The Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai
13/09/2018
The Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai, is a hidden gem just outside of the city. How this place isn’t on everyone’s radar, I have no idea. It was one of my favorite things we did while in Chiang Mai!
Otherwise known as Hang Dong Quarry, The (other) Grand Canyon is about a 30 minute drive from the city. It’s a beautiful, off the beaten track, chilled out place to spend a few hours escaping the city heat. You can swim, sunbathe, paddle board, relax in a tube, cliff jump, or even zip line!
This man made Grand Canyon has been carved out of red clay. The land was quarried to use the raw materials to extend the runway of the Chiang Mai Airport. When the rainy season came, the monsoon rains filled the Quarry. For years, locals would come to the quarry for a swim, until someone seized the opportunity, and turned it into a water park, and started charging entrance.
Now, there are two waterparks, side by side, so choose which one you would like to visit. We chose to visit the smaller, more relaxed side, named Gamnaboon. There is a bigger park next door, The Grand Canyon Waterpark, which has slides and an inflatable park, and is more expensive. Also, more kids and families, so it depends what you are looking for.
At Gamnaboon, we paid 100baht per person entry fee, which included life jackets (they said were mandatory, but no one wore them and no one enforced this), tubes, and stand up paddle boards.
Grand Canyon Water Park, charges 450baht, with the zipline included (from what I’ve read in recent online reviews.)
How to get there:
Rent a scooter: It’s about a 30 minute drive out of the city, so we decided to rent a scooter. We rented ours from our hotel for 200baht per day. If your hotel/hostel doesn’t offer scooter rentals, just walk down the street and you’re sure to find one.
Tuk Tuk: You can hire a tuk tuk, but they won’t be waiting outside of the waterpark, so you’ll have to set a time for the driver to come back and pick you up.
Take a GRAB Car: If you haven’t downloaded the GrabCar app yet, I highly recommend you do. You use the app to book the car, it’ll tell you the (fair) price right on your phone, so no negotiating, and no getting ripped off by taxi drivers. It’s our favorite way to get around if we don’t have a bike!
Sign up using this link and get 100baht off your first ride!
Accidents happen, make sure you are covered for all of your adventures!
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Costs and Facilities:
Open: 9am- 6pm each day
Entry: 100baht per person
Includes: lifejackets, tubes, stand up paddle boards
Lockers: 30baht for rental and 100baht deposit (get this back when you return the key)
Bathrooms & Showers available
Parking: Free, just across the road from entrance
Zipline: 300baht extra
Food and Drinks available
Cliff Jumping
Tip: Check the back of your tickets! It was only about a week later when I was throwing them in the garbage I noticed on the back it had a little discount offered for food/drinks.
The restaurant here is actually quite good, and reasonably priced! I had the Papaya Salad, Ben had the fried chicken, and we shared a mango sticky rice (my FAVORITE Thai dish.) All three dishes were tasty!
There are 2 bars available as well. One near the entrance with a seating area and one farther down near the water entry point. The one near the entrance is cheaper! I ordered a large Chang from the further bar, and it was 100baht. Later on I noticed the sign at the entrance bar, 80 baht.
All in all, it was a pretty awesome day, and something I would highly recommend doing if you are in Chiang Mai.
What do you think, worth checking out while you are in Chiang Mai?
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Where to stay in Chiang Mai
Our choice: 24 Guest House
We were in Chiang Mai 3 different times, and had a great stay here each time! Great value for the price, in a nice location, water refills for guests, laundry facilities available, and bike rentals. Great choice for couples!
Have you been to the ‘Other Grand Canyon’? Let me know about your experience in the comments!