What's included in Chiang Mai day-tour prices?
Updated · Idea Smile Tour, Chiang Mai
Two Chiang Mai tours can look alike and still cover different things. One price includes lunch and the park fee; another is transport and a ticket. This guide goes through what the prices on this site include, where hotel pickup has conditions, which add-ons cost extra and how child prices work. It is based on the tours we list, as shown on each tour page.
Short answer
Our tour prices are per person in Thai baht. The price covers the entrance and activity fees in that tour's itinerary, so there is nothing extra to pay for them on the day. Optional add-ons are the exception: you pay for one only if you choose it, at the price shown before you book. Hotel pickup, meals, a guide and insurance differ from tour to tour, and each tour page lists them.
What the price normally covers
Every price on this site is a starting price per person. Depending on the tour, it can cover the items below. No tour includes all of them, so read the list on the tour you want.
- Transport: hotel pickup and drop-off, or a round-trip transfer
- An English-speaking guide
- Entrance, national park and activity fees in the itinerary
- Lunch, dinner, a meal box or food tastings
- Drinking water
- Travel insurance, or first-aid insurance on some adventure activities
- Activity equipment, such as helmets and harnesses
What each type of tour includes
The table counts what each tour page lists under "Included", as of 12 November 2026. "Listed" means the page names the item. A tour that doesn't list a guide or insurance may still have one, so ask us if it matters to you.
| Type of tour | Transport | Lunch or a meal | Guide listed | Insurance listed | Optional add-on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doi Inthanon (7 tours) | All 7 | Lunch on 6; the overnight trip has breakfast | 6 of 7 | 5 of 7 | Nature trail walk on the overnight trip, +฿200 |
| Chiang Rai (2 tours) | Both | Lunch on both | Both | Both | Long-neck village visit on one tour, +฿300 |
| City and temples (6 tours) | All 6 | 2 of 6: lunch on the full-day city tour, tastings on the food walk | All 6 | All 6 | None |
| Evening shows (3 tours) | All 3 | Dinner at the Khantok show only | Not listed | Not listed | None |
| Elephant visits (18 tours) | All 18; three have a 5 km free-pickup limit | 15 of 18 | 12 of 18 | 11 of 18 | None |
| Adventure and cooking (11 tours) | All 11; some from Chiang Mai city only | 9 of 11 | 4 of 11 | 7 of 11 | None |
| Lantern festivals (2 tours) | From a meeting point, no hotel pickup | Both | Not listed | 1 of 2 | None |
Hotel pickup: where it is free and where it is not
Most tours include hotel pickup in Chiang Mai. These are the exceptions:
- Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (half day, full day and overnight): pickup is free only within 5 km of the Old City. Further out there is a surcharge, shown on the tour page.
- Lantern festival tours: no hotel pickup. You go to a meeting point and the tour's transport runs from there.
- 8Adventures ATV, rafting and trekking: transport from Chiang Mai city only.
- Kingkong Smile Zipline, Doi Inthanon ATV and elephant sanctuary with ATV: pickup in Chiang Mai city or town.
Entrance and national park fees
Entrance and activity fees in the itinerary are part of the price. On the Doi Inthanon day trips, for example the Doi Inthanon National Park tour (from ฿1,400 (≈ US$42)), the Kew Mae Pan trail and the Pha Dok Siew trail, the national park fee is included. Both Chiang Rai day trips include all entrance fees, and the elephant tours include the sanctuary visit.
Meals
Most full-day tours include lunch. Two tours say plainly that food is not included, and several short tours list no meal:
- Giant rain tree and Sticky Waterfall: food is not included.
- Half-day elephant care and bamboo rafting: lunch is not included, and you are back by noon.
- No meal listed on the evening trips to Doi Suthep and Doi Pui at sunset, the Night Safari, the cabaret show, the sunrise alms trip, the Doi Suthep and Hmong village tour and the long-neck village and elephant half day.
Optional add-ons: you pay only if you choose them
Two tours have an optional extra with its own price. Neither is a required charge.
- Chiang Rai: 3 temples (from ฿1,300 (≈ US$39)): a long-neck village visit for ฿300 more.
- Doi Inthanon overnight at Nok Chan Mee Na: a nature trail walk for ฿200 more.
Child prices and age limits
Child prices and age rules are set per tour. These are the rules stated on the tour pages. If a tour isn't listed here, its page states no child rule, so tell us the children's ages and we'll check with the operator.
- Bamboo elephant tours (half-day care, trek and rafting, Sticky Waterfall): children 4–10 pay half price, children 1–3 go free.
- Big Boy elephant tours (half day, with waterfall): children 4–8 pay the child price.
- Elephant Jungle Sanctuary half day and full day: children 4–10 pay the child price, under 3 go free. On the full day, the Walk with Elephants option has a minimum age of 7.
- Elephant Jungle Sanctuary overnight: minimum age 7, and children 7–10 pay the child price.
- Kingkong Smile Zipline: ages 10–65, in good health.
- Zipline with 39 platforms and ATV: children under 4 are not allowed on the zipline, and ATV Extreme riders must be at least 15.
- Mae Taeng whitewater rafting: set child prices for each package, listed on the tour page.
How to check a tour before you pay
Five things to read on the tour page:
- The price per person, and which package it is for
- Pickup: from your hotel, within a set area, or from a meeting point
- The "Included" list: transport, fees, meals, guide, insurance, equipment
- Anything marked not included, any pickup surcharge and any optional add-on
- Child prices or a minimum age, if the tour has them
Frequently asked questions
Are entrance fees included in Chiang Mai tour prices?
On our tours, yes: the entrance, national park and activity fees in the itinerary are part of the price. Optional add-ons are separate and priced before you book.
Does every tour include hotel pickup?
No. Most do, but the three Elephant Jungle Sanctuary tours pick up free only within 5 km of the Old City, and the lantern festival tours start from a meeting point. Each tour page shows the pickup details.
Is lunch included?
On most full-day tours, yes. Two tours state that food or lunch is not included, and several evening and early-morning trips list no meal. Check the "Included" list on the tour page.
Will I have to pay anything extra on the day?
Not for the entrance and activity fees in the itinerary. You pay extra only for an optional add-on you choose (a ฿300 long-neck village visit on one Chiang Rai tour, a ฿200 nature trail on the Doi Inthanon overnight trip) and for an Elephant Jungle Sanctuary pickup beyond 5 km.
Are child prices the same on every tour?
No. Some tours have a child price or a minimum age and others state none. Tell us the children's ages when you book and we'll confirm the price.
