I love tuk-tuks. We take them all the time in Chiang Mai. The Pun Pun guesthouse has a deal with one particularly nice driver named Watchalee, who made our trip loads more pleasant. Riding in one may seem like a bad idea– it’s basically a motorcycle with a roof and a backseat– but once you’re on the street and see a family of four (plus a sack of rice) on the moped next to you, you figure, well, it’s not THAT dangerous.
Here are a few tips to make your tuk-tuk ride as pleasant as possible.
- Don’t take taxis in Chiang Mai. They rip you off even more than tuk-tuks. (In Bangkok, though, it’s the opposite.) Tuk-tuks are also more environmentally friendly, believe it or not: They use less gas.
- A normal ride ranges from 30-60. They’ll try to up the price if you’re obviously a foreigner, or even multiply it by the number of people getting on. Don’t let them.
- Negotiate the fare before getting in, or you may seriously piss off the driver.
- Don’t go lower than 30 baht beneath their first price (or below 50 baht total). If you do, expect a shitty ride with a lot of wrong turns.
- Renting one for the day can be useful, especially if you visit the jade, silk and umbrella factories about an hour away. It cost us about 500-700 baht for a 5-6 hour day with Watchalee. The price was jacked up (not by her) because we got back to the guesthouse late.
- They’re best on the highway, when you get minimal exhaust from the car in front, since they’re open-air vehicles.
- Prices skyrocket during Loi Krathong to about 100 baht. Deal with it.
- Expect to hunt for a tuk-tuk on Sundays, because it’s a rest day. Go to a well-populated area with lots of traffic.
- Don’t get off at places that aren’t your destination. Drivers may get a commission for those places, which is why they often pretend to be lost and confused.
- The younger the driver, the more likely they speak English. And if you flirt, you might just get a better discount.
