The town of Chiang Dao, 56km (35 miles) north of Chiang Mai, and its environs offer several small resort hotels and a few fun activities, but if you don't have a car, the easiest way to sightsee is by joining a day trip organized by Chiang Mai operators, which costs about 1,000B ($23) per person (half-day trips are also offered). The Young Elephants Training Camp in Chiang Dao is rather touristy and not as good as that in Lampang (see above in this section), but it's still a nice treat for kids. The adventure begins as you cross a rope bridge and walk through a forest to the camp. After the elephants bathe in the river (showering themselves and their mahouts) they demonstrate log hauling and log rolling. After the show, you can climb into a howdah and take a safari across the Ping River and through the forest to a Lisu village.
Sixteen kilometers (10 miles) north of the Young Elephants Training Camp is the Chiang Dao Cave (Wat Tham Chiang Dao), one of the area's more fascinating sites. Two caverns are illuminated by electric lights, and you can see a number of Buddha statues, including a 4m (13-ft.) -long reclining one. The row of five seated Buddhas in the first cavern is particularly impressive. The cave and two connected caverns extend over 10km (6 miles) into the mountain, but you'll have to hire a local guide with a lantern to explore the unlighted areas. It's open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm. It can be included with any itinerary that brings you to the elephant camp, but you may have to request it specifically.
