Best Three Activities in Chiang Mai
If you are going to go anywhere in Thailand, Chiang Mai is my favorite. I am here to share with you the best three activities in Chiang Mai. I love all of Thailand but I thought this cute little city stood out to me the most. It was charming, had major jungle vibes, and so many things to do or see. Unlike Bangkok, you can walk through most of Chiang Mai’s downtown area. Like Bangkok, Chiang Mai has an incredible amount of temples to experience and visit. A Chiang Mai temple walking tour will be shared at a different time. Stay tuned to that.
For this post, I will share with you three things you HAVE to do if you are visiting Chiang Mai. I seriously had the best time doing these three activities and I hope you do too.
One
There are a lot of places you can go to to see elephants but be careful. There are a lot of highly recommended places where you can see and ride elephants. I am not saying you shouldn’t do those, you should do what you want. But I am also here to educate you. It is important you know, some of those places are harmful to the elephants and torture them. I have been told that riding an elephant with a chair on top can be very harmful. It may give you a cool picture but what is a picture if you are hurting this beautiful creature? Anyway, enough about the rant.
I would highly suggest if you are into elephant rescuing and saving the animals from hardship then you need to go to Ran-Tong Save and Rescue Elephant Center. I mean, they have Save and Rescue in their title!! LOL. More than that though I suggest them because we had a fun-packed day. We were able to feed the elephants, bathe them, enjoy the views of the countryside, and enjoy the best traditional Thai meal. In northern Thailand, an important dish to the Thai culture is Khao Soi. I never had this dish until this day and I still dream about it. Freshly cooked and handmaid, it was to die for. Our day pass also included roundtrip transportation from our Hostel in Chiang Mai to the sanctuary. You can either do a half day or a full day with this program, but I suggest a full day. It is 2500 Baht which is around 80 USD. I promise it is so worth it.
When I went to the sanctuary, I noticed an elephant that didn’t stop moving from the time I got there to the time I left. I asked the workers why the elephant didn’t rest at all. They informed me that the elephant came from a circus and that it used to be whipped if it stopped dancing. Again, this is not a post to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, I just wanted to share with you a conversation that I remember exactly to this day, 5 years later.
There are also a couple of other ways you can give back or visit this sanctuary. Ran-Tong has a volunteer program. I actually know a few of my friends who did it, shoutout to you gals if you are reading this! They said it was a super incredible experience and being able to help the mothers, babies, and injured elephants sounds like something I need to go back and do. But for real, what a beautiful way to experience Thailand while Giving back. You can volunteer anywhere from a week to 4 weeks.
Two
The next activity I highly suggest, and mostly for my foodies out there, is doing a Thai cooking class. So, if you aren’t into Thai food you may want to skip over this but I would suggest it even if you don’t. I mean if you are on a budget this is a good way to save money if Thai food isn’t your thing. If you aren’t, it was such a cool experience to truly delve into Thai culture.
The cooking class was about 40 USD and it went from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. So a whole day of fun and food! This price also includes roundtrip transportation from your hotel. You get to choose your menu ahead of time depending on what you would want to try. Our menu consisted of spring rolls, yellow curry, basil chicken, and mango sticky rice. No, you will not go hungry on this adventure. Plus, I am not a chef by any means but they give the best directions to make it super simple and achievable. They also have many other menu options, ones even including Pad Thai, if that’s more your speed. I have to tell you, if you have never had mango sticky rice, then you need to experience it here because what better way!!
Three
Well, last but NOT least. You have to visit the Baan Tong Luang Village. On the hilltops of Thailand, you will be able to see beautiful views, original bamboo architecture, and the Kayan Long Neck tribe. This area is very rural and gives you an inside glimpse of what it’s like to live in rural Thailand. The reason most of us go is to see the Kayan Long Neck Tribe. It is important to know that they aren’t native to Thailand. They are refugees who were originally from Myanmar. It has come to my attention that some tourists are disappointed when going to this village. I honestly would highly suggest it because I only experienced amazing things here. It honestly just depends on your tour guide and how commercialized they make this experience. That’s why I suggest going without a tour group, go with no expectations, so you can have the best time.
We ended up just taking a taxi to the village from Chiang Mai. It was about an hour’s drive and only cost 15 USD. It allowed us to see the village without being part of a huge commercial tour. I liked this experience better. There are some ways to ethically visit the village. First off, use the village guide so you stay on the correct path and don’t wander into anyone’s home. I’m sure you wouldn’t enjoy it if a tourist started bothering you while you were enjoying lunch. Secondly, the village makes a huge profit off of tourists buying their handcrafted goods. The villagers don’t haggle you to buy anything but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Support local, am I right? Plus, they made the cutest stuff and have so much talent. You can also send a postcard from the village too. I sent one to my mom and it was so special. Lastly, tell everyone you know about it because tourists who spend money are super helpful to their economy.
I noticed while writing this blog post that they are permanently closed. I pray that they are safe, and well and that one day after covid we can help them get back to where they need to be if they are at all struggling. Let’s all send them some positive vibes.
Lastly, I didn’t add this as a must-do activity because after doing some research I am uncertain if it is an ethical facility or not. When I went back in 2016, I went to the Tiger Kingdom. I was naive and wanted that cute selfie with the tiger. To me, it didn’t seem like an unethical place nor did the tiger seem at all drugged. I saw it jumping around and such, all lively. The animals were beautiful and majestic, and so special to experience them in person. My only hope for this part of the blog is to educate you the best I can. Many articles suggest that this activity is unethical yet many articles suggest that this facility is meant to help rehabilitate tigers. I will post a few articles for your information. I would suggest if you do plan a trip to Chiang Mai, to do your research first and understand what you feel comfortable with or not.
Leave a Reply