Top 7 Things To Do In Chiang Mai

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Chiang Mai, the “Rose of the North” is an idyllic countryside, is brimming with culture and wildlife sanctuaries where you will get closer than you ever thought. Without further ado, here is my list of things to do in Chiang Mai:

1. Learn Baan Thai Cooking 

Besides the ancient temples, the traditional cuisines evoke my passion for exploring Chiang Mai. It would be great to learn cooking from a real Thai. Chiang Mai is bursting at the seams with cooking school these days. Baan Thai teaches how to cook real Thai food in a traditional Thai setting. The skilled and friendly teachers give you the secrets of Thai cooking to you in a fun and easy way. Their goals for you are not only to learn how to cook a variety of Thai cooking but also to have interest and fun while you are learning to cook Thai dishes! Thus they want you to focus on actually doing, rather than watching. By the time you complete your course, you will not only have learned one or two dishes about Thai foods but will also have had a most extraordinary experience that tastes good too. It is something definitely different from the usual touring activities; it’s nice to give yourself a break from tours to Thailand.

A typical Thailand market (Image by Sharif Soliman from Pixabay)

2. Visit Wats & Make A Wish

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is the most famous shrine named after the mountain of Doi Suthep. In Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the well-known golden elephant is said to do fortune-telling. Firstly, make a wish and use your fingers to raise the elephant up. Then you think of the same wish again and raise the elephant for the second time. If you can lift the elephant up for the second time, all your wishes will come true. If not, it means that your wishes will not be ignored. Then stroll to see about 50 mural paintings to illustrate the lives of Buddha before reaching the state of Nirvana and not to miss one among things to do in Chiang Mai. Although he lives many lives, it is the ten immediately preceding his birth that is most important to Thai Buddhists.

(Image by Idaytrip Thailand from Pixabay)

3. Eat Khao Soi

No trip to Chiang Mai should be without trying Khao Soi or Khao soy. It is a delicious combination of crispy and boiled egg noodles, chicken, and a curry sauce containing coconut milk. It is always served with condiments such as lime wedges, pickled mustard, sliced shallots, and chili paste. The curry is somewhat similar to that of yellow or massaman curry but of a thinner consistency. From the small corners of streets to many restaurants, Khao Soi can be found easily. Khao Soi is closely identified with Chiang Mai that it sometimes appears on overseas Thai menus simply as “Chiang Mai noodle”.

4. Visit An Elephant Camp

Chiang Mai is home to the largest assembly elephants in the north of Thailand. You can try a lesson about the mahout training course if you feel compelled to learn more deeply into the elephant’s nature. The trip will let you know all about the animal’s biology health requirements, body language together with basic take care of the elephant.

5. Lunch at Monjan

After the elephant camp tour, drive up to the peak of the mountain and reach Mon Cham for lunch with spectacular scenery and exquisite foods. It is a must of things to do in Chiang Mai. Enjoy the cool air and fresh wind while enjoying lunch at the great open-air bamboo restaurant. They offer you unique Thai foods such as tom yam, kang kong, omelets. Stroll for a while to contemplate the less-known beauty in one part of charming Chiang Mai.

6. Enjoy Khantoke dinner

The wonderful thing about a traditional Lanna Khantoke dinner, one of the Thailand excursions is the perfect combination of classical Thai dance and music with excellent foods. I find no exact words to describe how iconic it is. Enjoying this performance reminds me of a field of flowers swaying in unison at the whim of an evening breeze or perhaps soaring of seabirds with the wind. You – visitors stand up, move, and mix with other guests and enjoy cocktails and finger foods. During the meal, try to sample several typical Northern Thai dishes.

7. Visit Night market

Every evening the center of Chiang Mai is alive with the massive night market that stretches for several blocks and includes restaurants, bars, and entertainment centers. The Night Bazaar is the city’s most popular and typical market. There are many stalls selling stuff for both locals and foreigners. From the T-shirts, handbags, watches, crafts, textiles to home décor items, or postcards, all of them are sold widely in the Night Bazaar. Nearby the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar are two markets, the Kalara Night Bazaar, and the Anusarn Market. The Kalare Night Bazaar tends to have nosier with more handcrafted items and also has a canteen food court. Whereas, the Anusarn market full of many accessories, local foods, and Thai massage stalls.

On weekends, Chiang Mai “walking street” is worth to find better handicrafts, artsy items, and souvenirs. It begins from the late afternoon and runs through to about 23.00.pm. Travel to Thailand without taking part in the Night market means that you surely miss one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai.