Chiang Mai province is the largest in Thailand, which is steeped in culture and has an abundance of incredible sights to see and things to do. It is the tourism hub of northern Thailand and for good reason.

From the warm climate year-round, to the beautiful hills, parks, waterfalls, and rainforests, it is genuinely one of the most spectacular places we have visited. Chiang Mai also features the tranquil old city along the Ping River, which is full of Buddhist Temples and boasts an exquisite culinary and art scene that cannot be missed.

During our visit, we fed elephants breakfast right outside our bungalow, climbed the famous Sticky Waterfall, spent a night in a transparent bubble hotel with the most stunning view overlooking the mountains, learned to cook classic Thai dishes at a farm to table cooking school, and even joined a meditation retreat that gave us a chance to slow down and reset.

Chiang Mai offers an array of experiences you won’t find anywhere else in the world so if you ask us, it is an absolute must when visiting Thailand. This guide will help you navigate some of our favorite things we did here so that you can create long-lasting memories during your trip!

1) Stay At An Ethical Elephant Sanctuary

There are few travel experiences as unforgettable as starting your morning by feeding elephants right outside your bungalow. Staying at an elephant hotel where we got to meet and interact with elephants is probably what excited us most about our trip, and without hesitation was the highlight of our trip! We stayed at two different elephant hotels in the lush mountains of Chiang Mai and we’ll highlight the pros and cons of each.

Chai Lai Orchard

Our first stay was at Chai Lai Orchard known for its open air bungalows located along a peaceful river. Each morning, several elephants were brought right up to our bungalows where we were able to interact with them and feed them bananas and sugarcane for breakfast.

This was such an unforgettable way to start the morning before enjoying a nice breakfast delivered to our room. The hotel also offers an “elephant happy hour” where you can purchase bananas to feed the elephants as well as enjoy some discounted cocktails.

We loved all the opportunities to interact with elephants here, but rooms book up months in advance and it can be tricky to book consecutive nights. They also offer activities with the elephants, such as bathing or walks through the jungle, but we noticed the groups were a bit large, so we did not book those experiences here. Still, waking up to elephants at our doorstep was absolutely magical and something we’ll never forget!

Chiang Mai Elephant Friends

Next, we drove a few minutes down the road where we stayed at another highly rated elephant hotel, Elephants and Friends which offered a slightly different, but equally amazing experience. The property is surrounded by lush, green hills and offers small villas that are completely enclosed making it a better option for anyone wanting fewer bugs and a bit more privacy compared to Chai Lai Orchard. The elephant breakfast is not included with the hotel price, but can be easily added for a small fee.

We loved how intimate and personalized the expereinces here were. During our stay, we did a peaceful walk through the jungle and bathed a mother elephant and her baby. The best part was that we were the only ones on our tour which offered such a personalized experience. One of our favorite memories was kicking a soccer ball around with the baby elephant. We threw and kicked the ball towards him and watched in awe as he would kick it back towards us and there were even moments where he ran and dribbled the ball with his feet.

The gentle giants are gorgeous, intelligent animals and it was such a highlight of our trip to be able to meet and interact with them. We highly recommend booking a night at one of these elephant hotels or at the very least, booking one of their day tour experiences!

2) Climb Up A “Sticky” Waterfall

While Thailand boasts countless breathtaking waterfalls, few offer as unique (or interactive) an experience as the Bua Thong Waterfall, commonly known as the Sticky Waterfall, located about an hour’s drive north of Chiang Mai City. Truly a hidden gem, this place affords you the chance to climb up the waterfall itself, which consists of a type of limestone that made the surface incredibly grippy and gave more traction than we imagined it would!

The obscure rock, called tufa, is cream-colored, which contrasts with the surrounding green vegetation and makes for a lovely view as you make your way up. The water that rushes beneath you is crystal clear and is delightfully refreshing to pour over your head when climbing in the Thai heat. The Sticky Waterfall is a gentler gradient than most waterfalls, so it is more of a steep walk than a climb, but it is a bit of a calf workout for sure. As a National Park, entrance is free and upon arrival, you will walk down a set of steps to reach the base of the waterfall where you will start your ascent.

3) Stay At A Bubble Hotel In The Mountains Of Chiang Mai

Easily the most amazing place we slept in Thailand was the North Star Valley Hotel which is built into a hillside and allowed us to be fully immersed in the countryside’s beauty. Our room was a transparent “bubble” tent which was spacious and luxurious inside with clean, comfortable bedding, air conditioning and a sense of connection to nature that no other tent has matched before.

Each tent is situated on its own decking which offers privacy from others as well as an outstanding view of the valley below. You will also have your own private outdoor bathroom and taking a dip in the tub beneath the stars was an incredibly serene experience.

One meal we had here will live long in the memory, where we were sitting in an elegant, private room filled with elaborate bouquets and served three courses of authentic local food. The staff at the hotel were very accommodating and helpful during our stay and ensured we had everything we needed throughout!

Booking the hotel is the trickiest part as they cannot be found on sites such as Expedia or Booking.com and their website is lacking a booking form. We secured our room by contacting them via their Facebook page here.

4) Take A Farm To Table Cooking Class

With such an impressive culinary scene in Chiang Mai, it felt silly not to gain some know-how on how to make some dishes for future reference. Attending a cooking class certainly did the trick and it was a fun experience, from handpicking ingredients in the morning to tasting our delicious food at the end. We took a class at the Mama Noi Cookery School in a group setting (about 12-15 people), which was led by an energetic instructor with a clear passion for Thai traditions and culture.

The lesson started in a local market we were taken to by our instructor, where we learned about some of the freshly grown produce before buying what we needed and making our way to the culinary school. Here they had their own garden with some herbs, spices, and more vegetables were grown. We took a few more ingredients from here and began preparing and cooking.

We made a soup as well as Pad Thai, and everybody sitting together to eat the food that we cooked ourselves was certainly the highlight. The whole experience was relaxed and enjoyable and we definitely left with a newfound confidence that we could make authentic Thai food when we’re home!

5) Participate In A Life-Changing Meditation Retreat

Whether you are well-versed in the practice of meditation or are completely new to it and are interested in exploring Buddhist culture, a meditation retreat is an experience that everyone can gain a great deal from. Here you will be guided through meditation practices across various workshops, led by the monks themselves, who explore and teach what it means to be Buddhist and how everyone can take certain aspects to enrich everyday life.

The days are quite structured with group meditation, meals, and bedtime at designated times. The food is all donated and authentically home cooked, and you will sit with others for meals, which can be a time to socialize or to eat in silence and take that time to reflect, depending on your preference.

The group meditations take place morning, noon, or night and can be inside a meditation hall or outside by a bonfire. As we were quite new to meditation, we weren’t sure what to expect or how intense it would be, but we were relieved to have such a comforting setting where we had amazing guidance to ease into proceedings.

The 3 days we spent here truly broadened our minds through the philosophical teachings and channeled a method of finding inner peace that we didn’t know we needed.

6) Visit The White Temple

While technically not in Chiang Mai, the White Temple, located in the nearby Chiang Rai province, is a worthy detour to make and this will become apparent upon your first look at it. This unusual Buddhist Temple was built in 1997 to replace the original and is visually spectacular, and genuinely a work of art. It is a bright, white color, inlaid with crystals, and features intricate, modern detail throughout, and peculiarly, features murals inside depicting cartoon and movie characters.

While the White Temple is the main attraction, the site also features the golden building which serves as the bathrooms and is also very impressively designed and decorated. There are several other buildings in the works, including a meditation hall, an art gallery, and living quarters for the monks but until then there is still plenty to see that will leave you more than satisfied. Keep in mind that no photos are allowed inside the buildings.

7) Go on a Chiang Mai Night Safari

The Chiang Mai Night Safari is a theme park that serves to educate and appreciate the wildlife of the region. Comprising more than 300 acres, this nocturnal zoo boasts exhibitions with 1000 different species, and from the moment you pass through the entry gate, you will see free-roaming deer. Savannah Safari offers visitors the chance to interact with and feed Elephants and Giraffes, and there are also some impressive models depicting the architecture of ancient civilizations, as well as many other interesting things to learn here. Make sure to check out the 50-seater tram ride which runs through this zone.

Other exhibitions at the Chiang Mai Night Safari include the Predator Prowl and the Jaguar Trail, where you can observe and learn about a greater variety of animals at your own pace, whilst also enjoying the leisurely walk around the scenic Swan Lake. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the timetable for the animal shows while you are here. You can grab some food at the Giraffe Restaurant, where you will find that the food is surprisingly high quality and good value, especially when compared to most other theme parks.

8) Attend a Muay Thai Boxing Bout

Muay Thai is a form of martial arts that is recognized as a national sport and cultural heritage in Thailand, dating back over 1000 years. When staying in Chiang Mai city, we picked up some tickets at a store off the street that specializes in all sorts of excursions, and this was one we’re glad we didn’t miss! The event was held at a boxing stadium at the Kalare night bazaar, which is crammed with vendors selling food and drinks if you wanted something to eat before or after the fights.

The stadium has a capacity of a few hundred people, with the energy and atmosphere being electric from the moment we arrived. We made our way to our seats and in our opinion, it wasn’t necessary to book premium tickets (unless you want to be ring side) as there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. Everyone had a good, close-up view of the ring and the entire crowd was engaged throughout the evening. All in all, we watched almost a dozen fights, which ranged from consisted of fighters of different ages, genders and weight classes. It was brilliant fun watching these skilled fighters in action who each brought their own unique style to the ring.

9) Take a Trip Down a River on a Bamboo raft

Bamboo rafting is one of the oldest forms of transport in Thailand and is still popular today for recreational purposes. The Chiang Mai region features rivers such as the Mae Wang, where local guides offer you the chance to enjoy the gorgeous, lush countryside as you cruise along the peaceful water. The bamboo rafts are roughly 2 feet wide, 20 feet long, and can sit two people per raft, with the captain at the back standing and steering you along.

We signed up for bamboo rafting through the elephant sanctuary that we stayed at, but there are several tour operators in the region that you can book with. Life jackets are available, and typically, you will be given the chance to stop halfway down the river and have a refreshing swim. Often, the caring staff will even provide refreshments such as fruit and sticky rice after you get off the river. This is a very grounding and serene excursion that everyone will enjoy and is a fun way to explore the gorgeous scenery of the region.

10) Treat Yourself to a Michel Standard Meal at Oxygen Dining Room

When it comes to dining while travelling, it is as much about the experience as it is about the food, in our opinion. Having dinner at the incredible Oxygen Dining Room, run by Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Isnard, ticked all the boxes, from its delicious and creative dishes to the beautiful ambiance and top-class service.

The restaurant features glass walls allowing for a nice view of the Ping River as well as flooding the room with soothing, natural light during your meal. It was a very gratifying evening for us dining at Oxygen on all fronts, and for the same experience in most other countries you would be paying more than twice as much so in terms of value, it is difficult to beat!

We had a few different courses for dinner here, and each was expertly presented with generous portion sizes and perfect timing between courses. The ingredients were exceptionally fresh and there is a nice variety of choice on the menu, with various European and Asian dishes on offer as well as an impressive wine list. We were celebrating our anniversary here, and it must be emphasized how great the service was with all of the staff being very accommodating throughout, and they even gave us a personalized dessert on the house to congratulate us on the occasion!