Taton City in Chiang Mai Province - how to get there, what to see, where to stay

General information about Taton and why you have to come here

Thaton (Thaton, Thaton, Tha Ton) is a village or small town almost in the far north of Thailand in Chiang Mai province, just three kilometers from the border with Myanmar (Burma). It is located approximately in the middle of the way from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai along the northern border road No. 107 (Taton on the map of Chiang Mai province). This is not the main road that connects the provincial capitals, and therefore if you just need to get from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai or back by the shortest road, then you do not pass through Taton.

Taton is known among tourists for trekking excursions to tribal villages, as well as boat cruises to Chiang Rai. Here you can stay in one of the hotels or guest houses, most of which are located on the banks of the Kok River, which originates in Myanmar. The cost of accommodation in Tatona is not high, especially in the low season from May to October. You can find modest but good accommodation with air conditioning for 600 baht per room for two, and without air conditioning you can stay almost twice as cheap.

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The atmosphere in Tatona is very calm, lovers of peace and quiet relaxation in rustic conditions will like it here. There is no entertainment here, and only one of the significant attractions stands out - the Wat Tha Ton temple. The border with Burma (Myanmar) is only four kilometers from here, although there is no border crossing here, and the border of the states runs through the jungle and crosses the river.

Wat Tha Ton Temple is a huge monastery surrounding the village. Its scale will impress you: the temple is located on nine levels of hills and covers an area of 0.65 square kilometers. Each level is interesting in itself, and the topmost level offers a wonderful view of the surroundings. Don't miss this attraction, read more we have told about the Taton Temple here.

There is a tourist police office here, where it is recommended to register before going to distant villages or going on a river cruise.

The entire infrastructure of the city is concentrated along the main street or highway No. 107. There is a 7-eleven supermarket, several ATMs, a market. There will be no problems with eating here, as well as even in the most remote place in Thailand. There are several inexpensive cafes and street food stalls here, but these are not tourist establishments, but places for locals, so do not expect them to have a nice clean environment and a menu in English. But eating in them is generally safe and very cheap, dishes cost from 40 baht. The problem will only be explained when ordering, since English is poorly understood here. Please note that after 8 pm everything closes here, so try to have dinner earlier.

Excursions from Taton

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Taton was a popular and partly even developed tourist destination, it offered hiking tours to the surrounding villages of mountain tribes, including long-necked villages. At the end of 2023, we visited several of these villages marked on old tourist maps and found nothing there but ordinary Thai villages.

Also, river cruises along the Kok River used to depart from Taton with overnight stays on the river in guest houses or tents, and this, in principle, was the main reason to visit this town for tourists. A two-day cruise down the Kok River towards Chiang Rai cost an average of 1300 baht, a three-day cruise from 1600 baht. But now, again, there are no cruises. We even tried to find and arrange an individual tour, but nothing was possible. All they could offer us was to hire a private boat in order to sail to Chiang Rai without stopping.

How to get to Taton

You can get to Taton by bus or rented transport. There are almost no long-distance buses here, mostly there are flights from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

From Chiang Mai to Taton, buses depart not from the main Arcade Bus Station, but from Chang Phuak bus and minivan bus stations. They run from about 5 am to 5 pm every hour, but the schedule may change, you will have to check it on the spot at bus stations. The journey takes 4 hours, costs from 100 baht. Buses run 2-3 hours from Chiang Rai, but run less often.

The only long-distance bus route goes to Thaton from Bangkok. These are Somba Tour and Budsarakham Tour buses. Depart from Bangkok in the evening around 19 o'clock, arrive in the morning. The cost starts from 800 baht. You can check the schedule and book tickets online at 12go.asia

Songthaew-type minibuses from Fang and Mae Salong also go to Taton several times a day, the cost is about 50 baht.

And finally, the most interesting way to get to Taton is by boat from Chiang Rai along the Kok River. However, now (at the beginning of 2026) scheduled boats are suspended, you can only rent a private boat from 2500 baht. But perhaps in the future the routes of scheduled boats will be restored.

Transport in Taton and what to use to get around

Taton is a very small town, rather even a village, and transport is not needed to move around it. The nearest main attraction, the Taton Temple, is easily accessible on foot. There's nowhere else to go.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a motorcycle and bicycle rental in Tatona, but now there is none of this. You may be able to arrange a rental of transport for trips around the neighborhood with one of the locals or with the hotel staff, but it is better for reliability to come here already on transport rented in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. There you can rent a motorcycle machine from 250 baht or a car from 1000 baht per day.