Padeng Campsite, Chiangdao

Padeng campsite is a campsite nestled in flat fertile valley on the east side of Chiangdao city. The camp is great base camp for nature experience and outdoor excursions.

From this camp, ActiveThailand.com operates trekking expeditions, easy hike and hill-tribe discovery. Mountain-Biking tours leading to many hill tribe villages. The camp is perfect for family or school gathering for outdoor experience or studies.

Location

Chiangdao valley, 8km east of the Chiangdao town.

Accommodation

Basic Bamboo dormitory longhouse

The accommodation is mostly in tents for large groups (100 people+)

Tents are fitted with sleeping bags, and camping foam mats.

Meals at the camps

The meals are cooked by our Chiangmai cook. Usually buffet style.

Most meals are succulent Thai food accompanied with rice, but “western” meals can be provided.

All meals can be suit dietary requirements, with advance notice.

Other facilities at Padeng Camp:

Shop & Staff

The camp feature a small shop selling soft-drinks, chips and other goodies. Our camp care taker khun Mai and her husband will make sure your stay is the most enjoyable.

Other information

Electricity available. Internet connection via IP Star satellite dish (not always great). Satellite phone coverage: very low coverage by DTAC and AIS systems at the camp, but good coverage can be received just one kilometer away.

The Padeng Camp is located next to a friendly village (mix of ethnic people) and a large Palong hill-tribe village is 10 minutes walk away. A local school which can be visited is within 5 minutes walk and there is a lot of plantation and fields around where local people are working. Great pictures opportunities at any time. All theses places can be visited individually, either by foot or ideally by mountain-bike.

ACTIVITIES

Activities provided and organized from the Padeng Camp (subject to advance reservation and availability). Please send us an email inquiry regarding camp stay and activities.

Trekking; nature hikes; mountain-biking trips; cycling tours; hill-tribe villages visits; nature trails; elephant riding; bird-watching; Thai cooking; camping and youth camp activities.

Bird watching in the Chiangdao wildlife sanctuary, or on the foot hill of the Chiangdao mountain.

Our expert bird watching guides can take you in the best spots. The fist bird watching spot is located 25km from the camp so we can get there early morning.

Cave visits. The Chiangdao caves and Buddhist sanctuary is located on the east side of Chiangdao town, a mere 20km from our campsite. Small roads are scattering the valley and therefore makes the cave a fun destination for a cycling excursion.

The caves are featuring 3 chambers which can be visited or explored with local guides. The first chamber has light all the way so it can be visited on your own. The other chambers need a guide and the entire visit can take over one hour. Safe and fun for the entire family! Near the caves are a few excellent local restaurants which will be perfect for a meal or refreshment, if you are cycling on your own.

Elephant riding. The Chiangdao Elephant camp is located 35km from our camp and reachable within half hour. Therefore we can bring you to the camp for the early show, which is less visited. The Chiangdao Elephant camp provides jungle ride, bamboo rafting on peaceful Ping river and is located in a nice forest setting.

A local small elephant camp organized by the locals is located close to our camp, so we can arrange an elephant riding early morning for our customers. Away from the tourist crowd, experience an elephant riding with local Karen mahouts.

Mountain Biking. Our main activity as the area is simply fantastic for biking. The camp main focus is to aim to people who love to discover and bike on their own. The area surrounding the camp is perfect for that. Beautiful scenery, challenging trails, hill-tribe villages, and all of this very safe. We do not recommend going on a bike alone, and we have local staff on hands that will be happy to ride along. If you are experienced bikers and prefer to go on your own (should be two persons minimum for safety) then you are at the right place. We are riding kilometers of single trails in the surrounding plateau, as well as few challenging hills for those who want. We provide sturdy TREK 4500 and TREK 4300 model mountain-bike, well maintained by our Chiangmai ActiveThailand team.

Some of our package program feature the Padeng Camp for overnight. See our family Mountain-Biking Adventure in Chiangdao.

A typical suggested excursion from Padeng Camp:
Depart the camp at 08am with our vehicle and experienced tour guide. Drive to the Chiangdao Elephant camp. Visit the camp and attend the elephant show at 9am. You will be amazed observing the animals pushing and dragging logs, the way they used to do during the logging industry days. This is followed by a great and fun experience, sitting on the elephant’s back for a one hour tour through surrounding jungle. Sits 2 persons per elephant. After the ride, take the vehicle and drive 25 minutes to the Chiangdao caves for a succulent Thai lunch in our favorite local restaurant. Visit or explore (3 chambers) the caves and the adjacent Buddhist Temple.

Hike a one hour nature trail in the back area of the cave until you get met by the vehicle for a transfer to the local market. Explore the local market, eventually do your food shopping, and drive back to the camp for overnight. In the evening, few children from our neighbor village will come to interact, play and demonstrate hill-tribe dances over the camp fire.

Many pre-organized groups are visiting our exceptional place including US and Europe tour operators, as well as international school groups from the region. We can customize any programs to your need. The camp site feature two separate camping and longhouse accommodation area so we can arrange your group in privacy.

If you are a keen mountain-biker, Padeng Campsite is the main overnight camp of the French RAID THAI adventure race.

Boy scouts groups of Bangkok and New Caledonia have stayed at our campsite in 2005 and 2007.

Enjoy your stay at Padeng Campsite!

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