Northern Thailand - Chiang, Mai, Chaing Dao & Chaing Rai

After a week in Bangkok, Jamie and I hopped on a quick 90-minute flight to Chiang Mai! We knew we were traveling just a month after a major typhoon had hit the region, but since our hotel assured us that the city hadn’t flooded—and our flights were nonrefundable—we decided to go ahead with our plans.

I wasn't excited to fly with Thai Airlines again, but it worked out as the airline didn’t lose my suitcase this time! However, our luck took a turn when we arrived at the hotel, to be told that our week-long reservation had been canceled due to water shortages. After some discussion, the hotel allowed us to stay for one night free of charge, which gave us time to search for other accommodations. Despite the rough start, we quickly fell in love with Northern Thailand and stayed for four weeks. Here’s a recap of our standout moments and must-see sights...

Chiang Mai

Saturday & Sunday Walking Street

I knew we had to be in Chiang Mai on a Sunday because everything I read mentioned how incredible the markets were—and they lived up to the hype. Despite not having running water, our hotel was just a few steps away from the Sunday Walking Street, which is essentially a massive outdoor food market. They closed down entire blocks of the city with stalls selling delicious food, arts, and crafts. It was a shopper's paradise! My favorites were the fresh mochi-covered strawberries and takoyaki. The atmosphere was lively, with people browsing the stalls and enjoying the local treats.

Talking to Monks at Wat Suan Dok

One of the top things on my to-do list in Chiang Mai was talking to the monks. You can see monks at nearly every temple, but to improve their English, there are specific time slots when you can sit down with the monks and ask them questions. Be warned, there are around 300 temples in and around Chiang Mai, so you’ll want to carefully choose which ones to visit, or else you might find yourself getting temple fatigue after a while (we sure got close!).

The main temples we visited were Wat Suan Dok and Wat Chedi Luang. However, a little tip—don’t go to Wat Chedi Luang like we did, after 5 pm. I had read an article saying that the monks were available to talk until 6, but they actually stopped at 5, so we ended up at the temple for no reason. That said, when we did go, it happened to be a holiday, so we had the chance to see all the monks meditating and praying together, which turned out to be pretty unique.

Hike the Monk's Walk to Wat Pha Lat

I knew that we would want to do some kind of hike while we were in Chiang Mai since the region is surrounded by some beautiful mountains. I'm not a huge hiker, and it was 30 degrees, so this was not my favorite day. That being said, it was nice to be out in nature and surrounded by greenery.

Jamie and I chose to do the Monk's Walk to Wat Pha Lat because it gives the option to trek up to Doi Suthep or stop at Wat Pha Lat and head back down. Let me tell you, it was a gracious reminder that we don't hike as much as we should. The blogs said it should be about 45 minutes and 2 kilometers, but we took our sweet time. The temple at the top was beautiful, and I ended up lucking out because the route to the top ended up being closed.

Biking Doi Suthep

At this stage in the trip, I ended up catching the flu Jamie picked up on the plane, leaving me feeling pretty under the weather. After a day of rest, Jamie convinced me to rally, and we rented our first motorbike—one of many to come. They’re everywhere here, and with Jamie’s four years of driving in Dubai, he’s well prepared for the chaos.

Our destination was Doi Suthep, a mountain famous for, yes, another temple. What we hadn’t realized, though, was that reaching Wat Phra That Doi Suthep involved climbing more than 300 steps. I wasn’t feeling 100%, so the trek was slow and steady, but I made it to the top in one piece. The temple itself was nothing crazy, I think this is when we began to get templed-out.

From there, we continued to Doi Hua Moo Viewpoint, where we could see the sweeping views of Chiang Mai below. The winding roads and the less-than-stellar brakes on our rental bike added a bit of excitement to the journey, but riding through the city’s hills was a beautiful way to get familiar with the bike.

Huay Tueng Thao Reservoir

After riding around the mountain, I wanted a low-key day, so I suggested we take the bike out to Huay Tueng Thao, a large reservoir surrounded by restaurants. Getting there wasn’t exactly smooth sailing—we nearly wandered into a military area but the guards kindly gave us directions in broken English. The journey included a stretch on the highway, which, on a motorbike, was honestly a bit terrifying.

Once we arrived, we paid the 50 baht entrance fee (about $1.43 USD), giving us access to a variety of activities, including a zipline and a sculpture park. Although we didn’t end up swimming, we settled into one of the huts along the water’s edge for lunch. It was a peaceful escape from the city and a great chance to unwind in nature, soaking in the quiet and slower pace.

Maerim Elephant Sanctuary

Northern Thailand offers SO many options to see elephants, but we were repeatedly cautioned to research thoroughly to find an ethical site. Many places still force elephants to carry tourists and punish them if they stop moving, which we wanted to avoid. Following a recent typhoon, some sanctuaries were also temporarily closed, narrowing our choices.

We chose Maerim due to its proximity, just a 45-minute drive from our hotel compared to others' 90 minutes. Upon arrival, we changed and got hands-on with the elephants—feeding, walking, and even bathing them. Each elephant had a unique story, from former labor and trekking camps to circuses. Spending the day with these gentle giants, and helping care for them, quickly became one of the biggest highlights of our trip.

Honorable Mention: Sixcret Show

Thailand is famous for its ladyboy shows, so seeing one was a must on my list. Jamie found Sixcret in Chiang Mai, and it did not disappoint! Despite being in a bar with a small stage, the show was packed with energy—choreographed numbers, backup dancers, and impressive special effects, like flaming props and lasers. Be warned, though, the performers interact with the audience quite a bit... We were glad to be along the wall, especially when they pulled a guy's shirt off during their performance.

Chaing Dao

After two weeks of being around the old center of Chaing Mai, I was ready to move to our next destination. We had heard Pai was incredible, but more in the hippy backpacker scene with lots of yoga retreats. After talking to some people in the city and researching online, I stumbled across Chiang Dao.

About 80 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao was known to be a small city in the mountains with incredible views. Jamie was keen to have some quiet time, so we decided to head out and get a taxi to Chiang Dao. It ended up being one of the best choices of our trip so far.

Chiang Dao Cave

This was one of the more unique things we have done in Asia as you navigate a cave system by lantern light. There are tour guides who speak little English who carry a kerosene lamp and show you around the inner part of Chiang Dao Cave. The first half of the cave is a temple, and then the journey into darkness starts. It was really interesting seeing large clusters of bats together and imagining what it would be like on your own without the light.

Khampanna Café

I had read about this cafe having one of the best views in Chiang Dao and they were right. We visited twice during our four-day trip, and just relaxed and looked for birds. It was rainy season when we visited, and the moment we sat down under the hut, the skies opened up and poured buckets. There was something very special about waiting out the storm and just soaking in the views of the mountain and rice fields.

Tea-Making Experience at Treehouse Hideaway

I had high hopes for this one, and I don't quite think they were reached. We arrived at this hotel in the middle of the jungle, and arguably, the bike ride there was more amazing than the experience we paid for. We had a 30-minute ride from our homestay into the jungle, with sprawling trees surrounding us.

Once we got to the Treehouse Hideaway, I think it was clear they forgot to arrange a guide for us. After finding someone, we set out on a small 20-minute hike into a cliffside covered in tea leaves. We harvested some leaves and then climbed into a treehouse where our guide had us roast the leaves before putting them in water to make fresh tea. I think it's safe to say that Jamie and I prefer our tea to be black with some milk, but it was unique to make green tea from start to finish and hike alongside the local dogs who came into the jungle with us for protection.

Chiang Dao Hot Springs

One of the parts of Chiang Dao that I was looking forward to the most was the hot springs. Big concrete 'hot tubs,' each pool had a different temperature and you could get out and cool down in the nearby river. This kind of created a Scandinavian spa experience where we got in and out of the hot and cold water sources. The smell of the minerals was strong, but it was a nice way to start the day relaxing in nature.

After the hot springs, we drove to a nearby mountain to get a view from the Doi Luang Chiang Dao Viewpoint. This turned out a little sketchy because there were a lot of landslides recently from the monsoon that left the road pretty muddy. The road is super steep, so it took a lot out of Jamie to drive and be mindful of the path ahead. This was just ok, the view we got was mostly the mountain on a partly cloudy day, so I don't know that it was worth the stressful navigation.

Chaing Rai

After four days in Chiang Dao, we came back to Chiang Mai to rest for the night before getting on the bus to Chiang Rai. A city known for its temples, there isn't much here besides visiting the Black House, Blue Temple, and white temple, but it's quite popular because it's on the route you take to go from Thailand to Laos. We originally planned to take the slow boat into Luang Prabang from Thailand, so into Chiang Rai we went.

White & Blue Temple

The White Temple was packed, and I guess that’s no surprise because the architecture is stunning. What caught me off guard, though, was finding out it’s not as old as it looks—it was built in 1997. The inside walls were covered in superheroes and pop culture characters. Not what you’d think you’d find in a place where people worship and make offerings. At breakfast the day before, we met some girls from Northern Ireland who told us to check out the cave next to the White Temple. Honestly, it gave me haunted-house vibes with its Grim Reaper carvings at the entrance and spooky music echoing through. So of course, I made Jamie go in first.

By the time we thought about visiting the Blue Temple, we were pretty much "templed out." But since it was just eight minutes from our hostel, we grabbed a taxi on the last night of our trip. Surprisingly, it turned out to be better than I expected. A group of school kids were practicing some kind of performance, so we had entertainment while we hung around. The weather was cooler than when we visited the White Temple in the middle of the day, and the temple was nearly empty except for the performers. Plus, it was all lit up, which gave it a different vibe from the other temples we’d visited.

Khun Korn Forest Park Waterfall

After visiting the White Temple, we followed the advice of our bike rental host and drove to the nearby waterfall. Any drive that takes us through the jungle becomes one of my happy places of the trip, and this had us meandering through some beautiful views. We got to the base of the nature park around 3:30 pm and passed a sign saying to be back by 4:30 pm. We debated if it was worth heading out, but opted to go for it since the trail was only 1.5 kilometers long.

The route to the 70-meter-high waterfall was beautiful and well-shaded. I only wish I had better gear on than my croc slides and long skirt from the temple. We had the trail to ourselves most of the time, and it was quite up and down going through some streams really making us feel like we were carving the paths ourselves. We ended up getting back to our bike around 5:15 pm and the trail was definitely starting to get dark, so I can see why they signpost warnings!

Not Our Best Day

Like I said, there wasn't much to do in Chaing Rai, but I was interested in finishing off the big three tourist sites so we set off to see what the hype was about the Black House or Baan Dam Museum. I had read online that this wasn't a temple site but instead, a famous art museum where technology helped to bring the paintings to life. I think we ended up being here for 10 minutes, I can't say it was worth the 30-minute drive out of the city. I guess I should preface by saying Jamie and I aren't art people, but it certainly didn't live up to the accolades I had heard from other tourists and blog sites.

Feeling a bit disappointed, we biked back towards town stopping at the Wat Huay Pla Kang, also known as the Big Buddha. This was pretty cool as we could see it as we approached it due to its large size and position on a hill. We ended up opting not to go and see it up close, as things of this size are always better appreciated from a distance, and went to Lalitta Cafe to end our day with a beverage and to give Jamie a break from all of the driving. The good ol' Northern Ireland girls recommended the cafe as well, and you can see why it was all over TikTok. The cafe doubles as a photo spot, where you pay for an entrance fee to their garden and then get that money back redeemable on food and beverages. We each got a soda and explored their waterfall and foggy atmosphere before calling it a day.

Honorable Mention: Chakrapad Chicken Rice

I have to give a shout-out to Chakrapad Chicken Rice because we ate here five times in three days. One morning, I was wandering around looking for a bakery and some croissants when I passed by this chicken joint confused about how it was packed at 9:00 a.m. That kind of crowd that early? It had to be good. Later that night, after I dragged Jamie to a market for dinner that didn’t exist (oops), the chicken restaurant became plan B since it was just around the corner.

This spot wasn’t just popular with locals (always a good sign); it was affordable with a small menu, which usually means everything on it has been perfected. It quickly became one of our go-to places in Chiang Rai. Who can resist crispy fried chicken, sweet chili sauce, and garlic rice? It was SO good.

Time For Another Pivot

We ended up spending a while in Chiang Rai because we couldn't decide if the slow boat into Laos was the right move. There was a lot of mixed feedback online, and we get pretty motion-sick, so 7 hours on a boat for two days in a row didn't sound like the best experience. Couple that with the research we were doing not leaving us overly excited about Laos led to us ditching our original plan and booking a flight from Chiang Rai with a quick layover in Bangkok to get us into Hanoi, Vietnam!

With our visas processed in the nick of time, we set off for our second country in Southeast Asia as we continued our exploration as a couple of crazy kids playing the role of digital nomads.