Our Eco-tips for Chiang Mai

It’s one of those places that  I’ve always wanted to go to, but never really had the reason.  Well before I get in to it let me tell you now – there are a LOT of reasons.

What really got me interested in Chiang Mai were all of the photos – you know, the great beautiful temples, the luscious nature, the intriguing monks, the free-living elephants, the list goes on.  One thing that I noted while being over there is that being an eco-tourist really is a lot more simple than you think.  Just a few small decisions can really help in a big way 🙂

I spent 2 weeks in Thailand with half of it spent in Chiang Mai.  To be honest though, I wish I’d just done the whole trip there because there’s just so much more to see.  But if I had to pick only a few of my favs, the following would be it.. with some eco-tips for all of our eco-tourists out there of course!

A beautiful set of twin pagodas perched on top of the hills.  These are the highest temples in Thailand and are definitely one of the attractions that were high on my list to visit in Chiang Mai.  I suggest doing these in combination with a few other places inside of the national park (go to the very peak + add in a waterfall).

Although super beautiful, once I got there the weather was a bit foggy so both of the pagodas weren’t always visible.  But because I was there on my own I had time to wait around for the sky to clear up which I was great.

How to get there: 2hr scooter, bike, car or you can book a tour.

Cost: The park entrance fee is 300THB pp + the Twin Pagoda entrance is 40THB pp.  If you’re coming by your own bike/car you also have to pay an additional small fee for your vehicle.

Note: Once you get to the entrance of the park the twin pagodas are still 35kms away – this place is HUGE.  But there is a market mid way and a lot of small spots to stop also.

A beautiful local family run Elephant Sanctuary just a few hours south of Chiang Mai.  This isn’t an attraction, but more so an experience that will really have you in awe.  If you’ve seen elephant horror stories around and want to go to an approved sanctuary where no riding, weapons or sticks or forceful poking and prodding are taking place – this is the place to go.

When we first arrived we did some feeding and patting which allowed the elephants to meet us and get comfortable with us.  Once everyone felt good (elephants included) we went for a walk up the hill in to the forest together – THIS PART WAS AMAZING!  Just seeing them walk around and pull branches as they pleased, eat anything they wanted, slip down hills, and just explore (especially the little one) was such a great experience.  We then went back for a delicious lunch and got ready for the mud bath scrub and river swim.  It was so beautiful seeing them enjoying themselves in the water, especially with it being a particularly warm day.  At the end we were spoilt with more feeding time.

At Travel Hokkaido we really value vendors like this, ones with great animal ethics and policies.  The Chiang Mai Native Village is run by a family which treat the elephants as a part of the family also.  So there’s no weapons, poking or forcing done at all by the establishment, and definitely no riding.  If the elephants don’t want to do something, then that’s fine, they’re left to be.  However it seemed to me that they really did love going for a walk, scrubbing up and swimming.  It reminded me of what I’d do with my own dog at home, just on a much bigger scale, lol.

How to get there:  You can take a car or scooter yourself but the roads near the top (where the sanctuary is) are very narrow, so I highly recommend just getting picked up by the guides – which is included in the package for central areas in Chiang Mai!

Cost: ¥5,770 (half day), ¥8,655 (full day) or ¥15,870 (2day)

Website: https://www.chiangmainativevillage.com/tours/

Check out the video below that I made to get a visual idea of the experience 🙂

This was actually the whole reason that I came to Chiang Mai in the first place.  And it did NOT disappoint.

First I headed to Wat Phantao temple and watched the amazing ceremony performed by the monks.  Every year the ceremony itself starts at 7pm, but when I got there at 6.30pm there were already tons and tons of people.  It was actually quite uncomfortable standing there with so many people in the heat, so I suggest getting there even earlier and getting an actual seat near the front.

About 30mins through the ceremony itself I noticed lanterns floating in the sky off in the distance and felt mad FOMO so I bolted to Nawarat Bridge.  Here people were doing both the sky lanterns and the floating water lanterns.  The vibe was amazing. 

So many people, locals and tourists alike, all gathered around helping each other lift off their lanterns and light their candles for the floating ones too.  You need at least 2 people to lift one of the sky lanterns and because I was on my own I wasn’t planning on doing one, but luckily I bumped into a lovely woman I had met that day at the elephant sanctuary who insisted I did one.  To see strangers come together so eagerly and happily for something like this was honestly SO special.  And I’ll never forget it.  Such a beautiful night.

If you’re going to Thailand DEFINITELY check the dates for this festival and organise things around it.

How to get there:  Definitely WALK or a SCOOTER.  Any other method is just going to take way too damn long.  The traffic is insane.  If you are on a scooter, please take care!

Cost: Free.  Only thing to buy is a lantern if you choose to light one (price depending on size)

When: November (exact dates vary)

Note: Do you need to go to the expensive touristy events?  Hell no.

This was the first temple that I visited in Chiang Mai and it definitely set the bar high.  I’d say that if you only have time to visit one temple, this is the one.

You’re welcomed by a small market at the bottom of the stairs, with food and general goods/souvenirs.  To the right you’ll see a large staircase climbing all the way to where the temple is.

When you enter, the area is absolutely beautiful.  Head to the right to see the view over Chiang Mai, and continue to walk all the way around the temple while admiring all the details on the outside structure.  Once you’re back where you started remove your shoes and follow the people inside – there you’ll see the beautiful golden temple itself.  I’m not normally taken back by things like temples, but this one was so beautiful, so detailed and so shiny!

How to get there:  About 40mins away from Old City by scooter, car, tuktuk or tour.

Cost: 30THB (approx. ¥110) for foreigners

For staying in the city of Chiang Mai itself I recommend F Plus F Hotel – super affordable and in an easy location to bike into the Old City (but not too close that it’s noisy/uncomfortable).  They also only wash your linen & towels every other day (keeping water consumption low) and provide water in resealable glass bottles, rather than plastic.

For Doi Inthanon & the elephant sanctuary I recommend Mint Homestay – a beautiful remote spot in the middle of a small village.  A big space with a super fun common area and wonderful staff.  Run by a local family from the village, they use fresh produce from their own gardens as often as possible.  Check out the vid below for an idea of the space 🙂

If you’re joining Airbnb for the first time, use this link for a free ¥3,190 coupon

Scooter – All locations are renting them about for about 200-250baht) but I chose to hire from Dang Service Motor Rent.  They were super easy, it took about 15mins, and the bike was more than up to scratch.  I chose this option because I wanted to be flexible with my plans, and with a much smaller engine than a car, this was the best option for me. 

Tuktuk – A cheap and easy way to get around the town, however quite a large vehicle (and therefore engine & gas output) if there’s only one or a few of you.

Grab – It’s pretty much the Thai version of Uber.  The locked in prices make it super convenient, but you don’t know what kind of vehicle you’re getting until you book it therefore the eco side of it is a bit of a gamble.  Click here to download the app.