Rice Terrace Trail Chiang Rai • Chiang Mai Trail Running

Distance: 17.3 kilometers

Elevation: 850m

Difficulty: Easy / Medium

What to expect on this trail?

The Baan Likhai Rice Terrace Trail is a medium loop that combines breathtaking views with fun flowing single tracks through the forest. The trails are fairly easy but there is a decent amount of elevation gain to conquer. Definitely check out this trail running loop if you are in Chiang Rai, it is absolutely stunning, especially during the rainy season and cool season.

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Baan Likhai Rice Terrace Trail in detail

The route starts at a small parking space just before arriving at Baan Likhai and the Nang Lae Nai waterfall. From there you will start running along a local route along a small river and through Baan Likhai which is a nice local village. As you go along the road gets smaller and smaller until you will finally end up on a dirt road. Right away the atmosphere is very nice, and they only get better.

The double-track dirt road will turn into a single-track trail. At the time of running, they were “paving” parts of this trail with concrete. But even when paved it makes for some really nice running. The trail climbs steadily but very rewarding views are awaiting. Soon you will reach agricultural fields and come across the first set of rice field terraces. Keep going because more breathtaking views are waiting for you higher up. The highlight of the trail is a hillside covered in rice field terraces. This spot is within hiking distance from the village, and it looked like this spot may attract some tourists as there were some photo spots like a bench on the edge of a rice field terrace along the trail.

Just continue along the trail and follow it further up the mountain, into the forest. From here on you will have some more nice views, although they can’t compete with the rice field terraces. The trail remains fun and interesting though and makes for great running in remote, dense forest areas.

You will basically keep climbing until you cover all the elevation gain, and then start descending along a mountain ridge and loop back towards the starting point. The final kilometer is completely flat and very scenic as you pass rice fields and local villages. All in all, this is a fabulous trail loop and we highly recommend it. Do keep in mind that the rice field terraces are nicest from August until November/December though. You can expect the scenery to be a bit less interesting outside this period.

Tips for this trail

There are no toilets at the starting point, but not far along you can probably find some near the waterfall or in the village. There are also some small shops in the village in case you would want to stock up on water or snacks.
The route is fairly easy, but still it is only recommended for experienced runners. There is quite a bit of elevation to cover, and the furthest section of the loop is rather remote.
Do take a GPS device as there are a number of forks and trails heading off in different directions. Taking a wrong tour can really send you off deep into the woods.
For a post-run coffee or snack, Cafe’lista is a cool local coffee shop along the way that connects to the main road. It is a nice place to relax and enjoy some more rice field views as it is completely surrounded by them.

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