How To Spend Two Amazing Weeks in Chiang Mai

When we were planning this particular vacation, it was under the condition that we did NOT go back to Thailand. This was not because we have anything against Thailand. On the contrary… It was because we’d already holidayed there so. many. times!

How did we end up spending two weeks in Chiang Mai?

Well, I love to travel and experience a variety of cultures, adventures and to generally just explore new places. However, I also ADORE animals… which is how this holiday ended up drawing me right back to Thailand, for my fifth time.

While researching holiday destinations, I stumbled upon the Elephant Nature Park. It is a rescue and rehabilitation centre located in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

Ethical animal experiences are my jam, and I am down for pretty much any animal sanctuary tour.

But then add to the fact that this one is with elephants!

I was sold, and the family were already happy to go back to Thailand anyway, so it was a done deal.

Let’s Go See Chiang Mai!

We are based in Brisbane, Australia, and there was quite a selection of flight options to get us to Chiang Mai. Price & convenience saw us settled on a Thai Airways flight via Bangkok. The total cost for our Thailand flights, for all four of us, was just over AUD $3500. It was a total of around 12.5 hours each direction, including the flight and the 2 hour layover to change onto a domestic flight in Bangkok.

Accommodation in Chiang Mai

One of our favourite things about Thailand, is the affordability of family accommodation. However, the accommodation style is quite different in Chiang Mai than what we were used to in Phuket.

We’ve done several trips to Phuket for two weeks at a time, and have always stayed in private Pool Villa. However, these are much less common in the city stay of Chiang Mai, and the ones we did find, are a lot pricier.

So, we decided to forego the private pool, and spend more money on activities instead! After much research, we booked a serviced apartment at The Opium Chiang Mai.

Our two week stay in a 2 Bedroom Apartment (including breakfast), was only AUD $1600. It is not luxury accommodation, but it was certainly clean and comfortable, and the air-conditioner did its job. The pool could have been in a better spot, as it is mostly shaded… but it certainly cooled us down on a hot day!

The staff were always friendly and helpful, and on days we needed a driver, they assisted in organising one for us.

We would absolutely recommend the accommodation, it was great value for money.

Getting Around Chiang Mai

The location of The Opium Chiang Mai was convenient, and we either walked, jumped in a tuk tuk, or used “Grab” to get around pretty much everywhere. Grab is much like Uber, and was extremely affordable and convenient. We always tip the drivers by rounding up to the nearest 100 Thai Baht, and we still spent less than AUD $90 on Grab fares during our entire 2 week vacation.

The major shopping centres run shuttle buses from various points in town as well, so you may want to check the schedules to save on taxi fares.

I should mention, riding on tuk tuks so frequently throughout our trip, led to a chest infection by the time I got home. Bronchitis wasn’t the best way to end our holiday, so it’s worth keeping the open air rides to a minimum in city traffic. With the cost of transport being so affordable, it’s worth taking a taxi on any longer trips.

Best Things to do in Chiang Mai

Elephant Nature Park

I chose our wedding anniversary as the date to take the Elephant Nature Park tour, and I was so excited for our visit. After all, it was what motivated the entire holiday to Chiang Mai in the first place! It was also the priciest of any activity we planned, which is why I rolled it into a wedding anniversary gift to ourselves.

We had an early start to the day, with our transfer arriving between 8:00-8:30am, for a one hour drive into the jungle. The scenery along the way is stunning, which made the journey go by in a flash.

The non-profit sanctuary rescues elephants and a variety of other animals, from abuse, neglect and injury. They are dedicated to rescue, rehabilitation, and long-term care of the elephants and other species at the park. This includes dogs, cats, buffaloes and a variety of bird species too.

We got to feed the elephants, while learning of their individual survival stories. The park is an ethical way to get up close to these beautiful creatures, without inflicting any harm upon them.

The beautiful grounds are 250 acres hills, jungle, grass and river. We walked in groups with our guide, and got to visit with many of the animals. Others we just enjoyed seeing from afar.

Watching a a fresh batch of soil get delivered to a delighted group of elephants, was a highlight of the day. They absolutely love the dirt, and immediately began playing in it. We saw others splashing in the river, or seeking shade under the many giant umbrellas scattered throughout the grassy valley.

Lunch was included in the tour package, and much to my joy, was completely plant-based! Which, makes sense, considering it is an animal sanctuary.

There is also a small souvenir shop on site, selling t-shirts and trinkets, which all help fund the parks running. They also have a program where volunteers can join in to help with the running of daily chores.

After lunch, we visited with some of the other rescues. Ra and Daz were particularly fond of the many MANY felines.

The entire day was fantastic, and is definitely a MUST DO activity for anyone visiting Chiang Mai.

Ethical Tourism

N.B. There are still many unethical animal parks which allow visitors to ride elephants. Please do your research before visiting, to ensure you are not supporting animal cruelty. I myself made this mistake in the early 2000’s, and there is nothing more upsetting than arriving at what you thought would be a magical animal encounter, only to discover that you just helped fund depravity.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

Lemongrass Chiang Mai

After a massive day out and about in the sun at Elephant Nature Park, we followed it up with a day of chill. For us, this meant sleeping in, spending some time relaxing in our apartment, and then heading out to find food.

Shayne, Ra and myself absolutely love Thai food, so we are in our element whenever we visit Thailand. We found a restaurant called Lemongrass, which was honestly one of the most amazing meals we have ever had. We still talk about this restaurant, and yes, we did visit more than once during our two week trip. However, not as many times as we would have if the line wasn’t so big to get in on some days! We got lucky a couple of times and got in without a crowd.

Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park

Twenty minutes outside of Chiang Mai, is the quirky eco-conscious Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park.

We had our reservations about a place that is all about poo, but actually, it was a really fun day. The outdoor park has guides who take you through the steps required to turn elephant poop into paper. They also give you the chance to try it out yourself, taking you step by step through the process, and even allowing you to make your own paper to take home with you.

The gift shop sells a variety of cute souvenirs, where we picked up an “I ♥ Poo” tshirt for Daz, a notebook for Ra, and a Christmas tree ornament. We have a tradition of collecting a memento for the tree on each of our family vacations.

Authentic Thai Cooking Class

Like I mentioned earlier, we LOVE Thai food. I was super keen to do a cooking class on this trip, the rest of my family were less keen.

The Chiang Mai Cooking Class with Organic Farm tour included a pick-up from our accommodation. The 45 minute journey to the farm where we would partake in the class, included a stop en route to a fresh food market, where we could buy the necessary ingredients.

The class catered to all dietary requirements, and they asked everyone at the beginning. Our group consisted of several vegetarians, and myself, the token vegan. The instructor had a hard time with the fact I did not want to add fish sauce to my dish, and made sure to tell me I don’t have to, but my food will have no flavour. Spoiler: My food turned out delicious, even sans fish sauce.

We paid for 3 of us to do the course, and Daz to be a visitor. He didn’t want to join in, so he brought along his ipad and sat by while we participated.

Ra had not really done any chopping of food with sharp knives prior to this, but he took to it without losing any digits.

We used a mortar and pestle to grind our herbs and spices too, and had a choice of a few different dishes we could make. Between us we made a Penang curry, a Green curry, a Massaman curry, and also a Pad Thai.

It was SO. MUCH. FOOD. And everything was completely delicious. We all got a recipe book at the end as well, so that we could re-create the dishes again at home.

Shayne and Ra enjoyed the day as much as I did, so it was a complete success. We would all recommend a Thai cooking class to anyone visiting Chiang Mai!

Also, we have made many of the dishes over and over again once back home. The curry paste recipes are especially great, but also, you can’t go past a good Pad Thai.

Tube Trek Water Park

We live in Queensland, so we are no strangers to water parks, and having previously enjoyed Waterbom Park in Bali, we had high hopes for Tube Trek in Chiang Mai.

Tube Trek is about half an hour out of the city, and we used the same driver each way, letting him know what time we would be ready to head back.

Unfortunately, the park was a let down. From slides not having enough water on them, to barely any eateries being open. We made the most of the day though, relaxing by the water, letting Daz enjoy the kids water play area, and just relaxing in general.

We have definitely been spoilt between Wet ‘n’ Wild, White Water World (on the Gold Coast) and Waterbom Park (Bali). The google reviews on Tube Trek are quite positive overall, so I imagine if you haven’t experienced a water park before, you will enjoy this place. Personally, we wouldn’t go back, but we made the best of it anyhow.

Art in Paradise Chiang Mai

We had no expectations going into the Art in Paradise Illusion Museum. We had never been to something like this, despite having something similar on the Gold Coast near our home.

The museum is an interactive 3D art space, that features a wide range of imaginative works. As you walk through the different rooms, you’re transported to a world of illusions and visual trickery. You need a smartphone camera and some patience, and you can get some amazingly cool pictures.

As you can see… we had an absolute blast. For around AUD$20 per person, it was definitely worth it, especially when we spent THREE hours enjoying the place.

Temples

No visit to any part of Thailand would be complete without a day trip visiting the local temples. We had already encountered a few during our visits to the night markets, but wanted to visit Wat Chedi Luang. Id had also intended to see Wat Phra That Doi Suthep; however, in the heat, and with the kids not wanting to see more than one temple in a day, we ended up skipping Wat Phra That Doi Suthep altogether. So, that will have to be for next time.

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chedi Luang is located in the city centre, and was once the tallest structure in Chiang Mai. A lot of the temple has been destroyed, but extensive restoration efforts have been, and are being, made to bring it back to its former glory.

The temple features intricate carvings and details on the walls and columns. It also houses important Buddhist relics, including a Buddha statue that is said to have been made of solid gold.

Whilst in the temple, we learnt about gold zodiac statues, and applying gold leaf to them. This is a traditional Thai Buddhist practice which symbolizes devotion and merit-making. By applying gold leaf to the statue, it is believed to bring good fortune, and positive karma, to the person making the offering. Both the kids took turns adding a layer of gold to their own zodiac statue.

There are many monks about the temple grounds, who are so welcoming to visitors. They even having a dedicated space set up where you can sit down and chat. The kids and I took the opportunity to say hi, and learnt that the young novice monk was keen to practice his english. Ra and Daz spent some time chatting with him about his and their favourite foods and favourite things to do.

Markets & Shopping

Wua Lai Walking Street Saturday Night Market

We arrived on a Saturday, which was perfectly timed to enjoy some night markets.

The Wua Lai Walking Street is a relatively short distance, but it packs a lot into a small space. It is a narrow, pedestrian-only street located in the old city section of Chiang Mai. We enjoyed watching locals make their handicrafts, and browsing the many wares.

Shayne and the boys had been psyching each other up prior to the trip, with a dare to eat an insect at the markets. We’d seen the bug stalls in Phuket, and sure enough, they had one at the Wua Lai market as well.

Disgusted to say, yes, two out of the three of them did eat an insect. Meanwhile, I tried my best not to be sick as I watched them. Ew.

There was plenty of delicious food here too. Plus, being that Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist country (over 90%), there is no lack of Vegetarian and Vegan options.

We enjoyed a live dance performance with traditional music, as well as a beautiful temple, Wat Sri Suphan.

Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center

On our first full day in Chiang Mai, we got to know our surrounds. We ventured to a local shopping mall to grab some staples and look around. By having an apartment, it meant we could keep some drinks and snacks handy for our down time.

The Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center is spread across several floors, with a variety of food outlets and clothes stores. We are always fans of anywhere that has multiple food options, because between my vegan lifestyle and Daz’s aversion to what feels like everything, it makes meal times a lot easier.

There were several visits to this mall during our two weeks in Chiang Mai. On one of the outings we treated ourselves at Montra Thai Massage. We also watched a movie at the SFX Cinema. They have some seriously comfortable cinema seats. It’s also a worthwhile experience for the mandatory Thai ritual of standing for the King’s anthem before the film begins.

Tha Phae Walking Street

We couldn’t miss the most famous of Chiang Mai’s markets, Tha Phae Walking Street, which only operates on Sundays. Lucky for us, we were there for two Sundays, and went to the markets each of these nights.

We visited a lot of different markets in our two week trip to Chiang Mai, but this one was our favourite!

As is typical of a market, there were plenty of souvenirs and clothes stalls, but the quality was on another level. I bought a beautiful patchwork gypsy-style skirt, from a lady who had made it by hand. I also picked up some blown-glass earrings, directly from the artist who had been beautifully crafted them.

The kids enjoyed these markets too. There was plenty of food, toys and sweet treats, including these adorable miniature ice creams.

Plus, there was no shortage of vegan options, some of my favourites were the coconut icecream, and the “Khao Tom Mad”, a grilled sweet sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves.

Aside from the shopping and food, Tha Phae Walking Street also had entertainment by street performers and musicians. The atmosphere was lively but relaxed… although the later it gets, the more people you have to navigate through. The market starts around 4pm and goes until around 10pm. If you go early, like we did, the temperature is still too hot for most, so crowds show up in droves as the sun sets.

Wat Inthakhin Sadue

As we meandered through the many, many stalls, we came to another temple. Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang “temple of the city navel”. It was smaller than the one we visited the previous night, but just as beautiful.

The temple is home to a large wooden city pillar, which is a symbol in Thai culture, believed to bring prosperity and stability to the city. It has elaborate wooden carvings, which adorn the walls and roof top, and is surrounded by enchanting Buddhist statues.

Even though it felt like we had been eating all afternoon, we still managed to find a spot to sit and enjoy dinner. Whilst dining, we were approached by a woman selling roses, she was encouraging men to buy a rose for their partner. However, it was our youngest son whose face lit up when he saw the roses, so we bought a bunch for him instead.

Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport

The Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport is, as the name states, located near the airport.

The shopping center is huge, with a great selection of shops spaced out over five levels. It also has lots of handicrafts on the ground level, where I bought a pair of beautifully unique earrings. They were hand-made by an elderly Thai gentleman out of brass and beads.

There is a Tops supermarket, Robinsons, Boots pharmacy, Watsons, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, and the usual fast food outlets too. Plus, they have a Food Park, which is kind of like a food court, where everyone can choose lunch from a different outlet, but eat together at one table. It works perfectly for our combined eclectic food choices. The prices for the Food Park meals are much better than fast food joints too, and so much nicer.

However… we did stop into Swensen’s Ice Creamery, where Shayne and the boys had some afternoon deliciousness.

We spent hours at Central Plaza, but also, shopping centres in Thailand open late, this one starts at 11am on weekdays and 10am on weekends. However, they do close at 9pm every night.

Central Festival Chiang Mai

Another huge shopping mall, Central Festival was up there amongst the best shopping complexes we’ve visited in Thailand (Bangkok aside).

It’s one of the largest in Northern Thailand, and is very western in style, with a lot of well known brands like Marks & Spencer, Zara and H&M. Although we spent most of our shopping time in the markets, escaping during the day to the airconditioned comfort of the mall, is a guilty pleasure for sure.

While we were eating lunch in the Food Park, we could see into the ice skating rink… yes, the center is that big, it has its own indoor skating rink! There’s a cinema here too, and a shuttle bus service that runs to various points in town.

As well as enjoying lunch here, we spent a fair bit of time playing games in their arcade.

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

The famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is open every single evening, from 5pm to midnight. We visited several times throughout our two weeks in Chiang Mai.

There are street vendors selling everything from clothing, jewelry and trinkets, to traditional Thai crafts and foods. The bazaar is set up in a street market style, with vendors displaying their wares on colourful stalls and street-side tables. We bought loads of t-shirts, you’ll see the boys wearing a lot of them in the photos throughout this blog post.

Ploen Ruedee Night Market

The Ploen Ruedee Night Market is a 2 minute walk from the Night Bazaar. I honestly lost count of how many nights we ended up eating here.

It’s an open air food court that has a plethora of food options. Once again, we found it a saving grace that we could all find something we loved. Prices are higher than the Bazaar, but they are targeting a western audience here, and for families with kids, this place nails it.

There is a dedicated vegan stall called V Secret, as well as vendors selling hot chips, gyoza, Tom Yum noodles, Thai curries, spring rolls, bao buns, a juice bar and ice cream. These are just the things we tried, there were loads more options that we didn’t.

There was live music here each night too, which created a great atmosphere, and a tarot card reader at the entrance. On one of the nights Ra had his fortune read, we had the details written down so we can see how that pans out in another couple of decades.

Siri-wattana Market (Tha-nin Market)

This cute little fresh food market was walking distance from the Opium, so we went past a few times during our two weeks in Chiang Mai.

It was a perfect spot to pick up some fruit to keep on hand in our apartment, and to buy drinks and snacks. Because it is a local market, you won’t find anything written in english, but unless you planned on cooking full meals from scratch, you won’t need to buy the things you don’t recognise anyway. We stuck to the things we knew, like dragonfruit, bananas, and rambutan.

Fair warning to my vegan friends, there is a LOT of raw meat and seafood at this market.

Reflecting on our Two Weeks in Chiang Mai

We all had an amazing vacation in Chiang Mai, and personally, it is now my current favourite destination in Thailand. I was drawn to this city, like any digital nomad, enticed by the allure of a new destination! Shayne says Phuket still holds that place for him, but he loved Chiang Mai all the same, and we all agreed that it was one of the best places to visit it Thailand.

We will be back again no doubt, to check out Bangkok, Hua Hin, Krabi, Koh Lanta and Khao Lak.

If you have any other suggestions, leave the in the comments or shoot me an email.

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