view of Huang Tung Tao from our beach hut
It was a meltingly hot day, and there was no way that we were ever going to entertain thoughts -no matter how fleeting- of doing anything that required any sort of exertion. Just stepping out of the cool oasis of our hotel seemed daunting.
Water…water…water… Like a siren’s song it called to us- our bodies were parched from days of traveling under the Thai sun: we needed to find a spot where we could refresh. We needed to float, bob, bubble, splash. The problem was, we weren’t scheduled to make our way south to the beaches and vast expanse of ocean for another few days. Oh, what to do when you are in Chiang Mai and in desperate need of a relaxing day on the water? Why, you hop on your motorbike and head straight for Huang Tung Tao – a lake about 20 minutes outside of town. The wind in our hair offered some relief as we cruised as fast as our bike would take us toward the water…water…water…
I felt better already.
We passed through the entrance gate, and moments later a large lake appeared with a strip of sandy beach, little outcroppings of thatched roof huts dotting the shore- each associated with a small restaurant and designated with a number.
A spot just up around the bend seemed to call to us. We parked, and in a bit of a trance made a bee line over to a hut that sat steps away from the water’s edge. We practically had the lake to ourselves. It seemed to good to be true! A menu appeared, and we ordered a few dishes. Within a matter of minutes we were enjoying a green papaya salad, pad ka-prao (pork with holy basil), and fried shrimp. But the star of the show was a whole fish steamed with lime, and topped with a salad of cilantro sprigs and julienned carrots. It was light and flavourful- a lovely meal for such a hot day.
A breeze blew through our little hut. The thatched roof rustled. Children laughed in the distance, and the sound of splashing water filled our ears. It was the perfect soundtrack.
(Eat. Nap. Swim. Repeat.)
How to get to Huang Tung Tao: (total distance from NW corner of Old Town is 11 km)
Exit Chiang Mai at the north west corner of Old Town via Route 1004 – drive about 2.2 km
Turn right at the 2nd major intersection onto Route 121
You will begin to see blue signs for ‘Huang Tung Tao’ on the left hand side of the road
Drive about 6.75 km on Route 121 – take a left and drive approximately 2 km until you reach the checkpoint entrance to the lake
Entrance fee is 20 baht
Open from late morning until 6p
Such beautiful pictures!!! I love reading each blog and hearing you tell the story
Thank you!! xox
Lara, I feel you on not wanting to move lately. It’s been so hot here in Korea but I’m Huang Tung Tao has it beat! We recently made a weekend of going to a river valley here in search of fresh water over beaches, as those found in SE Asia are way better in my opinion. Good to see that there are also some awesome lakes to be found.
That meal looks pretty awesome too, btw. Love that shot of the fish. He looks delicious and scary at the same time, haha. I’m loving these posts about Northern Thailand and can’t wait to read your next one.
Take Care Lara.
Hi Duke Stewart!…Yeah, it is so hot and humid here in Korea, I can barely function! We are headed to a river valley this weekend in search of some relief- where did you guys find your fresh water? (The other day I even wished for this part of summer to be over. Yikes!)
At fist the fish face freaked me out- I think it was all of his little teeth…ha ha! He was definitely delicious, and if you end up at Huang Tung Tao during your travels, I highly recommend trying the food (I think there are like 9 little restaurants surrounding the lake- I was in such a daze that day I lost count)