CHIANG MAI, THAILAND | 10 BEST Things To Do In & Around Chiang Mai

What's up guys we're here in Chiang Mai, Thailand and in this video we're going to show you the best things to do in and around the city. So I hope you enjoy it. Chiang Mai is located in the northwest of Thailand. It's one of the largest and most popular cities to visit in the country for good reasons. Founded in the 13th century, Chiang Mai has a rich history and is home to stunning temples and architecture. But what makes this city truly special is its unique culture, friendly locals, delicious cuisine, and relaxed atmosphere. In this video we highlight the best things to do in Chiang Mai as well as in its beautiful surrounding mountains. Now let's dive in. We are Zach and Ina. We make helpful videos about destinations around the world so you can easily plan your own adventures. Some of Thailand's most delicious food can be found in the north and in Chiang Mai specifically the staple dish is Khao Soi. This creamy yellow curry noodle soup comes with a choice of chicken or beef and you can find it in nearly any restaurant in the city. But be aware it's usually served as lunch so many of the popular Khao Soi restaurants close around 2 or 3 p.m. We'll also highlight other tasty dishes to try in Chiang Mai later in this video. There are over 300 Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai and many of them are located inside the historic old town. The most iconic and beautiful ones are located within walking distance from each other. These include the impressive Wat Phra Sinh, Wat Chiang Man, Wat Phan Thao, and the ruins of Wat Most of the temples can be visited for free though donations are always appreciated. Visiting an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai is on most travelers bucket lists but finding one that's ethical can be tough. Unfortunately Thailand has a history of animal abuse and captive elephants are sometimes forced to swim with tourists and carry them on their back which can be harmful for these gentle giants. In Chiang Mai there are many sanctuaries that claim to be ethical but in practice that's not always true. We visited Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary that's committed to education and rehabilitation of elephants that have been abused by the tourism industry. We observed the roaming elephants for a few hours and helped with feeding. It was a relaxing and rewarding experience and we also had a chance to talk to the founder of Save Elephant Foundation. My name is Lek Chai Lert. I'm the founder of Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park. We want to use our project to educate people to understand about elephant and to understand about animal welfare so I just would like to ask all the tourists if you come to Thailand or throughout Asia you want to enjoy to see the elephant just watch elephant be elephant don't be the part of the cruelty don't be the part that is to take wild elephant from the jungle and then to bring them to the tourist industry. Besides indulging in the delicious Thai food it's also fun to learn how to cook the dishes. Chiang Mai is the most popular place in Thailand for cooking classes with a wide variety to choose from. You'll usually start your class by going to the market and learning about the Thai produce before making a few dishes at your individual cooking station and finally eating your creations. We joined a half-day cooking class during which we prepared three different dishes a Thai soup, a curry, and a pad thai. For each dish there were different options to choose from for your proteins and flavors and as a bonus we also got mango sticky rice for dessert. We left a link to the class that we joined in the description below. The Mei Ping river is the main river that runs through Chiang Mai and offers a quick escape from the city. You can rent a kayak and cruise down yourself or join the two-hour boat tour that takes you past beautiful scenery around Chiang Mai. Along the river you can see traditional teak houses and a lot of rural greenery. The boat tour also makes a stop at a local farm where you learn about different plants and trees in the area as well as enjoy some tea and food. While the city of Chiang Mai itself is fascinating the surrounding mountain scenery is spectacular. Home to Thailand's highest mountain Doi Intanon National Park is about a one and a half hour drive from the city. The park is filled with beautiful waterfalls, hiking trails, and viewpoints and there are also twin pagodas near the summit of Doi Intanon which are surrounded by a gorgeous flower garden. You can easily spend a full day here and we added a link to a day tour from Chiang Mai in the description. So right after visiting the viewpoint for the sunrise you can come to these quiets and normally it gets quite crowded but just make sure that you bring some warm clothes because it does get really cold. So for an authentic Thai market experience head to Tolat Warorot in the old town. This historic market opened in the early 20th century and is a great place to buy clothes, souvenirs, and local food and spices. Opening its doors daily from 6am to 7pm this is the market where lots of locals shop. The most famous attraction in Chiang Mai is undoubtedly the sacred Doi Suthep temple about 15 kilometers or 9 miles outside the city center. The temple is a beautiful example of northern Thai architecture and the pagoda supposedly contains relics of Buddha himself. If you visit around 6pm you can also listen to the monks chant and as a bonus the temple offers beautiful views of Chiang Mai and the surrounding area. It's a great place to watch sunset from. Another fun day activity in Chiang Mai is to rent a scooter and drive the Samuang loop. This 100 kilometer or 62 mile route is a pretty easy ride with spectacular views winding through the Mae Sa valley and the Samuang forest. It takes about four to five hours to complete the loop depending on the amount of stops that you make along the way. We definitely recommend visiting the Mae Sa waterfalls as well as one of the botanical gardens, a coffee shop with a view, and the Samuang viewpoint but of course there are a lot of other things to do and see along the way. Just make sure you have a little bit of scooter driving experience before going especially for the parts when navigating through the city. For a more challenging multi-day route we highly recommend driving the Mae Hong Son loop and we have a full video about that on our channel so check it out if you're interested. The largest and most important market in Chiang Mai is the Sunday night market in the heart of the old town. Starting from the Tapei gates the market runs along the entire length of the Ratchadamnun road from 5 p.m until around 10 30 p.m. Hundreds of stalls sell handmade goods, souvenirs, and a diverse range of food for both tourists and locals alike. The market is vibrant, colorful, and social providing a great opportunity to sample the unique cuisine. But if you're not around on Sunday it's also possible to visit the Saturday night market or the Chiang Poat gate market on any other day of the week. So if you're looking for a souvenir in Thailand this might be one of the best markets to do that. We've been to a lot of but this one's just really well put together and it has really high quality stuff. There are a few other things to do in Chiang Mai that we didn't mention and we've included a list on the screen here. If you're planning your Thailand trip we recommend keeping things organized with our interactive travel planner. Find a discount code below. We also included important links that you'll need for your Chiang Mai trip in the description such as a blog post with places to stay, eat, and drink, as well as an interactive map so you can get to each place that we mentioned. We'll catch you on the next adventure!