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Guide · Baan Dam Museum
Black House in Chiang Rai: inside Baan Dam Museum
The Black House in Chiang Rai is the dark counterpart to the White Temple: a village of black wooden houses filled with horns, skins and carved wood by the artist Thawan Duchanee.
Check availabilityfrom $41 · cancellation is free
Editorial team, chiang-rai-tour.comUpdated October 27, 20266 minutes to read19 sources
Quick answer, in black
- 01What it is
- Thawan Duchanee's home and studio until 2014, now a museum.1
- 02What you see
- Lanna houses painted black, with horns, antlers, skins and carved wood.2
- 03Opening hours
- 09.00 to 17.00, at 333 Moo 13, Nang Lae.2
- 04Time on tours
- Between 40 minutes and an hour.
- 05Not a temple
- It is a museum, despite the nickname Black Temple.
The artist behind the Black House
Baan Dam is the life's work of Thawan Duchanee, a contemporary artist of international repute who was born in Chiang Rai in 1939, according to the Thailand Foundation.3 He built the Black House in Nang Lae District of his home province, lived and worked there for the rest of his life, and created much of his art there until his death in 2014.1
Thawan's art turned towards power, death and the darker side of human nature. Where the White Temple across the city reaches for purity, Baan Dam looks straight at mortality. Seeing both on the same day is the best way to understand how differently two Chiang Rai artists answered the same questions.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand names the Baan Dam museum alongside the White and Blue Temples as the attractions that define Chiang Rai.4 In 2014 a TAT newsroom list of Thailand's top 10 museums, built from traveller reviews, included the Black House, together with the Hall of Opium Museum in Chiang Saen.5
A loop of the grounds
One way through Baan Dam
-
Arrival
The gate and garden
Baan Dam opens at 09.00; arrive early for quiet paths.2
-
First
The great hall
The biggest black house, with long tables and horns on the walls.2
-
Next
The smaller houses
Rooms of skins, antlers and carved wood from the artist's collection.2
-
Pause
The garden
Shady paths between the houses where the artist lived until 2014.1
-
Leave
Before closing
The museum closes at 17.00, so leave time for the garden.2
What you will find inside the houses
Airports of Thailand describes Baan Dam as a group of Lanna houses, every one painted black, which is where the museum's name comes from.2 They are scattered across a shady garden, some huge and steep-roofed, some small and low, so the visit feels like walking through a strange village rather than a gallery. Paths of gravel and old timber lead between them, and you rarely see the next house until you turn a corner, which adds to the slightly eerie mood.
Inside, the houses are decorated with buffalo horns, antlers, animal skins and carved wood from Thawan Duchanee's collection.2 Long tables, giant carved chairs and horns line the dark halls. It is theatrical and, for some, unsettling, so prepare children for what they will see and step outside if it becomes too much.
Look beyond the shock. The carving on the gables and doors is superb Lanna craft, and the scale of the main hall, with light falling through its tall doorway, is genuinely moving. Several smaller buildings hold quieter rooms and sculptures, and the garden between them is a cool place to sit for a while.
Minutes at Baan Dam
How long Chiang Rai tours stay at the Black House
minutes
Tours with Baan Dam
Black House tours compared
| Tour | Starts in | From | At Baan Dam | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mekong view buffet day | Chiang Rai | $41 | 50 min | 812 |
| Highlights & lunch buffet | Chiang Rai | $41 | 40 min | 1,730 |
| All tickets, 7 sites | Chiang Rai | $68 | 45 min | 581 |
| Temples & Golden Triangle | Chiang Mai | $75 | Not stated | 1,801 |
| Private highlights | Chiang Mai | $75 | Not stated | 80 |
From-prices, reviews and time at Baan Dam as each listing gives them; prices change, so the booking page is binding.
Pick a tour
Three days that stop at the Black House
Recommended
Free lunch buffet
Longest dayDecision helper
How to fit Baan Dam into your trip
Find your situation, then the answer.
Mekong view buffet day
50 minutes at Baan Dam, the temples and the Golden Triangle.
Seven-highlights day
That Chiang Rai listing gives Baan Dam 1 hour.
The Golden Triangle day
The standard temple days skip Baan Dam; this longer one includes it.
Taxi from the city
It is open from 09.00 to 17.00 at its site in Nang Lae.2
Prepare them first
The houses hold horns, antlers and animal skins.2
He also built “Baan Dam” (บ้านดำ), the Black House, in his home province’s Nang Lae District. This architectural masterpiece became his home for the rest of his life and was where he created many fantastic art pieces until his death in 2014.
Why people call it the Black Temple in Chiang Rai
Search for the Black Temple in Chiang Rai and you will land here, but Baan Dam is not a temple. It is a museum and the former home of an artist, built in the style of Lanna temple halls. There are no monks and no services, and the buildings were created as art rather than as places of worship.
The nickname comes from the contrast with the White Temple. Tour sellers pair the two, and their dark and bright styles make an easy story. Use the nickname to find it, but treat it as an art museum: you can relax a little, though the usual courtesy still applies. Speak quietly in the halls, keep children from climbing on the carved furniture, and ask before you photograph staff or other visitors.
That said, dress comfortably and modestly, as you will usually visit it on the same day as working temples. TAT asks for sleeves and clothing that covers the knees at temples, so dressing that way from the morning saves you changing between stops.6
Map
From Chiang Mai to the temples of Chiang Rai and the Mekong
The road north from Chiang Mai with its stops, then the temples around Chiang Rai and the border country up to the Golden Triangle.
1Chiang Mai2Mae Kachan Hot Spring3Mae Suai4White Temple5Chiang Rai10Golden Triangle
4White Temple5Chiang Rai6Blue Temple7Wat Huay Pla Kang8Baan Dam9Doi Tung11Mae Sai10Golden Triangle12Chiang Saen
- 1Chiang Mai
Start of the site tour: meeting points at Burger King Thapae or McDonald's Night Bazaar for the English tour, with pickup on some options.
In Google Maps ↗ - 2Mae Kachan Hot Spring
The first stop of the site tour, 1.5 hours by bus from Chiang Mai; visitors soak their feet and boil eggs in separate wells.7
In Google Maps ↗ - 3Mae Suai
Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan, a 30-minute stop on the private trip, lies in Mae Suai.
In Google Maps ↗ - 4White Temple
Wat Rong Khun, 15 km from Chiang Rai city centre on Highway 1.8
In Google Maps ↗ - 5Chiang Rai
The provincial capital, with the Saturday walking street on Thanalai Road and the Night Bazaar on Prasopsuk Road.910
In Google Maps ↗ - 6Blue Temple
Wat Rong Suea Ten, at 306 Moo 2, Mae Kok Road in Rim Kok.11
In Google Maps ↗ - 7Wat Huay Pla Kang
The Guan Yin statue of 69 meters and the 9-story chedi.1213
In Google Maps ↗ - 8Baan Dam
Thawan Duchanee's Black House in Nang Lae, open 09.00 to 17.00.2
In Google Maps ↗ - 9Doi Tung
The Royal Villa at 1,630 metres and the Tree Top Walk in Mae Fah Luang Garden.1415
In Google Maps ↗ - 10Golden Triangle
More than 70 km from Chiang Rai city, where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.1617
In Google Maps ↗ - 11Mae Sai
On TAT's Golden Triangle route from Chiang Rai to Sop Ruak.18
In Google Maps ↗ - 12Chiang Saen
The district of the Golden Triangle; the green public bus runs here from Chiang Rai.16
In Google Maps ↗
Checklist
Before you visit the Black House
01
Timing
- Note the closing time before you set out
- Early morning for quiet paths
- Check hours around holidays
02
Bring
- Small notes for the entrance
- Insect repellent for the garden
- Shoes you can slip off
03
Be ready
- Prepare children for the animal remains
- No flash in the dim rooms
- Start with the great hall
Price check
A Black House day for your group
Pick a Black House day and type the size of your party.
People
Total from$81
per guest from $41
Check availabilityfree cancellationWe multiply each tour's starting price by the number of travellers you enter and convert it at the European Central Bank reference rate; the booking page shows the exact total.
Video
A walk through Baan Dam, the Black House museum
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Opening hours, address and getting there
Baan Dam is at 333 Moo 13, Nang Lae Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chiang Rai, and Airports of Thailand gives its opening hours as 09.00 to 17.00.2 Hours can change around holidays and events, so check before you set out, especially if you plan an end-of-day visit.
It lies north of the city, on the way towards Mae Sai and the Golden Triangle. That makes it an easy stop on any trip north, and the Chiang Rai day tours compared here visit it between the temples and the border. If you go on your own, a taxi or ride-hailing car from the city is the simplest option.
For the entrance fee, one Chiang Rai day tour asks you to bring cash for optional fees and gives the Black House as 80 THB. Fees can change, so treat that as a guide and have small notes ready at the gate. On a tour, ask whether the entrance is paid before you arrive, because the all-tickets day covers its fees while other days may leave them to you.
Tours that include Baan Dam, and how long they stay
The day sold on this page starts in Chiang Rai, runs 10 hours, is limited to 9 people and has 812 reviews averaging 4.89, from $41. It spends 50 minutes at Baan Dam Museum, after the White and Blue Temples and before a lunch with a view of the Mekong.
Other Chiang Rai days give it similar time. The highlights day with a free lunch buffet spends 40 minutes there, the all-tickets day 45 minutes, and another seven-highlights day 1 hour. All of them continue to Choui Fong Tea Farm and the Golden Triangle, and all list a Long Neck Karen village, which the seven-highlights day sells as an optional extra.
From Chiang Mai the standard temple days skip Baan Dam, but the longer small-group day that reaches the Golden Triangle includes it, from $75. A private highlights day from Chiang Mai also lists it, from $75.
How to see it well
An hour is enough for the main hall and a loop of the garden. The 40 or 50 minutes that tours allow feels brisk but works if you head straight to the big hall and then wander. Start at the main hall, where the scale is greatest, then follow the paths to the smaller houses in whatever order is quietest.
Bring insect repellent, as the garden is shady and green, and wear shoes you can slip off, ready to take them off wherever you are asked. The rooms are dim, so give your eyes a moment before you take photos, and switch off the flash out of respect for the materials and other visitors.
If the subject matter troubles you, you are not alone, and there is no need to see every room. The architecture and the garden are worth the stop on their own, and the contrast with the bright temples you saw earlier in the day is part of what makes Chiang Rai so memorable. Sit for a few minutes on one of the benches under the trees afterwards; the quiet garden is a good place to let the visit settle before the next stop.
Black House or White Temple, if you only have time for one
Many tours combine the two, so you will probably see both. If you are on a tight schedule and only have a day out of Chiang Mai, the White Temple is the one the standard tours prioritise, and Baan Dam comes only on the longer days that head north.
If art is why you travel, give the Black House its own unhurried visit from Chiang Rai. The houses are open from 09.00 to 17.00, and an early arrival lets you walk the garden before the day tours come through.2
Seen together, the two places make a complete story about Chiang Rai's art. Chalermchai Kositpipat transformed an old temple into the White Temple from the end of the 1990s, while Thawan Duchanee built a dark village of his own.191
Your temple day
White, blue and red, in one day from Chiang Mai.
Three temple entrance fees included, guides in English or Spanish, and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
You ask,we answer.
What are the Black House opening hours?
09.00 to 17.00. Airports of Thailand gives Baan Dam's hours as 09.00 to 17.00; check around holidays before you go.2
Who built Baan Dam?
The artist Thawan Duchanee. He was born in Chiang Rai in 1939 and lived and worked at Baan Dam until his death in 2014.31
Is Baan Dam a temple?
No, it is a museum. Baan Dam is the artist's former home and studio, a group of black Lanna houses now run as a museum.12
How much is the Black House entrance fee?
One listing gives 80 THB. A Chiang Rai day tour lists the Black House among its optional cash fees at 80 THB; check at the gate.
Where is Baan Dam Museum?
In Nang Lae, north of the city. The address is 333 Moo 13, Nang Lae Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chiang Rai.2
Is the Black House suitable for children?
With some preparation. The houses are full of horns, antlers, skins and carved wood, which some children may find unsettling.2
Do day trips from Chiang Mai stop at the Black House?
Only some longer ones. The standard temple day skips it; the small-group day that reaches the Golden Triangle includes it.
Sources
Evidence for this guide
- 1Thailand FoundationThawan Duchanee: Thailand's Emperor of the Canvas↩
- 2Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportAppreciate arts with five famous museums in Chiang Rai↩
- 3Thailand FoundationThawan Duchanee: Thailand's Emperor of the Canvas↩
- 4Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Open to the New Shades product presentation by TAT Deputy Governor↩
- 5Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Hellfire Pass named 5th Top Museum in Asia↩
- 6Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Observing temple and sacred site etiquette while in Thailand↩
- 7Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportHave a mineral bath, soak in an onsen with three hot spring locations in Chiang Rai↩
- 8Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Thailand's art scene honours the traditional, embraces the contemporary, and celebrates the creative↩
- 9Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportLet's walk together in the three walking streets in Chiang Rai↩
- 10Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportLet's walk together in the three walking streets in Chiang Rai↩
- 11Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportExperience the magnificence of the five unseen ravishing temples in Chiang Rai↩
- 12Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportExperience the magnificence of the five unseen ravishing temples in Chiang Rai↩
- 13Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportExperience the magnificence of the five unseen ravishing temples in Chiang Rai↩
- 14Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Chiang Rai Opens to the New Shades↩
- 15Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Chiang Rai Opens to the New Shades↩
- 16Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportGolden Triangle of the three civilizations↩
- 17Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Chiang Rai Opens to the New Shades↩
- 18Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Hit the road in Thailand and you'll be surprised at things many tourists miss↩
- 19Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Remarkable, unique temples among the 40,000 throughout Thailand↩
