Things to Do in Chiang Mai

There are plenty of things to get involved in during your trip to Chiang Mai – in fact, there is so much to do you might even want to think about extending your trip once you read about all the fun you can have.

Northern Thailand has some of the most beautiful landscape and jungle in the country and one of the best ways to experience it is on a guided group trek, a great way to see how the hill tribes live as well as spend time with likeminded people.

If cooking is your thing then Chiang Mai has plenty of kitchens waiting for you to learn how to prepare your green from your red curries.

If you love elephants and are anti-animal cruelty then the Elephant Sanctuary is a great place to get involved and do your bit for animal welfare.

Trekking

One of the most popular things to do in Chiang Mai is the trekking with 1, 2, and 3-day options. We love to get stuck in and really experience a culture when we go somewhere new so the 3-day (2 night) option is perhaps the best one to really get a feel for local village life, as well as see some incredible views of the surrounding mountains, waterfalls, and jungles.

On the way you’ll meet different hill tribes, get to taste traditional Northern Thai dishes, and stay over in homestays where the locals will accommodate you in their own houses. Depending on your tour you might be able to go white water rafting, or bamboo rafting, as well. Treks can start from THB1,500 but may vary.

Cookery Class

If you love Thai food as much as we do, then a cooking class is a great way to learn the basics (and more!) as well as take home some unique gifts.

Chiang Mai’s cooking scene is second to none, so what thing to do than to join a cooking class and learn from the best. Many establishments run not only a cookery school but an organic farm, too, so what you season and spice your dishes with has come from the garden itself! You’ll usually spend the hour before your class browsing the local market for fresh produce, before taking a tour around the fresh herbs and flowers growing in the farm, to put in the three dishes you choose to make from scratch. Whether it’s a classic Pad Thai, or a mouth-watering Tom Yam, zingy papaya salad, or hot panang curry – it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever made and eaten! You’ll get a cookbook to take home, too, as well as takeaway boxes if you fail to finish it all up. Prices average THB800 pp.

Elephant Sanctuary

Whatever your stance is on activities with animals, the Elephant Sanctuary is one of the most popular things to do when visiting Chiang Mai. It’s one of the most unique opportunities to get ‘hands on’ with an elephant and work towards their recuperation and recovery. Set up in 2014, it is an ‘ethical and sustainable eco-tourism project’ initiated between the local Karen hill tribes and locals native to Chiang Mai, all concerned about the exploitation and endangerment elephants suffer in Thailand.

The Sanctuary offers half or full day visits where you can get involved and help wash and bathe the elephants, feed them natural sugar cane and bananas, and enjoy a mud spa with them, too! All set in the beautiful northern Thailand jungle, it really is a wonderful experience. A full day costs THB2,400 pp – transport to and from your accommodation is included, as well as lunch.