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Major city · Thailand

Thatonท่าตอน

Go for one night if you want a quiet Kok River village and a hilltop temple; skip if you need nightlife or easy transport — buses are few.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
THB
Best months
Nov–Feb
avoid Mar–Apr (smoke and heat), Aug–Sep (rain)
Airports
CNX · CEI
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
  • Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
  • Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
  • Thailand ↗Check entry rules and any arrival card on the official Thai government sites for your passport; visa-exempt stays and pre-arrival forms change.
  • Thailand ↗Do not criticise or mock the monarchy: insulting the royal family is a criminal offence.
  • Thailand ↗Temples and palaces: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before entering halls.
  • Thailand ↗E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal to import or use; do not pack them.

Thaton (Tha Ton) is a small riverside village in far northern Chiang Mai Province, 46 km northeast of Fang on Route 1089 between Fang and Mae Chan. It sits on the Kok River below Wat Thaton, a large hilltop monastery. It was busier when regular boats ran to Chiang Rai; now it is quiet, with a handful of guesthouses and almost no foreign visitors. Most travellers pass through on the Mae Salong–Fang–Chiang Rai loop, or stop one night for the temple and the river.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Thaton, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or fruit shake฿40–80 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup or rice plate฿50–120 (≈ US$2–4)
  • Beerbottle at a restaurant / can at 7-Eleven฿70–120 (≈ US$3–4)฿35–60 (≈ US$2)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week฿200–400 (≈ US$7–13)
  • Budget bedFan room, private bathroom, a night, per room฿300 (≈ US$10)
  • Mid-range bedFan room, private bathroom, a night, per room฿450 (≈ US$14)
  • High-end bedFan room, private bathroom, a night, per room฿700 (≈ US$25)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ฿700 (≈ US$25) · Mid ฿1,400 (≈ US$45) · High ฿2,600 (≈ US$80)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Wat Thaton hilltop monasteryKok River boat tripsGateway to hill villages and Doi Ang KhangQuiet riverside guesthouses
Airports
CNX Chiang Mai International (About 214 km by road, roughly 4 h by bus or car) · CEI Chiang Rai International (About 108 km by road; the usual arrival if you are looping the far north)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Thaton: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

29°C

14°C

1 rd

Feb

32°C

15°C

1 rd

Mar

35°C

18°C

2 rd

Apr

36°C

21°C

6 rd

May

34°C

23°C

14 rd

Jun

32°C

23°C

17 rd

Jul

31°C

23°C

19 rd

Aug

31°C

23°C

21 rd

Sep

31°C

22°C

17 rd

Oct

31°C

21°C

11 rd

Nov

30°C

18°C

4 rd

Dec

28°C

14°C

1 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The village is small enough to walk; a bicycle covers the temple and the riverside. Songthaews can be hired for trips out of the village. There is no local bus network.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Doi Ang Khang

overnight

Door to door: 1.5–2 h each way

Songthaew or rented car via Route 1089 (≈ US$35) and the mountain road

Mountain resort and gardens on the Myanmar border; cold at night in Dec–Jan.

Mae Salong (Doi Mae Salong)

go

Door to door: About 2 h

Songthaew or car via Mae Chan; no public songthaew from Thaton as of 2026

Tea hills and a former Kuomintang village; worth a night rather than a return trip.

Fang

go

Door to door: About 45 min

Yellow songthaew from the north side of Fang Kalaya Market, or the reverse

Market town with the nearest hospital and larger shops.

Chiang Rai

go

Door to door: 2 h by bus; 3–4 h by boat

Bus from the station near the bridge, or a private longtail boat on the Kok River

The boat is the scenic option; agree the price first.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Riverside, north of the bridge

Guesthouses and bungalows along the Kok River; quiet, 5–15 min walk to the market and bus stop.

Town centre near the bridge

Closest to the 7-Eleven, morning market and bus stop; best if you arrive late or leave early.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
฿600–1,000 (≈ US$19–35) excl. bed
Mid
฿1,000–1,800 (≈ US$35–60) excl. bed
High
฿1,800 (≈ US$60)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Riverside bungalow1 × 1 night × ฿900฿900
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ฿1,400฿2,800
Songthaew Fang → Thaton, one way2 × ฿35 · check฿70
Bus Chiang Mai → Thaton, one way2 × ฿150 · check฿300
Private longtail boat, Thaton → Chiang Rai1 × ฿2,800 · check; quoted for 4 people in Nov 2025฿2,800
Motorbike rental, one day2 × ฿300 · check฿600
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ฿250฿500
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge฿797
Trip total≈ ฿4,384 per person per day, bed included฿8,767≈ US$300

2026 estimate in baht; flights and long-distance buses excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or fruit shake฿40–80 (≈ US$2–3)
Noodle soup or rice plate฿50–120 (≈ US$2–4)
River fish dish at a riverside restaurant฿150–350 (≈ US$5–11)
Beer: bottle at a restaurant / can at 7-Eleven฿70–120 (≈ US$3–4) / ฿35–60 (≈ US$2)
Songthaew within the village฿20–60 (≈ US$1–2) (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week฿200–400 (≈ US$7–13)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Low crime; the real risks are stray dogs, few buses and smoke in Mar–Apr. A tourist police station sits near the bridge, and Mae Ai Hospital is 9 km south.
  • Stray dogs, especially if you are on a bicycle: avoid eye contact and move away slowly; a bite means a rabies shot at Mae Ai Hospital, 9 km south.
  • Buses to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai run only a few times a day; check times at the bus station near the bridge the day before.
  • Boat trips to Chiang Rai are private charters with no fixed schedule: agree the price and the departure point before you pay.
  • Smoke from March–April field burning can cut visibility and air quality in the far north.

Emergency numbers

Police
191
Ambulance and rescue
1669
Tourist police
1155

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Thatonท่าตอน

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police191
  • Ambulance and rescue1669
  • Tourist police1155

Embassy

No embassies in Thaton; the nearest consulates are in Chiang Mai, embassies in Bangkok.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Songthaew Fang → Thaton: about ฿35 (≈ US$2), 45 min (check)
  • Bus Chiang Mai (Chang Phuak) → Thaton: about ฿150 (≈ US$5), 3–4 h (check)
  • Private longtail boat Thaton → Chiang Rai: ฿1,700–2,800 (≈ US$55–90) per boat, 3 h downstream (check)

Say or show

  • สวัสดี — Hello (sawatdee)
  • ขอบคุณ — Thank you (khop khun)
  • เท่าไหร่ — How much is it? (thao rai)
  • แพงไป — Too expensive (phaeng pai)
  • สถานีรถอยู่ไหน — Where is the bus station? (sathani rot yu nai)
  • ไม่กินเผ็ด — I don't eat spicy food (mai kin phet)

Tourist police station near the bridge; Mae Ai Hospital is 9 km south for emergencies.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Thaton. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Feb · avoid Mar–Apr (smoke and heat), Aug–Sep (rain) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for CNX and CEI: last bus times field-checked, songthaew fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: the bridge and market, the riverside guesthouses, Wat Thaton levels 1–9.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Wat Thaton, Malika Hot Springs, the boat pier) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Smoke-season and hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Thailand

Sources