THAILAND’S WATER FESTIVAL
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Chiang Mai
COMPILED BY TIM MOORE. PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT MUNRO, SHELL125/GETTY, INSPIRED CITIZEN MEDIAWHERE TO STAY WHILE YOU’RE IN CHIANG MAI...
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
AND AROUND
There are direct flights from
Singapore on Silk Air (from
US$329; silkair.com) and from
Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia (from
US$90; airasia.com).TOUR OPERATOR
Throughout the year, Intrepid
offers small-group tours around
the Chiang Mai area, ranging
from the three-day Chiang Mai
and Elephants Tour, with guests
meeting an abbot of a Buddhist
temple and visiting an elephant
sanctuary (from US$310,
including accommodation,
breakfast and airport transfer) to
the eight-day Explore Northern
Thailand Tour, which includes
a homestay in Baan Mae On
village and time in ancientSukhothai (from US$633,
including accommodation,
transport from Bangkok and
some meals; intrepidtravel.com).
Alternatively, Urban Adventures
has one-day trips that has
opportunities to meet Buddhist
monks and learn meditation at
a 600-year-old temple (US$70;
urbanadventures.com).FIND OUT MORE
Lonely Planet’s Thailand
(US$29.99) covers the city of
Chiang Mai. Alternatively, you
can download
individual
chapters
online at shop.
lonelyplanet.
com
(US$4.95).SAMPLE STREET FOOD
Sizzling barbecue and
lemongrass aromas are
omnipresent in Chiang Mai.
The best places to try Thai food
here include Warorot evening
market and the Sunday
Walking Street market on
Thanon Ratchadamnoen Road.OLD CITY LUXURY
Next to the Old City’s most
revered temple, Wat Phra
Singh, the Rachamankha is
a serene complex of hidden
courtyards, poolside massage
pavilions (pictured below) and
antique-laden rooms (from
US$187; rachamankha.com).HEART OF THE ACTION
Just east of the Old City
moat and close to Tha Pae Gate- the focal point of the Songkran
procession – Raming Lodge is a
smart hotel offering great bang
for your baht, with an onsite
spa and swimming pool (from
US$50; raminglodge.com).
VISIT AN ELEPHANT
SANCTUARY
Offering an alternative to
circus-like shows with poor
animal-safety standards, the
Elephant Nature Park is a
sanctuary where visitors help
look after rescued pachyderms
in a semi-wild environment
(elephantnaturepark.org).MEDITATE WITH MONKS
Chiang Mai brims with Buddhist
temples and many offer short
meditation courses and retreats
for English-speakers, including
the one-day and two-day
courses offered at Wat Suan Dok
(from US$12.50; monkchat.net).PEACE AND VALUE
Located in the quieter
southern part of the city
centre, Gord guesthouse
has spacious rooms, a
small tranquil garden and
complimentary bicycles
for guests to borrow (from
US$35; gordchiangmai.com).