The What’s Up Guide to the Best Bamboo Rafting Experience in Chiang Mai

Bamboo rafting along one of the rivers in the hills around Chiang Mai is an adventure countless visitors have enjoyed over the past few decades. Bamboo rafting was incorporated into the adventure treks pioneer tour companies set up in the 1970s. The same treks and bamboo rafting in the Mae Taeng area are still available, but there also lots more choices for people to embark on this unique Northern Thailand voyage. 

The rafts are just bamboo poles lashed securely together. The buoyancy of the bamboo ensures the crafts float easily. A guide is usually on board to pole and steer the rafts through sections of river where the current is slow. Most of the rivers are shallow and lifebelts are not usually mandatory, but they are available for those who wish to put them on.

Tour agencies in Chiang Mai offer bamboo rafting along the Mae Wang River in Mae Win and in the region between Mae Taeng and Chiang Dao. The bulk combine bamboo rafting with adventure tours which typically feature trekking or elephant riding. Most are more than happy to arrange rafting only tours if needed.

Trekkers have the choice of joining group tours or asking trek operators for tailor-made ones. There are scores of trekking agencies in the central areas of Chiang Mai. Many hotels and guesthouses have their own sightseeing and trekking tour desks too. The What’s Up recommended agencies for the best bamboo rafting tours in Chiang Mai are shown below.