Chiang Mai, known as the “Rose of the North,” offers a perfect blend of natural beauty, rich culture, and exciting activities.
Nestled among stunning mountains and hills, this city is home to ancient temples, bustling markets, and scenic landscapes.
From feeding elephants at Elephant Nature Park to exploring the sacred Doi Suthep temple, there’s something for every traveller. Chiang Mai also boasts vibrant night markets, delicious local cuisine, and adrenaline-pumping activities like Thai boxing and cliff jumping.
Whether you’re seeking relaxation or adventure, Chiang Mai promises an unforgettable experience that captures the essence of Northern Thailand.
Things to do in Chiang Mai:
1. Elephant Nature Park:
Elephant sanctuaries are very common in Thailand. It claims to rescue elephants from unfavourable conditions and allow tourists to feed them.
This park is located about 37 miles trip from Chian Mai city center. Here you can watch elephants in their natural habitat. You should hire a guide in this park who will assist you in how to behave and treat the elephants.
You have to pay a deposit beforehand you enter the park. On your entry, you will be provided with a big selection of fruits to feed the elephants.
This nature park also provides you with free lunch. It is a 1-day trip where you can enjoy, click photos, feel, and bathe elephants. The timings for a day visit are 7:40 am to 5:30 pm. The entry ticket cost. TBH 5,800.
2. The Yee Peng and Loy Krathong Festival:
Every year in November, people celebrate the Yee Peng festival to mark the end of the monsoon season and the start of the cool season. Known as the “Lantern Festival,” it features the release of large paper lanterns into the night sky.
The Loy Krathong festival celebrated around the same time, involves floating leaf containers with candles in the river. The purpose of this festival is to pay respect to the river spirits, especially the Phra Mae Khongkha, the Goddess of Water.
3. Night Market:
Night market is the main venue for shopping in Chiang Mai. This market is located at the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Khro Road. Night market offers you everything you can think of.
This market has countless stalls selling CDs, DVDs, clothes, shoes, Thai silk, handicrafts, purses, wallets, watches, video games, luggage, furniture, art, jewelry, antiques, and souvenirs.
The prices are not fixed here so do not hesitate to haggle to get the best deal. Here you will also find plenty of restaurants and bars for mid-spree snacking. The market opens at 6 pm and most of the stalls close at 10:30 pm.
4. Doi Suthep:
It is a mountain which is about 15 km away from the city center. Doi Suthep mountain has a temple on its top, named Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
As you will climb the mountain you will feel the decreasing heat because of the elevation. The temple is the holiest Buddhist site in Thailand.
It is the major pilgrimage destination, especially during the Buddhist holidays of Makha Bucha (Feb 13) and Vishaka Bucha (May 11).
The temple is crowned by an amazing Chedi, which is 24 meters tall and gold-plated from top to bottom.
Around the temple, you will find a large number of shops and small restaurants. To enter the temple you have to pay 30 baht.
The times are from 6 am to 6 pm. A little farther up on the road to the temple, you will find the Monthathan waterfall.
To enter the spot you have to pay 300 baht.
5. Doi Inthanon National Park:
This national park is located at a height of 2565 meters above sea level. It is the best place for bird watching in Thailand.
This park serves as a house for over 362 different species of birds. At the top of the mountain, you can see the Chedis (monuments) dedicated to Royal Majesties.
On your trip to this park, you can also visit some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Thailand such as Mae Yai, Mae Klang, Siriphum, and Wachiratan waterfall.
This national park protects over 300 different species of birds and animals. On your visit, you can watch Asian black bears, Barking Deer, Chinese Flying Squirrel, Gibbons, Macaques, leag monkeys, and over 30 species of bats.
This park opens at 5:30 am and closes at 6:30 pm. The entry fee is about TBH300.
6. Chiang Mai Grand Canyon:
This is the best place to swim and cliff jump. This waterpark is a must-visit place with your friends. Here, you can climb, jump, swim, fall, bounce, and repeat.
Grand Canyon also has a cable-tow waterboarding area. Pay 450-500 Baht extra and you can enjoy waterboarding. Grand Canyon offers you a lot of adrenaline-rushing activities that you can enjoy the whole day.
The activities you can enjoy here include ziplining, kayaking, waterslides, and sunbathing. This place also has a separate kids’ play area with shallow pools and small waterslides.
Here, you will also find a food court that offers Thai and foreign food for reasonable prices. You can have a coffee and beer as well.
The entrance fee is 650 Baht for adults and the entry is free for children under 90 cm.
7. Wat Chedi Luang:
This temple is also known as “The Temple of Great Stupa”.As it is 85 meters high and 44 meters wide, this is possibly the largest sculpture in ancient Chiang Mai, but the top of the Chidi was destroyed by a 16th-century earthquake.
The base of the wat has five elephant sculptures. In the main sanctuary, you will find a reserved standing Buddha statue, known as Phra Chao Attarot, flanked by two disciples.
At the rear compound, you will find a huge reclining Buddha and a Chinese-influenced seated Buddha. This small building also houses the Sao Inthakin of Chiang Mai. local people have a belief that Sao Inthakin protects the city.
Next to the Sao Inthakin are three massive Dipterocarp trees.
8. Sticky waterfalls:
The sticky waterfalls are about one and a half hours drive away from Chiang Mai city center. These waterfalls are also known as Bua Tong.
Sticky waterfalls got their name from a mineral deposit that is incredibly grippy. When you climb the rocks it will feel like a hardened sponge.
The waterfall gets the water from a mineral spring, so the waterfall keeps ongoing year-round. The surroundings and atmosphere are add-ons to the beauty of these waterfalls.
The flower of the forest is covered with moss and small colourful flowers. You will find plenty of water bugs, butterflies, and minnows.
9. Watch Thai Boxing at Chiang Mai Stadium:
Thai boxing is locally famous by the name “Muay Thai”. It’s a fast and brutal sport and incredibly entertaining too. Muay Thai is a hand-to-hand fighting sport in which the players use punches, elbows, knees, and shins to attack.
You can watch these Muay Thai fights from Monday to Saturday in Muay Thai stadiums. There are three categories of tickets available to watch Muay Thai; Grandstand, Ringside, and VIP.
The ringside and VIP tickets include an opportunity to take exclusive photos with the fighters. Apart from enjoying the fights, if you want you can also get a Muay Thai lesson in various gyms in Chiang Mai.
Food to try in Chiang Mai:
1. Khao Soi:
It is a rich and savory yellow curry noodle soup. The flat egg curry noodles are served with spring onion, pickled cabbage, and slices of lime.
A small portion of deep-fried egg noodles is added to the top of the dish and crushed into the broth as a garnish.
2. Sai Oua:
Sai Oua is a starter dish. It is a Northern-style sausage made from pork, dried chillies, garlic, shallots, pungent herbs, and spices.
It is a meaty dish cooked on a charcoal grill with herbal aromas and chillies.
3. Nam Prik Ong:
This is a green and red chili dip duo. It is very famous among all the northern-style chili dips.
The green chili dip is made with roasted chili spur peppers and the red chili dip is made with a tomato-based paste mixed with ground pork, chopped coriander, spring onion, and dried bird eye chilies.
These dips are usually eaten with crispy pork skin, steamed vegetables, or sticky rice.
How to reach in Chiang Mai:
1. Reach Chiang Mai by flight:
The Chiang Mai International Airport operates both domestic and international flights from around the world. The airport is located about 3 km away from the city center. You can catch a bus or hire a taxi to get to the city center.
2. Reach Chiang Mai by train:
Chiang Mai has its railway station. It is about 3 km away from the city center.
You can get a train from the nearby cities to reach the Chiang Mai train station.
3. Reach Chiang Mai by road:
The main bus station in Chiang Mai is Arcade Bus Station. Both government-run buses and buses of private transport companies run to Chiang Mai from the neighboring cities.
