Chiang Mai
As the second biggest city in Thailand, Chiang Mai is the perfect hub for exploring in the north of Thailand. Surrounded by lush mountains and sprawling jungle, it really has an out of this world feeling to it. Chiang Mai is the perfect blend of city living, Thai culture, and Western comforts.
It’s also the perfect city for any avid foodie wanting to expand their palate.
I’ve been lucky enough to call Chiang Mai home for the past five years so it’s safe to say that I know the city pretty well. So I’ve narrowed down a top 10 must-do list while you’re visiting Chiang Mai.
These are the things I constantly tell any visitors that they need to do while they are here. This list is by no means exhaustive, but are my top choices for enjoying your stay in the north.
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Try Khao Soi
Khao Soi is known as THE dish of the north. It’s a warm creamy chicken curry served with egg noodles and a chicken drumstick!
It’s not hard to find places that serve Khao Soi, but my personal favorite is at Khao Soi Khun Yai. There are also vegan options (Freebird Cafe has a really good version) around the city too.
Kao Soy Nimman also has a bunch of different variations of the dish as well!
Visit Doi Inthanon National Park
Doi Inthanon is located just under two hours outside of the old city of Chiang Mai. It’s a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
You can camp, hike, see some cool caves, see some waterfalls, or just see the King and Queen pagodas!
**There are some trails that are closed during the wet season as the heavy rainfall makes it difficult to hike.
While this is usually done in 1 day, I suggest spending the night in the park if you have the time. It is possible to see the park in 1 day if you only want to do a hike and visit the pagodas.
The entrance for the park is 300 baht (10 USD) for foreigners
HOW TO GET THERE:
There are several guided tours that will take you to Doi Inthanon and will guide you on either one of the different hikes or to see the caves.
However, I believe the best option is to rent a car and take yourself there. If you have some friends to travel with, it’s actually not that expensive. With companies like Budget Catcher, it’s only about 1000 baht (33 USD) a day depending on the kind of car that you buy.
Hang out with the elephants! Ethically!
Alright, before I got more into detail about this. The below is my own opinion. There are many many different elephant “sanctuaries” that claim to be ethical and taking good care of the elephants. However, most of them are lying.
The general rule of thumb is that if you can interact with the elephants in any way besides seeing them hang out in their groups by themselves or feeding them, it’s probably not the most ethical place. Places that have elephants act out or perform for people are elephants who are more than likely suffering from abuse.
Another rule of thumb is to avoid ANY place that says that they offer elephant riding. It doesn’t matter if you are riding it without a harness. Riding elephants has been proven to be damaging to an elephant’s back.
If you’re interested in doing more research, you can also look to the which companies the World Animal Protection organization deems safe and ethical
Right. So, if you’re still keen and looking for good places to interact with elephants, I suggest the following two parks:
HOW TO GET THERE
Regardless of if you book at one of these places or at another sanctuary, these places will go and pick you up from your hotel and drive you to the parks themselves.
As elephants need a lot of room to roam, all the parks are located about 1-2 hours away from the city.
Northern Thai Cooking class
I know you’re probably going to get a lot of suggestions to take cooking classes all over Thailand, but personally (yes I know I’m a bit biased) I like the ones in Chiang Mai the best. However, each area of Thailand has something unique to offer to their cooking classes. In Chiang Mai, that unique perspective is the types of spices that are used and the wide array of organic and vegan classes offered.
Cooking classes will usually last a few hours and leave you so full of food by the end you feel like you could burst. Classes usually involve cooking an appetizer, noodle dish, curry, and a dessert.
My favorite classes are from:
- Asia Scenic
- May Kai Dee – Vegan and Vegetarian Class
- Galangal
Visit the most jaw-dropping temples!
Chiang Mai is home to 24 ‘Wats’ or temples! However, not all are created equally! In order to reduce the chances of getting temple fatigue, here are my top 5 temples to visit.
- Wat Chedi Luang
- Silver Temple (women are not allowed inside, but can walk around the temple grounds)
- Wat Suan Dok
- Wat Phra Singh
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep is most likely the one temple you’ve heard of. It’s located on the side fo the mountain and it one of the most outstanding temples in the city. If you look to the West, you’ll more than likely see the temple from the city on a clear day.
When visiting the temples, make sure that you are wearing appropriate dress: knees and shoulders covered for men and women.
Drive around in the jungle – Samoeng Loop
The best way to see the jungle and appreciate the mountain views is to actually get out there yourself. Rent a scooter or a motorbike and drive around the Samoeng Loop.
This is a loop that will take you around the Samoeng mountains. The drive itself takes about 3-4 hours depending on how fast your drive and how many stops you make.
There are plenty of places to stop for a cool drink or quick meal on your drive.
Since it’s a loop, it doesn’t really matter which direction you start driving first. However, I personally suggest driving North first. I think it’s a bit of an easier direction to drive through first and a bit more scenic towards the end. Plus, there are a few more coffee shops and restaurants driving that direction first.
There are plenty of motorbike places to rent from around the city. None of these places should cost you more than 350 baht for the day. And that’s even a bit on the more expensive side of the spectrum. When you’re renting your wheels, take them out for a quick test run before you head off. Most importantly, check the breaks and the lights!
Spend an evening at the North Gate Jazz Co-op
North gate frequently hosts several local artists to play at the co-op every single night. It’s truly an experience to see the talent that Chaing Mai has to offer. But if you go, make sure to get there early as seating is really limited.
Spend an afternoon in a cozy coffee shop
You can’t actually visit Chiang Mai without drinking some of its coffee. Even as someone who frequently choose tea over coffee, there are a few places around the city that I’ll make an exception for.
- Artisan
- Ristr8o
- Ahka Ama
- Overstand
- Brewginnings
- Graph
Most of these places get their coffee locally from the mountain of Chiang Mai. Okay, and truth be told, I don’t know much about coffee, but even my coffee snob friends from Portland Oregon and New York City tell me these places are good. So, even if you don’t trust me, trust them! haha
Visit the markets
While there are several markets all over Thailand, Chiang Mai is a city that takes things to another level. Not only do they have many cool seasonal markets in the winter but their weekly markets are really fun too.
The most popular markets happen on the weekend so if you’re looking to visit some of these, make sure you plan accordingly!
- Sunday Walking Street
- Saturday Walking Street
- Night Bazaar
- Anusarn Market
- JJ Weekend Market
Visit Bua Thong or the Sticky Waterfalls
Granted, there are a lot of waterfalls in the area, but one of the most popular is the Sticky Waterfalls. This waterfall gets its name from the fact that you can actually climb UP the waterfall! The rock underneath the water is limestone which makes it easy to grip as you’re climbing up.
One of the best parts is that it’s free to visit! It takes a little over an hour to get there and there are plenty of places to stop along the way for a drink or a bite to eat.
HOW TO GET THERE:
There are many tours that offer visiting the falls as a part of a package. However, if you’re keen, you can drive your motorbike or car there!
Other Notable Things
If you have the time, these other things are worth doing as well!
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you are planning a trip to Chiang Mai, what questions do you have about planning your trip? Drop them below and I’ll do my best to answer them!
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