Northern Thailand Things to Do

  Local people travelling on the KOK...
by garthibiza
 
  • Local people travelling on the KOK river.
      Local people travelling on the KOK...
    by garthibiza
  • One of the temples in Chiang Mai.
      One of the temples in Chiang Mai.
    by garthibiza
  •   Things to Do
    by peperoni
  •   Things to Do
    by peperoni
  • Red Curry Chicken w/ Banana Spring Rolls
      Red Curry Chicken w/ Banana Spring Rolls
    by BigMatt
 

Most Viewed Things to Do in Northern Thailand

1.

Elephant Ride   Chiang Mai

Elephant Ride, Chiang Mai

 63 Reviews  It's show business... but it's good. The performance at the training center (I don't know if it exists more than one) shows hard work and professionalism with the elephants. The show pleases adults... 

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2.

Long Neck Women   Chiang Mai

Long Neck Women, Chiang Mai

 32 Reviews  I asked the taxi driver we had hired for the day whether he knew a village where a Long Neck hilltribe lived. He had just taken us to a Hmong village and I thought it would be interesting checking... 

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3.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Buddhist Temple   Chiang Mai

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Buddhist Temple, Chiang Mai

 97 Reviews  Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is located ontop of a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. According to legend, a relic was strapped to a white elephant that was released into the jungle. The elephnat eventually... 

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4.

Jungle Trek   Chiang Mai

Jungle Trek, Chiang Mai

 40 Reviews  In all the touristic catalogs, Chiang Mai is advertised with waterfalls. Well, I don't know if we were taken to the best or not, but we were not impressed. It's a healthy small walk in natural... 

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5.

Cooking School   Chiang Mai

Cooking School, Chiang Mai

 41 Reviews  If you ever wanted to learn the fine art of Thai cuisine then I would highly recommend the Smart Cook Thai Cookery School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I never realized how many different ingredients were... 

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6.

Excursions   Chiang Mai

Excursions, Chiang Mai

 75 Reviews  It's a strange but beautiful production - butterflies. As a matter of fact the "factory" is a tropical garden, recreating the natural condition for butterflies create and grow. Wonderful flowers,... 

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7.

Palaces and Temples   Chiang Mai

Palaces and Temples, Chiang Mai

 34 Reviews  Chiang Mai is blessed with numerous temples, some absolutely stunning. You can easily visit 3-4 in one afternoon on foot as they are often in close proximity to one another. Take lots of photos and... 

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8.

Massages   Chiang Mai

Massages, Chiang Mai

 23 Reviews  There are loads of foot massages around the markets - THB 120 for 1 hr. But seeing there were SO many massage places around, we asked the Office Administrator where we stayed and she recommended her... 

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9.

Doi Inthanon   Chiang Mai

Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai

 16 Reviews  This is not in the city and not even close, but this is the place you must go for a day trip or even more if you have the time. The Doi Inthanon National Park is a fantastic place to visit and see... 

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10.

Wat Chedi Luang - Buddhist Temple   Chiang Mai

Wat Chedi Luang - Buddhist Temple, Chiang Mai

 27 Reviews  This Yang tree, inside the Wat Chedi Luang complex, was planted when Prince Kawila (1781-1815) abandoned the city of Pasang and re-established Chiang Mai in 1796. The plantation was believed to serve... 

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11.

Butterfly and Orchid Farm   Chiang Mai

Butterfly and Orchid Farm, Chiang Mai

 9 Reviews  Part of our tour package, we were brought to the butterfly and Orchid Farm. Nothing much for the butterfly side, only spotted 1 caterpillar :( The orchid farm, at the same area was better. Smell the... 

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12.

Wat Umong   Chiang Mai

Wat Umong, Chiang Mai

 9 Reviews  There are two temples in Chiang Mai which are called 'Umong'. This one is the one in the city. It is the Temple of the Great Monk's Cave, referring to the niche in the old brick chedi, where the monk... 

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13.

Markets   Chiang Mai

Markets, Chiang Mai

 21 Reviews  One of our favourite activities when we get to a developing country is to nose around one of the markets. This one is downtown Chiang Mai - there are in fact three markets that run into one another -... 

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14.

Maesa Elephant Camp and Park   Chiang Mai

Maesa Elephant Camp and Park, Chiang Mai

 11 Reviews  We went to Elephant Nature park for a day, it was amazing experience especially for my son (was the only kid there! parents! is the best place for kids education!) : www.elephantnaturepark.org It is... 

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15.

Bo Sang Umbrella Village   Chiang Mai

Bo Sang Umbrella Village, Chiang Mai

 9 Reviews  A stop at the Bo Sang Umbrella Village, gives you a chance to see a lot of beautiful painted Umbrellas and also Fans. There is a huge array! When I was there, there wasn't anybody painting the... 

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16.

Zoo   Chiang Mai

Zoo, Chiang Mai

 15 Reviews  The Chiang Mai Zoo is located just on the edge of the city The zoo is situated on the side of a hill covering about 200 acres with quite a few steep climbs. From the entrance a long looping road takes... 

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17.

Hill Temple and Tribes   Chiang Mai

Hill Temple and Tribes, Chiang Mai

 9 Reviews  Outside of Chiang Mai there are many ethnic hilltribes living in the surrounding areas. Many of these hilltribes are originally from China, Laos, Burma, Vietnam and North Thailand. There are the akha... 

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18.

Bamboo Rafting   Chiang Mai

Bamboo Rafting, Chiang Mai

 8 Reviews  Bamboo rafting is not as easy as i thought, or maybe i'm just too lousy, enjoyed myself though, wet all over. So, the 1 day trip got us elephant ride, trek to waterfall, bamboo rafting, and visit to... 

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19.

Wat Phra Sing - Buddhist Temple   Chiang Mai

Wat Phra Sing - Buddhist Temple, Chiang Mai

 20 Reviews  Another Temple to visit if you aren't already "templed out!" At this one, you will find a chedi that was first built by King Pha Yu (1337-55) to house the bones of his father King Kam Fu (1328- 37).... 

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20.

Silk Factory   Chiang Mai

Silk Factory, Chiang Mai

 6 Reviews  While hanging around where the silk market, wooden art and so on we found also interesting places of ceramic workshops and work of arts. The interesting is that you can also see how they make it... 

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21.

The Golden Triangle   Chiang Mai

The Golden Triangle, Chiang Mai

 12 Reviews  Thailand and China, particularly Yunnan province. These peoples are collectively known by the name "hilltribes" as they have all subsisted in the mountainous jungle for generations. However, beyond... 

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22.

Wat Chiang Man - Buddhist Temple   Chiang Mai

Wat Chiang Man - Buddhist Temple, Chiang Mai

 11 Reviews  The oldest structure in Wat Chiang Mun, built in 1295, is the Chang Lom chedi, which is in a style that could have originated from Sri Lanka via Sukhothai, or from Pagan. Fifteen elephants represent a... 

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23.

Wood Carving   Chiang Mai

Wood Carving, Chiang Mai

 5 Reviews  We found the Village of Wood Carving by accident; we were just out for a drive and came across it. A whole village of craftsmen, it was absolutely fantastic to see their way of living, their... 

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24.

Wat Suan Dok - Buddhist Temple   Chiang Mai

Wat Suan Dok - Buddhist Temple, Chiang Mai

 11 Reviews  This temple is located on a main road that leads west from the old city. Constructed by King Ku Nu in 1383, the bot in this compound contains a huge 500-year-old bronze Buddha image which is... 

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25.

Hot Springs   Chiang Mai

Hot Springs, Chiang Mai

 4 Reviews  We hired a songthaw and tripped around for the day - one of the places we visited was the Sankhampeng hot springs. This place was a lovely little oasis, and obviously a popular gathering place for... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Chiangmai Umphang Mae Hong Son Loop:)

by mysticpaki

Definately hire a car and do the loop starting in Chiangmai.National has a great deal of 500 baht per day if you hire for 30 days. I drove first to Sukhothai (though stopping and spending a night in Lamphun)is also good as understand many waterfalls there.After Sukhothai drive to Maesot then to Umphang to see the gorgeous Thilasu waterfalls after that Soppang then Mae Hong Son a dont miss town in the mists.From Mae Hong Son we drove back straight to Chiangmai without stopping at ugly Pai. Stop at the Fish park on the way back to Chiangmai.I did this last year if you want to know more you can email me at namtok1@hotmail.com

Orchid Farm

by Myndo

If you see these plants in Europe they are mostly in Florist shops or in private homes, but then looked after as if they were children ... delicate things that could´t survive of their own (wich probably is right around my home).Here in Thailand they seem to be everywhere.... and they also seem not to need much for growing. In this Orchid Farm there were hundreds of them hanging in small baskets with nothing in it in thin air.Air, water and sun (not too much) seems to be all what they need.There are also so many species with so many colors, sizes and forms...Oh and you have the possibility to try to grow them at home, too. They offer small Orchid plants in bottles to take home - together with a manual of some sort.Well it sure is something for those with a green thumb.

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Chiang Rai excursions and the VIP bus to C. Mai

by seagypsy

Hi, I don't know which elephant sanctuary you're referring to, but the one in Lampang, the Elephant Conservation Center does have a good reputation. I did visit an elephant camp less than an hour away from Chiang Mai called Mae Sa Elephant Camp and they had something like 25 elephants at their camp. Their elephants seemed in good shape and did't look maltreated.I think you can just show up at the Arcade Bus Station for the VIP bus to Chiang Rai since they do have several departures per day. I guess you're thinking of the same website to book the bus which is in Thai.Highly recommend a visit to Mae Fah Luang/Doi Tung. There are some interesting hilltribes up on the way too and you're quite close to the Burmese border. We rented a motorbike in Chiang Rai for the trip but be careful going up and down since some sections are quite steep.You can cross over into Burma from Mae Sai but quite...

Hill-tribe village

by tim07

There are various hill-tribe villages in the area of Northern Thailand close to Chiang Rai. I visited a couple with a tour guide as part of my excursion. It was fascinating to wander around them & get a glimpse of the tribes way of life.I always feel a bit uneasy about exploring peoples homes at close up. I didn't take any photos of anybodys personal belongs. Some of the villagers came out to see us & offer their locally made handicrafts for sale.

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Mekong river boat trip

by tim07

There are many boat trips available at Sop Ruak. The one I went on took me upriver for a close up view of the casino hotel in Myanmar. The boat then turned round & headed back downriver for a stop off at a Lao village on the large river island of Don Sao (see travelogue).After a short stop there the boat crossed the river back to Thailand. It was such a great experience to be on the Mekong river in a small boat getting close up views of the riverside scenery of three countries.

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House of Opium

by tim07

This museum in Sop Ruak displays the history of the opium trade in the Golden Triangle. The exhibits include opium weights, pipes & scales. The museum also has displays on other aspects of Northern Thailand, such as the long neck Karen.Adjacent to the museum is a gift shop selling souvenirs of the Golden Triangle area.The museum is open from 7am to 7pm. The adult entry fee is 50 baht.

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Chiang Rai

by volopolo

Chiang RaiChiang Rai located next to Chiang Mai in the north and is another one very popular destination in North ThailandName: Chiang RaiLocation: North ThailandCapital: Chiang RaiDistricts: 18Information in the web: Chiang RaiMost Popular attractions in Chiang Rai:01. Golden Triangle02. Doi Mae Salong03. Doi Tung04. Wat Phra Kaeo05. Phu Chi Faand more....................

Chiang Mai

by volopolo

Chiang MaiThe most popular attraction in North Thailand and very popular the last years. Chiang Mai have a lot of monumnets and National parks-waterfalls.Name: Chiang MaiLocation: North ThailandCapital: Chiang MaiDistricts: 24Information in the web: Chiang MaiMost Popular attractions in Chiang Mai:01. Doi Suthep-Doi Pui National Park02. Doi Inthanon National Park03. Wat Phra Sing04. Chiang Mai Cultural Centre05. Chiang Mai National Museum06. Chiang Mai Zoo07. Insect and Natural Wonders Museum08. Wat Chedi Liam or Chedi Ku Kham09. Wat Chedi Luang10. Wat Ku Tao11. Wat Phan Tao12. Wat Phra That Doi Suthepand more....................

Vipassana Meditation

by MarilynMaicheeMiMi

For those who wish to look for a time to discover themselves, I would suggest Vipassana Meditation. However, you must also follow the rules of the temple to monastry and take the 8 precepts. You can opt for some days or depending on how long you could stay. If you like to stay longer and develop more into a novice, You should look for monastry. and apply to the abbot.

ChiangMai Flower festival parade

by dzohar

This parade happens each February and is worth seeing- lots of beautifully decorated floats in a parade with thousands of flowers and also a chance to see the most lovely girls of Thailand who wave gracefully to the crowd from their flower-bedecked thrones.

Fun things to do in Northern Thailand

Top 3 Hotels in Northern Thailand

Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi  Chiang Mai

 2 Reviews and 320 Opinions  Everything you would expect from a Mandarin Oriental plus the really spectacular design. Two... 

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Dusit Island Resort  Chiang Rai

 4 Reviews and 115 Opinions  We stayed at the Dusit in April 2007. The hotel facilities were 5 star but the best thing about the... 

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Tharaburi Resort  Sukhothai

 2 Reviews and 117 Opinions  The Tharaburi Resort looks like it has seen better days. The political problems in Bangkok has not... 

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826 Hotels in Northern Thailand
 
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Reviews and photos of Northern Thailand attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Northern Thailand sightseeing.

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Things to Do: Cities in Northern Thailand
  1. Chiang Mai Things to Do
  2. Chiang Rai Things to Do
  3. Mae Sai Things to Do
  4. Sukhothai Things to Do
  5. Pai Things to Do
  6. Lampang Things to Do
  7. Mae Hong Son Things to Do
  8. Phitsanulok Things to Do
  9. Kamphaeng Phet Things to Do
  10. Nan Things to Do
  11. Lamphun Things to Do
  12. Chiang Dao Things to Do
  13. Chiang Khong Things to Do
  14. Chiang Saen Things to Do
  15. Umphang Things to Do
  16. Si Satchanalai Things to Do
  17. Doi Saket Things to Do
  18. Ban Mae Salong Noi Things to Do
  19. Phra That Doi Tung Things to Do
  20. Nakhon Sawan Things to Do
  21. Uttaradit Things to Do
  22. Ban Sop Ruak Things to Do
  23. Uthai Thani Things to Do
  24. Phrae Things to Do
  25. Mae Sariang Things to Do
  26. Mae Sot Things to Do
  27. Mae Rim Things to Do
  28. Phetchabun Things to Do
  29. Tak Things to Do
  30. Phayao Things to Do
  31. Ban Choeng Doi Suthep Things to Do
  32. Wangthong Things to Do

More Cities in Northern Thailand

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Aloha, I'm visiting this January and would like to explore Chaing Mai, as well as, Pai. I was hoping to check into a place and... 

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A: If you know the exact dates that you will arrive in Chaing Mai, it is best to make a reservation so that you know exactly where you are going . After two days, get your... 

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