a car or a private songthaew from Mae Rim town. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to drive it in the cool season.

4. How cold does it get at night in the Chiang Mai mountains?

Cold enough for a jacket from November to February, when mountain nights drop to 15°C or lower. The hills around Mon Jam run about 5°C cooler than the city, so a mild evening in the Old City turns chilly up there. The Grand Terrace Suite at Onsen at Moncham has heaters as well as air conditioning. Bring long trousers and socks for the evenings.

5. Are there hot springs near Chiang Mai?

San Kamphaeng Hot Springs, in Mae On district, sits about 36 km from the city along Highway 1317. Its two springs shoot up to 20 metres and run above 100°C, hot enough to boil eggs, and visitors soak their feet in a mineral stream. In the Mae Rim hills, Onsen at Moncham fills its baths with mineral water from deep underground.

6. Is Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai worth the price?

For a splurge, yes. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai sits on 13 hectares beside two small lakes, and its Pool Villas run to 403 square metres with a 24 square metre private pool. Expect to pay several times the rate of a mid-range Mae Rim resort. It suits a two-night treat at the end of a trip.

7. Is it too cold to swim in Chiang Mai in December?

Afternoons reach about 30°C in the cool season, so a midday swim is fine, but mornings and evenings in the hills turn chilly. At Onsen at Moncham, the onsen pools run at 38 to 40°C, with a 16°C plunge tub between soaks. Swim after lunch and save the hot water for the evening.