Chiang Mai tours

The best Chiang Mai tours, picked for a group

Chiang Mai tours split into the mountains, the temples and the food: Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon, the Old City and Chiang Rai, then a cooking class and the night markets.

The best Chiang Mai day tours fill one big day out and one slow city day, and the group keeps the evenings for Nimman.

We run private tours in Chiang Mai: your own host and your own car, timed to your group and not to a minibus.

Send Tanner your dates and your number, and he plans the days.

Doi Suthep at sunset

Doi Suthep is the Chiang Mai tour every first trip needs: the gold chedi of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on the mountain west of the city, with the whole valley below.

Climb the naga staircase or take the tram, then stay for the light going down over the city.

Go late afternoon on a clear day, and pair it with dinner in Nimman on the way down.

More for the city and the hills: see things to do in Chiang Mai.

Ask Tanner to have the car at the hotel at 4pm.

Doi Inthanon, the top of Thailand

Doi Inthanon is the full-day mountain tour: the summit stands 2,565 m above sea level, the highest point in Thailand, the Department of National Parks lists (checked November 2026).

The day takes in the twin royal pagodas near the top, the waterfalls on the way up and a hill-tribe market.

It's cold at the summit at dawn in December and January, so bring a jacket.

Leave early, because the road up is long and the views are clearest before noon.

Ask Tanner for the van at 7am and a guide who knows the trails.

An ethical elephant sanctuary

An ethical elephant sanctuary is the day tour for watching rescued elephants walk and feed in the forest, with no riding.

Riding is still legal in Thailand: the 2020 elephant welfare rules in the Royal Gazette limit loads, ages and working hours, but don't ban it, so pick a sanctuary that doesn't offer it.

Elephant Nature Park, north of the city, doesn't offer riding, its own site says.

It's a full morning in the hills out of the city, so plan the afternoon by the pool.

Ask Tanner to book the visit and the van.

The Old City temples

The Old City temple tour is the slow first morning: Wat Phra Singh, the ruined chedi of Wat Chedi Luang, and the quiet lanes inside the moat.

Dress for it: covered shoulders and knees, and shoes off before you go inside, the Thai government's temple guide says.

Go early, before the heat, and finish with coffee in a lane cafe.

Ask Tanner for a guide who tells the stories behind the temples.

Chiang Rai and the White Temple

Chiang Rai is the long day tour from Chiang Mai: the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun, then the Blue Temple and the Black House.

Chiang Rai is about 3 hours 25 minutes from the Old City by car, 184 km (Google Maps, checked November 2026).

The White Temple has charged foreign visitors ฿200 since 1 January 2026, the temple announced, with free entry for visitors aged 70 and over.

TAT lists the Black House, Baan Dam Museum, at ฿80, open daily from 9am to 5pm.

The bus won't stop at the temple; your own van will. See Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai.

Ask Tanner to leave at 7am, and you're back for dinner.

A Thai cooking class

A cooking class is the half-day tour the whole group enjoys: a market walk for the ingredients, then four or five dishes at your own station.

Morning classes start with the market; evening classes end with dinner you made yourselves.

Book a private class for a big group, so you have the kitchen to yourselves.

Ask Tanner to book the class and the car.

The night markets

The Sunday Walking Street is the night market to see: about 1.5 km along Ratchadamnoen Road through the Old City, held every week since 2002, Chiang Mai Municipality says.

TAT lists the Night Bazaar on Chang Khlan Road as the city's other big market.

Eat as you walk, then the car takes you on to Nimman.

For the bars and the late spots, see the Chiang Mai nightlife guide.

Tell Tanner the night, and he books the table after.

Lanna culture and the villages

Chiang Mai was the capital of the old Lanna kingdom, and the culture tour shows you what's left of it: a khantoke dinner on low tables with Lanna dancing, then the craft villages east of the city.

Bo Sang is the umbrella village, and San Kamphaeng the silk and weaving road; the van stops wherever the group wants to buy.

For a slower day, a mountain village such as Mae Kampong has coffee, homestays and cool air.

Songkran, from 13 to 15 April 2027, turns the moat around the Old City into one big water fight.

Ask Tanner to book the dinner and the village day.

Ziplines, rafting and the jungle

The adventure tour is a day in the hills north of the city: a jungle zipline, rafting on the Mae Taeng, or ATVs through the valley.

Do one big activity in the morning, then a pool afternoon before the evening.

Every option, side by side: see adventure activities in Chiang Mai.

Ask Tanner to pick the one that suits your group.

Private tour or group tour?

A private tour wins for a group: you leave when you're ready, stop where you want, and the car waits.

A shared tour is cheaper per seat but runs to its own clock, with hotel pick-ups and fixed stops.

Tour companies in Thailand must hold a tourism business licence, the Thai government's travel guide says, so ask to see it before you pay anyone.

Ask Tanner to price your day.

A one-day Chiang Mai city tour

Here's the day we plan most for a first visit:

• 8am: Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang, before the heat.
• 11am: coffee and lunch in the Old City lanes.
• 2pm: a pool afternoon at the hotel.
• 4:30pm: Doi Suthep for the sunset.
• 8pm: dinner in Nimman, then a rooftop and live music.

Plan it with Tanner, and the car is with you from 8am.

When to go, and how many days

Go from November to January: the air is clear, the evenings are cool and the mountain views are at their best.

Chiang Mai's smoky season runs mainly from February to April, the provincial office's reports show, so plan the mountain days earlier in the year.

Yi Peng runs from 23 to 25 November 2026, with sky lanterns only on 24 and 25 November in permitted areas, the Chiang Mai tourism office says.

June to October is the rainy season: the hills are green and the waterfalls full, so plan the mountain days for the morning.

Three days covers it: one for the city and Doi Suthep, one for Doi Inthanon or the elephants, and one for Chiang Rai.

Flying or the sleeper train up: see Bangkok to Chiang Mai, and for landing, the Chiang Mai airport transfer.

Send Tanner your days, and he fills them.

Chiang Mai tours in short

• Doi Suthep: the gold temple above the city, best at sunset.

• Doi Inthanon: Thailand's highest mountain, 2,565 m.
• Chiang Rai: about 3 hours 25 by car; White Temple ฿200.
• Elephants: pick a sanctuary with no riding.
• The car: a luxury van for up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours.

Checked November 2026.