Top Chiang Mai Day Trips - page 16

The overall experience was wonderful. We were picked up from our hotel within our window. We were lucky that our group was quite small so made everything much easier, moving, trekking, waiting at bathroom stops. Galaya our guide was very sweet and she was super energetic and made us try different fruit and made sure our needs were covered. She took a ton of photos as well and sent them to us at the very end. The day trip is generally long and gets hectic, so be prepared with some snacks. Lunch was towards the very end so any fruit or snacks we bought were essential for energy levels. The 2.5km trek is about 2.5h for a small fit group of people, I’d say it could take longer if you have people on your group who need to go at a slower pace. We literally ran a lot, any steps going up we’d run and rest but also stopped a lot for photos and some historic info. Make sure you have a rain jacket (may weather), good shoes (climbing are best but we had regular running and cross fit shoes on and it was fine, a bit slippery). The drive from and back to Chiang Mai didn’t feel super long, about 1.5h but went by pretty quick and our driver was also fast, very sweet man. Because we went in May, we couldn’t see the gorgeous views of the village from above when reaching the peak because of the fog so keep that in mind for rain season.

The experience was great from the time they picked me up to drop off at my hotel. Stopping at the market to shop was fun and I was able to pick up some spices to bring home. The cooking instructor was funny and did a great job getting everyone involved and accommodated people with allergies. Everything was so good and I learned a lot. My favorite was the Khao Soi.

This was a great tour and a wonderful introduction to the temples outside the Old City. It's an early start but so worth it to see the sunrise on Doi Suthep and how the monks go about their morning rituals. Tom was a great guide. Would definitely recommend.