Things To Do In Chiang Mai

Nuzzled in the lush green valley, on the north of Bangkok along the banks of Ping River, lies a mesmerising city, Chiang Mai. It has a long-dated history of being the capital of ancient Lanna kingdom. The province is surrounded by murky mountains, and is quite popular among the experienced tourists, which makes it a good combination of adventure and amusement. The travellers can experience a variety of activities starting with Thai massages to buying enchanting handmade crafts work. Chiang Mai is comparatively tiny in size as compared to other cities, but no other city can hold that level of charisma. So, let’s have a purview of what all things one can do in Chiang Mai.

Bangkok is known for its widespread Buddhist culture, and, therefore, it is no surprise that even Chiang Mai is full of remarkable Buddhist temples known as “wats”. The temples are open for all tourists and some of the temples, which are in the interiors of Chiang Mai, should not be missed. Some of them are Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Umong. One of the most attractive temples of Chiang Mai is Wat Doi Suthep. The monks take great pride when it comes to talking about their culture and are equally thrilled to share their stories of the temple with the travellers.

Thai food has a perfect balance of tastes including spicy, sweet, and salty in one dish. The best part about Thai cuisine is that it can be easily be made by people who are novice at cooking. People enjoy cooking Thai dishes as it involves less of pre-cooking preparation and is hassle-free. These dishes are mostly instant dishes and come from a wide variety of flavours. A person, whether foodie or not, should definitely go for Thai cuisine, as they introduce our taste buds to a whole new flavour zone. You will find many classes and workshops in Chiang Mai that enrolled you for a day of Thai cooking course. 

Sunday night is an exceptional night, especially if you are wandering around the old city. The whole city is closed to traffic and all sorts of food stalkers, craftsmen and artists conquer the streets with their handicrafts and antiques at affordable prices. One can find locals and tourists strolling all around the streets, checking out items which are on sale or picking up mementoes. People also look for archaic ornaments as they are extraordinary objects in Chiang Mai. The whole street is loaded with ample variety of mouth-watering street food from different cuisines.

If you consider yourself as the adventure kid of your group, then Hang Dock Rock Quarry is your destination. The quarry is full of rushing turquoise waters. The gigantic pool of water is way too deep and, thus, launches the highest cliffs upto 12 m. If you have the guts to jump off the cliff straight into the vivacious waters, then it is ought to be there and people who are not fond of extreme adventure can rather take a plunge in the pool and swim to certain safe spots of the quarry. The place is not that easy to find, so it is suggested to hire a scooter for this mind-boggling trip.

Chiang Mai is one place where you can uplift your soul to another spiritual level by having a connection with your inner conscience. One of the most recognised meditation centres is at Wat Doi Suthep, which is located on the tip of the Suthep mountain. The temple is very famous among the travellers for its enchanting beauty as well as its enthralling spirituality. There are lessons offered to people who are interested in the meditation courses ranging from 3-28 days depending on their itinerary and willingness to stay. The course usually forbids talking during the temple hours and they make you focus on your inner energies and clearance of your unnecessary thought processes.

Chiang Mai is known for its historical essence as well. It was founded as the capital of old Lanna kingdom in the year 1296, and, thus, many people have a yearning and are inquisitive to know about the evolution of the country and city as well. The lush green jungles are trekker’s getaway, filled with waterfalls, steep valleys, neighbouring mountains and even ethnic hill tribes of Chiang Mai. One of the most amusing treks of Chiang Mai is at Doi Suthep mountain.

It is a humble tip for visitors to keep away from the long neck tribe.

Chiang Mai gives its tourists a chance to spend time with elephants rather than having a ride over them. Elephant Nature Park is a rehabilitation centre for the preservation of elephants and making people aware that they should not be exploited in the name of Tourism. They let you spend time with elephants by making you bathe them or by feeding them. It is one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai, extremely relaxing and peaceful too. 

It is impossible to even think of climbing a waterfall, that too barefoot. But Chiang Mai has got an unusual waterfall, widely reknown as the Sticky Waterfall (Bua Thong waterfall) which allows you to do so. Due to an abundance of mineral deposits on the rocks of this waterfall, they have become permeable and slightly spongy, which allows people to get a grip over the rocks to the top of the waterfall very easily.