Chiang Mai Thailand is located in the north in a mountainous region of Thailand which makes Chiang Mai very naturally beautiful with amazing sights to see.
I recently visited Chiang Mai and it was one of my favourite places I visited in Thailand. The reason it was one of my favourite was all the amazing activities we did.
Chiang Mai has tons of local markets, amazing tours, and delicious food. If you are visited Chiang Mai listen up because I am going to tell you all the best things to do in Chiang Mai.
This post is all about the top 7 things to do in Chiang Mai Thailand.
7 Best Things to Do in Chiang Mai Thailand
Visit an Elephant Sanctuary (make sure it’s ethical)
This activity is probably on every travellers Thailand bucket list when they visit and Chiang Mai is the best places to visit an elephant sanctuary. Unfortunately there are many companies in Thailand that run unethical elephant sanctuary so finding an ethical one it VERY IMPORTANT! You definitely want to make sure these companies do not ride elephants but also making sure they have enough room on the land to walk around, have a variety of food options, and make sure they are not overworked with continuous tour groups.
When I visited Chiang Mai I visited Toto’s Elephant Sanctuary. I really appreciated they explained as soon as we arrived all the actions they are taking to make sure the elephants are well looked after. We got to feed the elephants, follow them on a walk through the forest, and bath them at the end. It was an amazing tour and one of the best things I did my whole trip to Thailand.
If you want to book a tour to Toto’s Elephant Sanctuary there are a couple tour options. There is a half day elephant sanctuary tour (for around 1900 baht) or an elephant sanctuary and sticky waterfalls tour (for around 2200 baht). To read all about Toto’s Elephant Sanctuary click here.
Climb the Sticky Waterfalls
The Sticky Waterfalls in Chiang Mai is another MUST SEE. When are you ever going to visit a waterfall and be able to walk up it without any equipment. Yes you read that correctly this waterfall has certain minerals in the water that makes it so the rocks don’t get slippery so you can just walk from the bottom of the waterfall up to the top. It is both the weirdest experience and coolest at the same time.
If you are wanting to visit Toto’s Elephant Sanctuary and the Sticky Waterfalls there is a full day tour to see both. But if you wanted to just visit the sticky waterfalls click here to see tour options.
Take a Chiang Mai Cooking Class
Taking a cooking class in a new country you visit is one of my FAVOURITE activities to do, especially if it is Thai food. I am not sure about all of you but one of the things I was most looking forward to when travelling to Thailand was trying all the Thai food it is one of my favourite cuisines.
When I visited Chian Mai Thailand I took an amazing cooking class with Zabb-E-Lee Thai Cooking School. This tour included pick up from your accomodations, a market tour where we shop and learn about the different ingredients we will be cooking with, and then a cooked class teaching you how to make 5 dishes. We got a choice between three appetizers, stir fries, soups, and curry then we all made the same dessert. It was so much food we even had leftovers for dinner that night! Highly recommend checking out Zabb-E-Lee Thai Cooking School if you are wanting to take a cooking class while you are visiting Chiang Mai I had the most amazing time.
Walk around Chiang Mai Old Town
Chiang Mai used to be much smaller than it is today. Chiang Mai city used to be surrounded by a wall but has expanded past these wall since then. But these wall still stand and surround what is now know as Chiang Mai Old Town or Chiang Mai Old City. If you has some time I recommend going on a walk around the old walls as well as wonder the streets of the old town.
If you are wanting to learn more about the history of Chiang Mai during your walk I recommend checking out GuruWalk which is a free walking tour company and they have lots of walking tours throughout Chiang Mai Thailand.
Try Khao Soi in Chiang Mai
Khao Soi is a famous dish in Northern Thailand and Laos. This dish is a type of Thai curry which included ingredients such as rice or egg noodles, coconut milk, curry soup base, with a type fo meat usually pork, and an assortment of vegetables.
If you do a cooking class with Zabb-E-Lee Thai Cooking School you will have the opportunity to choose Khao Soi as one of the dishes you wish to make. But if you would rather not cook it yourself and just enjoy eating Khao Soi I visited Garden to Table in Chiang Mai and their Khao Soi was delicious.
Visit the Markets in Chiang Mai
There are many different markets throughout Chiang Mai that sell all kinds of goods. Some markets sell food, some sell clothes, some sell jewelry so there is a market for everything you might wish to buy. If you are wanting to buy some souvenirs from your trip for yourself or someone back home Chiang Mai markets are a great place to buy them.
Some of the top markets in Chiang Mai are the night bazaar, Saturday Night Market, and Sunday Night Market.
Visit Doi Suthep Mountain
Doi Suthep is another popular spot to visit in Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep is a mountain that many people visit including tourists to see the beautiful temples at the top. To get up the mountain you can take a car or bus but to reach the temple at the top you either have to walk 306 steps up or you can take the cable car. If you have time during your visit I definitely recommend checking out Doi Suthep Mountain, you can visit the different temples on this mountain and go for a walk.
If you are wanting to visit Doi Suthep with a guided tour there are lots of tour options on GetYourGuide.
That brings us to the end of this blog about all the best things to do in Chiang Mai Thailand. I hope this helped you plan your trip to Chiang Mai. These are all activities that I did during my trip to Chiang Mai Thailand and they made Chiang Mai a very memorable destination on my trip. If you are planning on travelling all around Thailand check out my other blog post on Thailand including “Top 9 Best Things To Do In Bangkok Thailand.” I hope you have the most amazing trip to Thailand and safe travels!
