I stayed in Chiang Mai for a couple of weeks and am sharing some of the activities I did here. I stayed in the Mae Wang area as well as the Old Town (city center) volunteering as an online English teacher as well as a yoga teacher. My time in Chiang Mai was simply AMAZING- the weather was perfect, the people were very nice, and festivals & events were enjoyable! Connecting with the locals at the morning markets, and buying groceries were one of the favorite parts of staying in Chiang Mai.
I also took an excursion with one of the hiking groups in Chiang Mai. The host holds at least one or two outings every week (mostly on the weekends), where people sign up in the WhatsApp group. All people who participate in the group outings split gas for Rod Daeng (Chiang Mai's pick up truck) or van and pay the entrance fee if needed. It was a great way to meet expats, travelers and digital noamds while spending time outside exploring the surrounding areas.
WhatsApp Group Link https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kwq8bgnpaUlGi0Cmjx1YXE
New Year Fireworks and Lantern Release
I usually don't stay up late at night, but I love celebrating special days like The New Year to see fireworks, so I got a short nap during the day. Chiang Mai was filled with so many people, especially the last week of December. Everyone came out to release lanterns (people brought their own lanterns, which they purchased online) and people shot fireworks too. It was a bit chaotic though- there were no countdowns (which was weird), lanterns were not released properly so they got hung on trees, and there were some accidents where the fireworks were released randomly at people (which was super dangerous). Otherwise, everything went well and it was great to celebrate the New Year with my former fellow volunteers at Mae Wang.
Celebrating the New Year!
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
My friend told me I should go visit the Flower Festival so I went to see the flowers on the first day of 2025. They had a fountain show every day at 6:30 pm so it was a great idea to go in the evening. Along with the fountain show, they did fireworks too! If you are visiting Chiang Mai end of the year through early New Year, I highly recommend visiting the flower festival. One thing I liked about the festival was that I got to take tons of photos of sunflowers. It was weird to see the sunflower field in January
Location: Chiang Mai Pao Park (15-min. from Chiang Mai city center.
Tickets: Free Admission
Hours: 8:30 am-11 pm
Dates: November 29, 2024, through January 5th, 2025
(FYI, there is another flower festival in Chiang Mai, which will run from Jan 31, 2025, through February 2, 2025. There will be a parade from Nawarat Bridge to Thapae Road, Kotchasarn Road, Changlor Road and to Nong Buak Haad Public Park)
Wat Pha Lat (Monk's Trail) Trail
I went on this hike with my hostel. This is a very popular trail in Chiang Mai, so I was looking for ways to get there, but I was so lucky that my hostel organized a trip for a sunrise hike. I hiked with a great group of people who made the trip enjoyable. It was fulfilling to catch the sunrise first thing in the morning, and it felt productive to start the day early. We met at the hostel reception at 6 am, arrived at the trailhead around 6:30 am, reached the sunrise viewpoint at the Wat Pha Lat Temple around 7 am (made just in time), and came back down. I hoped we could get to the Doi Suthep summit, but our group ended up hiking all the way to the temple only and came back down. The hike itself was extremely short and beginner-friendly. I highly recommend catching sunrise here!
Location: Doi Suthep National Park
Entrance Fee: None
Wat Pha Lat Temple Roundtrip: ~2.05 miles. Beginner friendly. Dogs are allowed on the trail.
Doi Suthep Summit Roundtrip: ~7+ miles.
Sticky Waterfall
I was planning to join a group at a different hostel near Old Town to share a ride to Sticky Waterfalls. It was an hour away from the city center so rideshare was the only way to get there. Grab or Bolt won't work because there is no way you can head back to the city. Rideshare can be tricky; you need a certain number of people (at least 8) to split the costs to reserve one of the Rod Daengs (red pickup trucks) that can take you there. Some hostels in the city organize groups so that people can visit the waterfalls. After yoga, one of the staff members at the Yard (where I volunteered as a yoga teacher) offered to eat out for breakfast, but I told her I needed to head out to catch the rod daeng to make it in time to meet a group heading to the waterfall and I offered if we can hang out at a later time. She said she would also like to join and we ended up forming a group of four, including both of us, from our hostel. She had her own car, so we split the gas between the four of us and headed straight to the waterfall. We dropped by 7-Eleven on our way to get snacks & food for a picnic lunch.
Location: Buatong Waterfall-Chet Si Fountain National Park
Entrance Fee: None
Hours: 8 am-5pm daily
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate (You walk down some stairs to the bottom of the waterfall and you climb up the waterfall. Limestones can be slippery!)
How to prep: Bring waterproof clothes, a swimsuit, or a bikini! You will get wet! Sandals or waterproof shoes can help but bare feet also work! Lockers are available on-site, but you can bring a small bag to carry it with you.
Amenities: Did you know that Thailand also has a National Park Passport? You can purchase one for 100~150 baht depending on where/how you get them. Similar to the US, you get a stamp, but the staff here also draws an animal on your passport. No junior ranger stamps in Thailand, but you get a cute drawing of an animal instead.
You can also buy food at a kiosk on-site. Campsites were also available for campers, although we didn't see any.
One of the cool things that we did after climbing up the waterfall was a quick walk through Chet Si Fountain (Seven Colors Fountain). The nature trail was under construction but it was easy to access the Seven Colors Fountain, No hiking required.
Chiang Mai is great for nature lovers. Chiang Mai is in a prime location to go on day trips in the mountains, check out national parks, and even go camping. Chiang Mai is perfect for those who want to enjoy city life and also do a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle as well. I truly enjoyed my time in Chiang Mai and I hope to come back to explore more.
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