THAILAND · DESTINATION
Thailand’s best days out.
The 15 most popular chiang mai tours in Thailand. What each trip actually includes, what it costs and who runs it - the standouts worth building a day around.
Cook Thai dishes from scratch at Chiang Mai’s organic farm, with a market stop, round-trip transfers, and vegan options.
Most Popular“Highly recommend! Dont come hungry and dont eat yourself full on the first course as you are gonna want to have room for the 2 additional meals”
A 9-hour Chiang Mai day with ethical elephant time at Pon Elephant, a Mae Wang waterfall swim, and bamboo rafting on the river.
“Nop was a phenomenal guide! He was very welcoming, informative, and always put a smile on everyone’s faces! He made our trip unforgettable, thank you!”
Small-group eco tour from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon: waterfalls, twin pagodas, hill-tribe village and a short nature trail. From $46.
“This was a great trip, seeing such beautiful parts of Northern Thailand. Our guide Lila made is so enjoyable and fun, and she was full of information about every location that we visited. The waterfalls and pagodas were beautiful, and lunch in the mountain village, was very tasty and the walk round the village was…”
Ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai with river bathing, forage time, and a Mae Wang waterfall hike plus Thai lunch.
“Amazing from start to finish! Loved this trip and our main guide Mimi. You are well looked after on this full day trip. Regular waters, an amazing hot lunch in tiffin tins, plenty of loo stops at each elephant station. All of the guides and elephant handlers love and care for them so much. They…”
One day from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai hot springs, Karen long-neck village, White and Blue Temples, plus Huay Pla Kang pagoda.
“We did this experience whilst travelling from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai but wanting to see the temples and other stops along the way and then departing at Chiang Rai. The tour operator was very flexible at arranging and accommodating this for us and we had a great day visiting all the amazing locations!The tour…”
Chiang Mai market, Thai herb garden, and a hands-on cooking class where you make curry paste from scratch and dine in an organic kitchen garden.
“Everything was well organised, the market tour was great and Balloon, our guide and cook is great and fun”
Chiang Mai market and farm plus hands-on Thai cooking class at Grandma’s Home Cooking School. Learn Khao Soi. From $34.
“I would highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Chiang Mai. It was absolutely a memory we won’t soon forget. Transportation was easy and on time. Our guide, Patty, was amazing. She was not only knowledgeable, but personable and funny. She made the experience really enjoyable. The grounds were breathtakingly beautiful. Photo opportunities everywhere. The…”
Half-day elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai: feed gentle elephants, learn herbal treats, and swim when the elephants choose. $27 value.
“Perfect half day tour. The transport to the sanctuary was clean, fast and comfortable. The guides (Ms. Oom & Jackie) were friendly and knowledgeable and the elephants were obviously very well taken care of. Most are domestic, but they have a large rescued bull now too. Some light walking between the 4 stations is required,…”
A small-group Thai and Akha cooking class in Chiang Mai with a market stop, hands-on stations, and a full-color cookbook.
“What a blast! For us who loves Thai food, this was a really fun class. Learned a lot of recipe's not just Thai but Akha cooking as well. Getting introduced to the ingredients at the local market was very fun!”
Chiang Mai farm-to-fork Thai cooking class with a market walk, curry paste, and fresh dishes in small groups at Grandma’s.
“The lady was amazing. I totally recommend this activity. Everything was so nice and relaxing but also she was very helpful!”
Full-day Chiang Rai temples: White Temple, Blue Temple, and Temple of Light with guided stops, AC van, and hotel pickup from Chiang Mai.
“10/10 day trip! Popcorn was a lovely guide, who made sure we were always having fun and well informed at each site. Ray (the driver) was sweet too, he always made sure to drive carefully but still ensured we arrived at each location on time. The temples were amazing and we were given plenty of…”
Chiang Mai cooking class with market shopping and Thai herb garden. Cook curry paste, Pad Thai, mango sticky rice, then eat outdoors.
“It was amazing! Before you go into a real thai market full of colours and smells, then the cooking lesson was funny and so interesting! Thank you Wave!”
Chiang Mai day trip with an elephant sanctuary caretaker role, river bathing, Long Neck village, Thai lunch, and Buatong sticky waterfalls.
“I participated with limited English comprehension, but the guide was considerate of me, and thanks to that I was able to enjoy the tour without any worries! Thank you!”
Day trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai: White, Blue and Red/Black temples, Mae Kachan hot springs, buffet lunch, guide and transfers.
“Our trip was amazing, guide was super nice and she told us everything in detail. The places we visited are magical and a must have. Also the food provided was sooooo good, we didn't know what to start with first. Overall fantastic trip.”
An ethical elephant day in Mae Tang: feed rescued elephants, make elephant treats, enjoy mud-bath play, then eat a Thai vegetarian buffet.
“I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who would like to have an extraordinarily special encounter with the elephants. K’Neung & K’Ann were both amazing and made the experience wonderful. The program in the tour is packed with so much activities and encounters with the elephants without compromising safety and ethical practices. Everyone in…”
Every region of the country, and the best of what to do in each.
