Chiang Mai adventure and 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
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 mobile: 08 4695 3959).
Flight of the Gibbon: is a highly recommended family day out for all ages and sizes to 'ape' the gibbon life and swing through the mountains jungle tree tops on zip lines. Recently opened, it takes you on a thrilling three-hour canopy tour as you zip between ancient dipterocarpus trees, sometimes 50 meters above the ravine floor. It has been internationally certified for safety and takes you through the lush mountain forest of Mae Takhrai national park in the eco-village of Mae Kampong, which is up in the untouristy Mae On range east of the city....more on treetop tours and visiting the jungle.
Trekking: perhaps the most popular activity for adventurers coming to Chiang Mai. The province is laden with mountain landscape and a multi-day trek to the remote hilltribe villages, with their subsistence lifestyle – is quite an experience. Numerous companies offer various treks, often from the guest house you might be staying at or else from travel agents congregated around the Thapae Gate and Night Market areas. More on trekking in Northern Thailand..
Travellers tale: Real wild one!
Rafting the Mae Tang can be a hair raising experience but its certain to be one of the most exciting things you do in Thailand...more
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. You can however follow your tourist maps to the Mae Sa valley (north of the city) and drive up into the mountains until you chance upon the Elephant Camp. In fact it 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. More on the Mae Sa valley, including activities and show times.
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.
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
Travellers tale: A mountain to climb
Experience Northern Thailand from the saddle of a bike, with a weeklong ride from Chiang Mai to the Goldern Triangle...more
Enduro biking and dirt biking in Northern Thailand
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 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), Fitness Thailand (above Rimping supermarket beside the Novotel), Body and Mind (diagonally across from the airport terminals) and Power House Gym (18/1 Nimminhemin soi 6).
Tennis and golf
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). In fact Chiang Mai is one of the best places in Thailand and Asia to play golf with the choice of more than 10 city and country clubs all at reasonable prices for a quality day of golfing. More on golf in Chiang Mai.
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.
Muay Thai - kick boxing
This ancient Thai martial art has gained prominence throughout the world thanks to a few hollywood blockbusters. It’s also popular with foreigners here in Thailand, who come specially to train, learn and fight. There are camps in all tourist areas of Thailand including several in Chiang Mai that offer various programs and schedules. Lanna Muay Thai, run by a Canadian and local teachers is one option if you want to stay and focus on learning or improving your skill. Another is Muay Thai Sangha, whom we recommend and which has an impressive lineage of teachers and follows ancient methods. Both offer accomodation and full training programs, entering their fights in bouts regularly. If you would rather just spectate then it’s worth the 300-400 baht entry to the regular Friday night matches at the Thai Boxing stadium near Kawila barracks. The fights are exciting and real spectacles with a great atmosphere egged on by the unique ‘snake-charming’ minstrels who traditionally accompany the action. More on Muay Thai courses.
Rock Climbing
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
The X-Centre
Featured in the Amazing Race Asia, this multi-activity centre is about the most fun you can have in the Mae Rim area, with its paintball action, bungy jump, go-cart track, and motorbike or 4-wheeler buggy excursions on to the mountain. A restaurant is also located on site, professionally managed by experienced Kiwi-Thai team, with hotel pickup Tel: 053 297700. www.chiangmai-xcentre.com, email sales@chiangmai-xcentre.com.
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. More on metaphysical pursuits.
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.
Fishing
Believe it or not you can also go fishing in Chiang Mai at lakes out in Sankhampeng that are well stocked. Dream Lake and Paradise Lake are two places that you can visit, hire rods and have some success in hooking a variety of species such as catfish, carp, pike and tilapia among others. For visitors it’s most practical to arrange a day trip with Dream Lake Fishing tours, who lay everything on and know where the fish are biting. There are several other smaller lakes that Thais like to try their luck in with their own equipment, usually there is a small fee, but the more they charge the better stocked the lake.
Recommended Tours
Northern Thailand moutain bike challenge (10 days/9 nights)
Chiang Dao family biking adventure (2 days/1 night)
Trekking on Doi Inthanon (2 days/ 1night)
Trekking the Golden Triangle (4 days, 3 nights)
- Scenic Mae Hong Son loop drive
- Drive to Thailand’s highest mountain top
- Northern Thailand trekking guide
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