Northern Thailand attractions

Situated within Chiang Dao National Park, the 6-mile-long (10-kilometer-long) Chiang Dao Caves system penetrating Thailand’s third-highest peak ranks among the most spectacular in the country. Impressive stalagmites and stalactites grow from the ceilings and floors of the five interconnected caves, along with other limestone and crystal formations.

Unlike typical zoos that only welcome visitors during the day, Chiang Mai Night Safari stays open from morning till late at night—so you can see how animals such as tigers, rhinos, hyenas, lions, cheetahs, wildebeests, and giraffes behave after dark. It’s modeled on Singapore Night Safari but is twice the size; the site is sprawled across some 300 acres (120 hectares) and is home to around 1,400 animals.

Nearly 200 different ruins are strewn across the 27-square-mile (70-square-kilometer) Sukhothai Historical Park (Historic Town of Sukhothai), including towering Buddhas, ornate palaces, and crumbling temples. The UNESCO World Heritage Site—one of Thailand’s most impressive—hints at what the country’s first capital might have looked like in its golden age.

Golden Mountain Temple (Wat Phra That Doi Kham) is named after the forested mountain on which it’s located, just outside Chiang Mai. A much-revered site in Thailand, the temple was built towards the end of the seventh century and is known for its 56-foot-tall (17-meter-tall) Buddha statue swathed in gold robes.

Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar is perhaps the city's most popular attraction. The colorful mix of shops and stalls sell all sorts of things, from ersatz designer fashions to embroidered hill tribes textiles, Thai silks, silver jewelry, carvings, ceramics, and antiques. It’s also one of the best places in town to sample some spicy street food.

The Saturday and Sunday Walking Street Markets rank among the most popular in Chiang Mai, attracting tourists and locals who come to bargain for handicrafts, local products, herbs, and souvenirs; socialize; or fill up on Northern Thai street-food favorites. Buskers often set up to sing traditional Northern Thai songs or play local instruments.

Spend a day in the water at the largest floating water park in northern Thailand. Located in an abandoned limestone quarry outside of Chiang Mai, the 33-acre (13-hectare) Grand Canyon Water Park offers plenty of opportunities for water fun in the form of waterslides, splash pools, watercraft, and inflatable obstacle courses.

Nestled among the forested mountains of Northern Thailand, Ban Mae Kampong village epitomizes traditional Thai culture with wooden cottages and ancient agricultural practices. The village is in the vanguard of sustainable tourism: Visitors enjoy homestays, jungle ziplines, and hiking routes through tea plantations, while villagers maintain their traditional way of life.

Wiang Kum Kam, an ancient “lost city” on the banks of the Mae Ping River, was founded in the 13th century by King Mangrai as the Lanna capital before Chiang Mai. The city was abandoned in the 16th century due to flooding and was only rediscovered in 1984. Since then the temples and other structures have been partially restored.

This historic town in the north of Thailand is known for its quaint streets and horse-drawn carriages. Travelers use this quiet area on the bank of the Wang River as a convenient jumping-off point for trips throughout the region, but it’s also worth exploring in its own right thanks to its excellent markets, restaurants, cafés, and attractions.

With its dreamy gilded stupa and soaring medieval brick spire, Wat Phra That Hariphunchai is the most beautiful temple in Lamphun—and one of the most important temples in northern Thailand. Once part of a royal palace, it houses an ornate library alongside Buddha relics and images and hosts festivals and rituals.

Situated in the heart of Chiang Mai’s walled city, the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center tells the story of the city from its ancient roots to the present day through a series of artifacts, audio recordings, photos, dioramas, and multimedia exhibits. The former Provincial Hall, built in 1927, houses the collection.

At the base of Doi Suthep sits Huay Tung Tao Lake, a man-made reservoir popular as a swimming and picnicking area favored by locals and expats looking for a break from Chiang Mai. On a sunny day, it’s common to see groups of Thais sitting on the banks of the lake dining on steamed fish and cold beers.

The remnants of Chiang Saen’s former glory—as the 7th-century capital of the Lanna Kingdom—still lie scattered around the modern town. One of Thailand’s oldest towns, it boasts a strategic location along the Mekong River, serving as a border crossing to Laos and the gateway to the famed Golden Triangle region.

Situated on the slopes of Doi Suthep, the Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium is Thailand’s oldest zoo and a favorite with visiting families. Hundreds of species are represented between the zoological park and its aquarium, including a pair of giant pandas. The aquarium’s 436-foot-long (133-meter-long) aquatic tunnel ranks among the longest in the world.

History buffs won’t want to miss the Chiang Mai National Museum, which houses an impressive collection of Lanna artifacts from throughout Northern Thailand. The museum is divided into six sections covering topics such as ancient settlements in Chiang Mai, geography and ecology, the Lanna Kingdom, Lanna fine art, and life in modern Chiang Mai.

The private Tweechol Botanic Garden, founded in 1997, encompasses 114 acres (46 hectares) of manicured gardens, lakes with paddleboats, bike trails, and playful topiaries, making it one of the largest gardens in Thailand. A standout of the collection are the 107 varieties of palm trees from around the world. The petting zoo is popular with young visitors.

Amid the rolling peaks of the Daen Lao Rang mountains, Doi Mae Salong is the gateway to some of Northern Thailand’s most scenic landscapes. The village of Mae Salong is known for its rich Chinese heritage, while the surrounding highlands abound with jungle-clad slopes, hillside tea plantations, and ethnic minority villages.

Set amid the hills and rice paddies of Northern Thailand, the village of Baan Thong Luang is home to four hill tribe groups including the Karen tribe, known for wearing brass rings designed to elongate their necks. The village was established as a cultural preservation project in 2005 to help maintain the traditions of ancient hill tribes.

On the Nan River in the north of Thailand, Phitsanulok sits against a landscape of mountains, rice fields, and forests— a place that was home to a settlement of Khmer people in the 10th century. Centuries later, the capital of the Sukhothai kingdom moved here, and the Ayutthaya kingdom later declared it as its capital too.

Perched in the highlands near Chiang Rai, the Choui Fong Tea Plantation has been producing some of Thailand’s highest quality teas for decades. Benefitting from the rich soil and climate of the region, the plantation grows a variety of teas that are handpicked and then blended by tea specialists from Taiwan.

Chiang Mai’s original 3D art museum, Art in Paradise Chiang Mai, features different categories of optical illusion artwork designed by South Korean artists. The illustrations are interactive, designed for visitors to “step inside” them and feel like a part of the art. In addition to Thai and Lanna, Art in Paradise offers underwater, zoo, dinosaurs, surrealism, classic artwork, and Egyptian categories.

Spend an evening watching Thailand’s national sport—Muay Thai, aka Thai kickboxing—at Thapae Stadium, one of the top spots in Chiang Mai to catch a few matches. Nearly every day of the week, the stadium puts on several show fights and traditional matches featuring a range of fighters, both men and women.

Wat Thaton, a sprawling Buddhist temple complex located in the forested hills near Thailand’s border with Myanmar, sits overlooking the village of Ban Thaton and the Mae Kok River. The complex of pagodas, temples, stupas, and shrines is built on nine levels, offering stunning views over the surrounding countryside.

According to local legend, the founder of Chiang Mai had a vision for the city on the hill that Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong sits atop. In addition to offering panoramic views, the Lanna-style temple is home to a 14th-century golden stupa.

Located in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Mae Sa Waterfall consists of eight tiers that cascade over rocks in the midst of the jungle. A well-worn path leads from the lowest fall to the highest, and each tier is marked by a sign. Since the individual falls are not that high or fast-moving, they are ideal—and popular—for swimming.

Discovering minority culture is a highlight of many visits to Chiang Mai, and Ban Hmong Mae Sa Mai village, located within Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, lets travelers do that with ease. Just an hour’s drive from downtown Chiang Mai, it’s home to people from the Hmong minority, an ethnic group with origins in southern China. Many villagers still wear traditional costumes.

The Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden conducts research to conserve Thailand’s extensive natural plant resources. Visitors can walk through an indoor southern Thai forest, see the country’s largest public display of orchids (more than 400 species), and stroll footpaths past azaleas, rhododendrons, and many other flowering plants.

Located on the grounds of a former training camp for hill tribe youth, the Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park houses an impressive collection of art and artifacts from the culturally distinct Lanna Kingdom, including many murals and teak pieces. It’s surrounded by a beautiful expanse of parkland full of indigenous plants.

Often referred to as simply the “Blue Temple" by English speakers, Wat Rong Suea Ten is a modern temple known for its intricate ornamental designs and its heavy use of the color blue. It was created by local artist Sala Nok, a student of Chalermchai Kositpipat, the artist who created the better-known White Temple just south of Chiang Rai.