Northern Thailand · TOUR REVIEWS

The 15 Best Chiang Mai Tours, From Moat to Mountain

749 tours  ·  from $5 a head

Four days or a fortnight, Chiang Mai hands you more good mornings than you have. The 15 below are the trips that justify one, each with its price, its length and the people it suits, and the rest of the catalogue underneath.

Half-Day Thai Cooking Class at Organic Farm in Chiang Mai - Five kinds of cooking, with plenty of hands-on work
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Half-Day Thai Cooking Class at Organic Farm in Chiang Mai

1.Half-Day Thai Cooking Class at Organic Farm in Chiang Mai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19,087 reviews · from $29Our pick

Start with hotel pickup and a short visit to a Chiang Mai market, then head to Smile Organic Farm Cooking School. Choose dishes to make across five categories, explore the herb garden, and cook with guidance from instructors such as Luna, Love, K, or Cici. Vegetarian, vegan, mild, and spicy options are available.

“Such a great experience ‘Team Luna’, we loved that you could select your own cooking menu! Everything was organised so well, I highly recommend!”

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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting - A waterfall stop before the elephants
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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting

2.Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 9,160 reviews · 9 hours · from $60

Spend nine hours outside Chiang Mai with rescued elephants at Pon Elephant Thailand, where you can feed them, walk nearby, and join them in the river. The day also includes a waterfall stop, lunch, and bamboo rafting on the Mae Wang River. Guides such as Nop, Paul, Yaya, and Sunny have led recent trips, though your guide may differ.

“We had a fabulous day, unlike anything we had done before. Our guide was great and she took very good care of us. The elephants have a lovely life and we enjoyed seeing them close up in the beautiful surroundings. The staff looking after them are great. We were transported there and back in a comfortable vehicle with an experienced driver.”

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Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon National Park Eco-Friendly Tour - Ang Ka’s short boardwalk is an easy forest walk
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Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon National Park Eco-Friendly Tour

3.Doi Inthanon National Park Eco-Friendly Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6,667 reviews · 9 hours · from $46

Spend nine hours exploring Doi Inthanon National Park with a guide, from the summit and a 360-meter boardwalk to the Twin Pagodas, a hill village coffee stop and Wachirathan Waterfall. Guides such as Nom, Jin and Jackie have earned praise for adding local context and keeping the day lively. Transport is included, while lunch and some entry fees may cost extra.

“Doi Inthanon is totally worth visiting of you are staying in Chiang Mai. The hill tribe coffee degustation makes for a nice break too. Our guide was very nice and helpful!”

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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary & Waterfall Group Tour - Feeding, walking, and watching the elephants
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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary & Waterfall Group Tour

4.Elephant Sanctuary & Waterfall Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 5,780 reviews · 7 hours · from $50

Travel about 80 minutes from Chiang Mai to Pon Elephant Thailand for a guided visit with rescued elephants: learn their stories, prepare snacks, feed them, walk nearby, and, if conditions allow, help cool them in the river. Then head to Mae Wang Waterfall for a short nature hike and a swim when safe. Guides such as Beer, Yaya, and Nop have led the tour.

“Such an amazing day at Pon Elephant Sanctuary from start to finish, our guide was great, the sanctuary was amazing and the elephants are really chilled and are really well looked after by the staff”

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Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Temples, Karen Tribe and Hot Springs - The Karen village: meet the visit with care
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Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Temples, Karen Tribe and Hot Springs

5.Chiang Rai Temples, Karen Tribe and Hot Springs

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5,401 reviews · 11 hours - 810 minutes · from $35

This $35 full-day tour links Chiang Rai’s White and Blue Temples, Huay Pla Kang Temple, Mae Kachan Hot Springs and a Karen long-neck village. Expect a long coach ride, an English-speaking guide, time to explore each stop and a village entrance fee of 300 baht. Bring your own earphones for the multilingual audio guide.

“You can visit many places in a short period of time. The guide was super nice and informative. I enjoyed the tour.”

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Chiang Mai: Cooking Class, Market & Thai Herbs Garden Tour - The Garden Turns Ingredients Into a Meal
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Chiang Mai: Cooking Class, Market & Thai Herbs Garden Tour

6.Cooking Class, Market & Thai Herbs Garden Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4,824 reviews · 3h 30m · from $31

Spend three and a half hours with a local Thai instructor, starting at a Chiang Mai market and continuing in an organic kitchen garden. Choose dishes to cook, pound curry paste with a mortar and pestle, and finish with mango sticky rice. Instructors include Wave, Tu, Flook, Kat, Balloon, Toey, and Mew.

“Everything was well organised, the market tour was great and Balloon, our guide and cook is great and fun”

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Chiang Mai: Authentic Cooking Class with Market & Farm Visit - Your own station, with help at every step
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Chiang Mai: Authentic Cooking Class with Market & Farm Visit

7.Authentic Cooking Class with Market & Farm Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4,546 reviews · 210 minutes - 7 hours · from $34

Visit a Chiang Mai market, tour Grandma’s organic farm, then cook Thai favorites at your own station. Full-day classes add traditional coconut-milk making; instructors such as Kiki, Jimmie, and Patty lead sessions in English. Choose a morning, afternoon, evening, or full-day option.

“Would highly recommend this for anyone in Chiang Mai. One of the highlights of our honeymoon trip and the Khao Soi was the best!”

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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary Feeding Program Half-Day Tour - First, learn how to behave around elephants
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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary Feeding Program Half-Day Tour

8.Elephant Sanctuary Feeding Program Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4,527 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $27

Travel south from Chiang Mai to Pon Elephant Thailand for a five-hour visit with English- and Thai-speaking guides. Learn about elephant behaviour, prepare herbal treats, feed the animals and walk with rangers. If the elephants choose to go, you may also join them at the river. Guides such as Pat, Jackie and Toto have been praised for making the visit informative and fun.

“Toto and On are the best guides! They taught us so much and made it really fun and funny. Highly recommended!”

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Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai - A bright, clean kitchen with room to work
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Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai

9.Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,358 reviews · from $42

Spend about six hours cooking Thai and Akha dishes with an instructor at Thai Akha Kitchen. Morning classes add a market visit and ingredient shopping; both sessions include an individual cooking station, a meal of your creations, Akha coffee, a recipe book, and pickup and drop-off within 3 km of central Chiang Mai.

“Excellent experience. Very well organized. It was a little long for us but still enjoyable. We would recommend.”

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Chiang Rai White Temple and Blue Temple Day Tour - The road north from Chiang Mai
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Chiang Rai White Temple and Blue Temple Day Tour

10.Chiang Rai White Temple and Blue Temple Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,366 reviews · from $27

Travel from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai for three distinctive temples: the art-filled White Temple, the blue-hued Wat Rong Suea Ten, and Wat Saeng Kaew Phothiyan. The day includes a coffee stop, a lunch break at your own expense, an English, French, Spanish, or Chinese-speaking guide, and roughly six hours of driving. Guides such as Avi, Banana, and Atii have earned particular praise for their care and clear explanations.

“Pranom was a very nice and informative tour guide. We had a wonderful day in Chiang Rai.”

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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary, Long Neck & Sticky Waterfall - The Long Neck village stop
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Chiang Mai: Elephant Sanctuary, Long Neck & Sticky Waterfall

11.Elephant Sanctuary, Long Neck & Sticky Waterfall

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,262 reviews · 9 hours · from $63

This nine-hour Chiang Mai day trip pairs close-up elephant care with a Long Neck village visit and a climb at Buatong Sticky Waterfall. You’ll make herbal treats, feed elephants, and have the chance to bathe with them in a river. English-speaking guides include Fluke, Amy, Tiger, and Bella, though your guide depends on the day.

“It was the best trip I have done in my life! And Fluke was the greatest guide ever!”

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Chiang Mai: White, Red/Black & Blue Temples Tour with Lunch - Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple
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Chiang Mai: White, Red/Black & Blue Temples Tour with Lunch

12.White, Red/Black & Blue Temples Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 2,017 reviews · 12 hours · from $33

Travel from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai with an English or Thai-speaking guide, stopping at the White and Blue Temples and, depending on the tour plan, the Red Temple or Baan Dam Museum. The day also includes lunch, Mae Kachan Hot Spring and an optional Karen village visit. Guides such as Danai, Andy and Pom have led trips, but names vary.

“The temples were so beautiful and the trip was so worth it. The lunch was buffet style and really delicious.”

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From Chiang Mai: Elephant Care Program and Nursery Tour - Meet the elephants on their terms
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From Chiang Mai: Elephant Care Program and Nursery Tour

13.Elephant Care Program and Nursery Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,899 reviews · 5 - 6 hours · from $53

Travel from central Chiang Mai to Mae Tang for a half-day visit with rescued elephants. An English-speaking guide introduces their behavior and care before you prepare food, feed them, and join or watch their mud-pool play and bath. A Thai vegetarian buffet and hotel transfers are included. Guides have included Francesco, Tin, and Disney, though assignments vary.

“I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who would like to have an extraordinarily special encounter with the elephants. K’Neung & K’Ann were both amazing and made the experience wonderful. The program in the tour is packed with so much activities and encounters with the elephants without compromising safety and ethical practices. Everyone in the rescue park were very friendly, accomodating and very professional. Loolinh forward to taking this tour again when I am back in Chiang Mai. Thank you very much!”

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Chiang Mai: Doi Suthep and Wat Umong Enchanting Evening Tour - What a good guide adds to the visit
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Chiang Mai: Doi Suthep and Wat Umong Enchanting Evening Tour

14.Doi Suthep and Wat Umong Enchanting Evening Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,811 reviews · 5 hours · from $27

Spend an evening at Wat Umong and Doi Suthep with a local guide, air-conditioned transport, and both temple entry fees included. Explore Wat Umong’s tunnels, then climb 309 steps to the hilltop temple for sunset views, city lights, and a monk-led ceremony. Guides on this route have included TomTam, Boon, Atii, James, and Happy.

“we had a super guide, TomTam, and driver, James. Trip was well paced and Tom was full of good information about Thailand, the Lanna people, the sights we saw and Buddhism in Thailand. A tour and tour guide I would highly recommend. Tom's english was excellent and we could tell that he loved his job.”

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Doi Inthanon Waterfall and Royal Project Chiang Mai - Karen village and the Hmong market
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Doi Inthanon Waterfall and Royal Project Chiang Mai

15.Doi Inthanon Waterfall and Royal Project Chiang Mai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,735 reviews · from $50

Leave central Chiang Mai by air-conditioned van for a full day in Doi Inthanon National Park. Visit Wachiratharn Falls, a Karen village, a Hmong market, the country’s highest point, the Ang Ka boardwalk and the Twin Royal Pagodas. Lunch, bottled water and an English-speaking guide are included. Small groups are capped at nine; park and pagoda entry fees cost extra.

“We learnt about the good work the royal family had done for the community , saw some spectacular natural beauty , the rainforest at the top of the mountain and the waterfall.. we were gently and expertly guided by I’ve”

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New in Tour Reviews

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Doi Suthep Tours82Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuaries72Chiang Mai Cooking Classes65Doi Inthanon Tours75Chiang Rai Day Trips75Chiang Mai Temple Tours56
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