Chiangmai Chiangmai Thailand

Travel Chiangmai Thailand

Chiang Mai activities

The city of Chiang Mai has a wide variety of activities to suit all ages and preferences. Here in Chiang Mai activities on offer include: climbing, mountain biking, walking, trekking, shopping, bowling, tennis, golf, swimming, cooking courses, meditations, yoga, tai chi, kick boxing, trekking, adventure activities and running.

Adventure activities

White water rafting

Chiang Mai, being a tourist town, offers an exciting selection of unique and fun activities which can be arranged through any of the tour agents found scattered about town. Northern Thailand is mountainous and white water rafting is popular on the Mae Tang river, which tumbles out of the hills during, and immediately after the raining season (June - February), offering first class rafting and kayaking. We recommend Siam whitewater rafting and kayaking Adventures as a certified and safe operation (info @siamrivers.com, or (06) 586-5386 ).

Read more about white-water rafting in our “Real Wild One!” article here.

There are a number of elephant camps where you can ride through the jungle on the back of these massive beasts and see these workhorses in action. There are camps in Mae Sa, Chiang Dao, Mae Tang, Lampang and Mae Wang. Finding them is tricky so it's best to arrange a tour through your guest house, hotel or a tour guide. The Mae Sa valley is an adventure hub actually, and only a 30 minute drive from Chiang Mai. Here you can ride ATVs through the jungle, bungee jump and visit the Monkey Farm, Snake Farm, Dog show and Orchid Farm.

Walking and mountain biking

The best way to appreciate the old Lanna way of life is to wander the delightful back lanes of Chiang Mai's old town. Within the moat lies a forgotten world of old teak houses, narrow lanes, traditional shop houses and hidden temples. Make an early start to beat the heat and wander aimlessly, observing the sleepy old Chiang Mai lifestyle through a camera lens. Fortunately, much of it remains well preserved and untainted by commercial development.

An outdoor enthusiast's paradise

Bicycle is another way to appreciate this city, and finding a place to hire a bike isn't difficult in the city centre. The more adventurous may prefer to hire a mountain bike and tackle some of the superb trails on Doi Suithep - a mountain to the west of the city. Chiang Mai Mountain Biking runs excellent day trip tours down the mountain (Doi Pui) and other routes. They supply full suspension bikes and all the gear, many of the trips are all downhill and the experience of descending down through the jungle is a thrilling an highly recommended one. Run by two adrenalin-mad American MTB enthusiasts, Aiden and Ken, the trips take in hilltribe villages, coffee plantations, lychee groves, waterfalls, streams and fantastic views that few other visitors to Chiang Mai ever see. More on mountain biking

Read more about mountain biking in northern Thailand in our “A mountain to Climb - across Northern Thailand by bike” article here.

Enduro biking and dirt biking in Northern Thailand

An exciting and fun way to get a slice of the action

An exciting, exhilarating and very rewarding way to get in amongst the rugged terrain of the Chiang Mai province and surrounding area is by embarking on an enduro-biking trip. With a specially built enduro-bike which is configured for tackling the many mountains and hills you will be riding on, this is a great way to explore the area and have a lot of fun while you do so. We reccommend Thai Enduro Tours for those interested in embarking on such a trip; based in Chiang Mai they are a very professional and well organised outfit, and can take group sizes from 4 to 9 people, of all levels of experience from novice up to pro-level riders. They have an English website and a German website.

Swimming and fitness

Like the rest of Thailand, Chiang Mai can get pretty hot between March and October. If your hotel doesn't have a pool, you can use the one at Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel (next to Kad Suan Kaew Mall) for a small fee. Top North Hotel (near Thapae Gate) also has a leisure pool open to the public. There is also an Olympic sized pool at the 700 hundred year stadium or you can head out to the Huay Tung Tao reservoir, northwest of the city, which is a popular recreation area with the locals.

Keep yourself in shape during your stay at one of three well equipped gyms that admit people on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, these are: Hillside gym (Hillside Condo 4, Huay Kaew road), Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel Gym (Huay Kaew road) and Fitness Thailand (above Rimping supermarket beside the Novotel).

Tenis and golf

Chiang Mai is a golfers' delight

Tennis and golf can be played at the Gymkhana club - one of Chiang Mai's most historic sports and social venues. Other golf courses include Lanna, Mae Jo, and Green Valley (green fees vary from 1000 - 2000 baht). Beside the Novotel Rim Ping hotel is a small shop that hires clubs; some of the courses also offer this service (ask your hotel concierge).

The Anantasiri Tennis courts, Chiang Mai's largest such facility, can be found near the National Museum; other public courts can be found at Chiang Mai Land and Lanna Sports club, as well as the Amari Rincome Hotel.

Runners will find familiarity with the Hash House runners who congregate at the Hash House bar just south of Thapae Gate (inside the moat). Of course, Chiang Mai province is a nature lover's paradise, and you may wish to seek out the many national parks which offer super walking opportunities.

Karate
Although the full-contact sport for which Thailand is most famous is Thai boxing (Muay Thai), in Chiang Mai it is possible to take part in a different kind of martial art, karate.

There is a Japanese karate class at Chiang Mai University every Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Student Services Building. The classes are free and any age from 5 years and up can take part, and any style of Japanese karate is welcome, beginners, or people that just want a good aerobic exercise. People can contact by email for more info.

Rock Climbing

Kat women in action

Rock climbing enthusiasts are also spoilt in Chiang Mai and there are three climbing walls and great climbing at Crazy Horse Buttress east of Chiang Mai in the Mae On district. Here you'll find some first class climbing on good faces and crags. You can practice on the Peak Climbing Wall, which is adjacent to the Night Market, but we recommend three-day courses (for beginners) with Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures. Run by Josh Morris and his pro team, these are the best crowd to hang out with if you are serious about climbing, and they can arrange trips to the face, and provide equipment and support

Meta-physical pursuits
In Chiang Mai, other activities include yoga classes, courses on cooking, massage, kick boxing and meditation (wat Ram Poeng and Doi Suithep), tai chi and more, with lots of promotional posters posted about the city.

Many come to Chiang Mai for the activities of trekking and hiking, and treks can be arranged through the many tour guides located about the centre. Other regular gatherings include a spoken word evening, cultural and current issue discussions, writers' groups, theatre clubs and more, details of which are found in the community magazines which are freely available in many guest houses and restaurants.

More information: www.1stopchiangmai.com