Whether you’re a person looking to immerse yourself in Thai culture and visit remote villages, an adventurer wanting to climb the highest limestone cliffs in Krabi, or someone that wants to be pampered in five-star resorts on white sand beaches, the different regions of Thailand have everything to offer. Comprised of 77 provinces and divided into four beautiful and diverse regions: Northern Thailand, Northeastern Thailand (Isan), Central Thailand, and Southern Thailand
Northern Thailand
Some of Thailand’s most remote areas are found here. Situated with Myanmar to the East and Loas to the North, Northern Thailand is well known for its rich culture, magnificent temples, and for hosting over 60 National Parks.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is first on this list because I want to get something out of the way. Animal tourism. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to about visiting Thailand has asked me if I got to ride elephants.
The answer is “No, did you know that riding elephants is painful for them and can cause permanent damage?”
In the early 1900s there was an estimated 100,000 wild elephants in Thailand. Today, there are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 elephants and half of them live in captivity. I love elephants and this makes me sad, and sometimes mad!
Elephant Nature Park: At the Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park, elephants get to roam free in a safe and wild habitat. Founded in 1998, the Elephant Nature Park is a 250-acre elephant rescue and rehabilitation center providing respite for over 100 retired elephants. Most of these elephants have been rescued from tourist riding, circus shows, and logging where they have sustained physical and mental trauma.
The founder of the Elephant Nature Park, Saengduean Lek Chailert, ensures these beautiful creatures are well taken care of and able to live their best life. She is one of the Thai elephants’ best activists and strives to educate other elephant handlers about best ethical practices.
Elephant Nature Park offers different tour packages and even offers an option for full board accommodation so visitors can stay close to the elephants. They also have volunteer opportunities for visitors wanting a more immersive experience.
Please be mindful when researching which ethical elephant sanctuary to visit. There are many businesses in Thailand that claim to be an ethical sanctuary but allow tourists to ride and bathe with the elephants, and some even keep their elephants chained in harsh conditions.
Okay, now that I got that out of the way….
Chiang Mai is the largest city in Northern Thailand and the second largest capitol city in all of Thailand. With nearly 1.5 million citizens there is plenty of accommodations, restaurants, and tourist activities to be found.
Wat Phra Singh: Visitors can easily spend an entire day visiting the many Wats in Chiang Mai. Wat Phra Singh is the city’s most admired temple and is immaculately tended by the Buddhist Monks and Nuns that live on the grounds.
The image of the Lion Buddha, Phra Singh, brings millions of visitors to Wat Phra Singh each year. Phra Singh is housed in a small chapel toward the back of the temple ground.
The Phra Sing dates to the 1300s and was protected in the late 1300s and came from Sri Lanka. Buddhist pilgrims who have traveled to sacred sites for thousands of years visit the Phra Singh year-round to pay respects to Phra Singh.
How to Get to Chiang Mai
- Air
Visitors can fly to Chiang Mai on domestic or international flights to the Chiang Mai International Airport. Individuals that are visiting different regions of Thailand will often fly to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, Phuket, or Krabi.
Transportation from the airport to your accommodation is more than easy to find. You can hail a cab which can be a very chaotic scene due to the multitude of drivers, or you can reserve your transport ahead of time and save yourself some anxiety. That’s what I do.
- Train
A favorite of many travelers, visitors can opt to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Chaing Mai which takes around 12 to 13 hours and travels through nine provinces. The sleeper train has first- and second-class sleepers with air-conditioning, a second-class sleeper with a fan and the cheapest option, the second-class seat.
Many travelers to Thailand swear this is an adventure not to miss. Transportation from the train station in Chiang Mai can be arranged the same way as from the airport. An added option here is the well-known Tuk Tuk.
- Rental Car or Private Driver
Visitors can rent their own vehicle in Thailand with the correct paperwork and temporary license. Many visitors rent scooters because they are affordable and available to rent everywhere.
I don’t recommend either of these options unless you have plenty of experience driving on the left side of the road, driving in foreign countries, and experience driving scooters, if that’s your thing.
Hiring a private car is easy to do throughout Thailand. There are many online services to reserve rides and hiring a driver helps to stimulate the economy and isn’t that much more expensive than public transport.
- Public Transport
The bus is an option for visitors coming from central and northern Thailand. Bus transport from Bangkok offers a sleeper bus and the journey takes about 12 hours. There are two bus stations in Chiang Mai, and which station you get dropped off at will depend on what time you arrive. Transportation options from the bus station are the same as from the airport or train station.
Chiang Rai
The most northern city in Thailand, Chiang Rai located about five hours from Chiang Mai, boasts beautiful Wats, hot springs, waterfalls, and much more.
Wat Rong Khun: No trip to Chiang Rai is complete without visiting the most visited temple in Chang Rai, the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun. This temple is privately owned and has been open to visitors since 1997. There is no fee for admission and donations under TBH 10,000 are accepted. It is said that the private owner of the White Temple does not want to be influenced by wealthy donors.
Chalermchai Kositpipat, a local artist from Chiang Rai is the the owner of Wat Rong Khun. Having purchased the temple in the late 1990s, Chalermichai Kositpipat has a vision to continue building on the property which is estimated to take another fifty years to complete!
Kositpipat has so far spent a little over 1 million Baht renovating and improving the temple and its grounds and has said many times that he will continue to work on this project no matter how long it takes to complete, as it will lead him to immortal life.
Kositpipat’s use of the color white and pieces of glass laid throughout the plaster represent the Buddha, while the glass symbolizes the Buddha’s wisdom and the Buddhist teachings, the Dhamma.
Khun Korn Waterfall: After a day visiting the grand Wat Rong Khun, what better than to see one of the province’s many lush waterfalls. There are many waterfalls in and around Chaing Rai, and Khun Korn Waterfall, the tallest in the province, is considered one of the best in Chiang Rai.
Located in the Khunkorn Forest park, approximately 40 minutes from Chiang Rai city, this waterfall is known to be one of the best in the province. There is no admission fee for this park and once you hit the trailhead it’s just under one mile (1.5 km) to the waterfall.
There are some steep sections to this trail, and some travelers have reported it to be steep, difficult, and full of mosquitoes.
It’s not that bad but do bring mosquito repellent and plenty of water!
At the end of the trail there is a short ascent down to get to the base of the waterfall which has room for swimming in in the shallow plunge pool.
How to get to Chiang Rai
- Air
The Mae Fah Luang Airport (CEI) is located 4.9 miles (8 km) north of Chiang Rai’s city center. This small airport has at least six airlines competing for the domestic route to Bangkok plus several daily international flights. Like Chiang Mai International airport, transportation from the airport to your accommodations can easily be found from the airport or with prior reservations.
- Rental Car or Private Driver
Just like in Chiang Mai, reserving a private car with a driver is easy and affordable. Renting a car or scooter for personal use is always an option, just not one I recommend.
- Long Tail Boat
Yes! The almost 81 mile (130km) long Mae Kok River runs all the way from Chiang Mai through Chiang Rai.
You can catch a boat from the Chiang Mai pier to the Chiang Rai pier.
- Public Transport
Chiang Rai is a major transport hub and sus transport from Bangkok offers a sleeper bus and the journey takes about 13 hours. Transportation options from the bus station are the same. There will be options for metered taxis, Tuk Tuks, and Songthaews (basically a taxi but almost always a red truck or red car).
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief description of Northern Thailand. Upcoming posts will explore the three remaining regions.
Please come back to read more and comment below if you have any questions or stories you’d like to share about your adventures in northern Thailand.