Field trips for Chiang Mai, Thailand

Learn how to cook Thai food with professional Chef Tong at Nuan Thong Organic Farm, nestled in the green area of northern Chiang Mai. The day begins with a visit to a local market to learn about the diversity of ingredients in Thai cuisine and to taste local delicacies. The cooking workshop includes an appetizer, main dishes, soup, and desserts. Fun facts and the stories behind the dishes will be shared so you can learn about Thai eating culture. Any kind of food preferences and/or allergies can be arranged for the cooking workshop.

Learn about northern Thailand’s culture and history as you explore three incredible temples in the heart of Chiang Mai’s old city: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Pan Tao, and Wat Phra Singh.

Experience Thai culture at the famous craft street in Chiang Mai. You’ll visit the Chiang Mai Celadon Factory and Living Museum, as well as the Bor Sang paper umbrella village. You can even try your hand at making celadon pottery or making/painting a paper umbrella (with additional cost).

One of the 14 original national parks of Thailand, Doi Inthanon National Park is a must-see location for students visiting Chiang Mai for a semester or year. Nicknamed the "roof of Thailand," the park consists of breathtaking scenery including high mountains, waterfalls, rivers that generate electrical power for the region, and mountaintop temples.

Visit an elephant sanctuary run by the local people and with support of Karen tribe communities to discover why elephants are so important to Thai people. Learn about elephants’ meaningful presence in Thai history and modern Karen lives, as well as the elephant conservation project. In the afternoon, you’ll enjoy a bamboo raft along Mae Wang River to cool down.

Jing Jai Organic Market is a popular destination for people interested in healthy living. Browse organic products like fruits, vegetables, and clothing, all while listening to live jazz music. The outdoor market runs every weekend morning and has hundreds of stalls to shop.

Experience the incredible beauty of thousands of colorful paper lanterns decorating sacred temples. Held every autumn, the most important spot for the Grand Lantern Festival is at Wat Phra That Hariphunchai Woramahawihan. Visitors offer the lanterns as a form of worship to a relic of the Buddha, often writing names or personal wishes on the lantern for good fortune and prosperity.

Named as the best homestay village nestled in the eastern mountains of Chiang Mai, Mae Kampong offers a living experience of local Chiang Mai people. Spend the morning exploring local orchards, hiking nature trails to the watershed, and cooling down in the waterfalls. After lunch, immerse yourself in herbal therapy with sauna and massage, or wander around the village’s small streets and wooden houses.

Songkran is Thailand's most important public holiday and celebrates their traditional new year. It takes place from the 13-15th of April (the hottest time of the year) throughout the country, but Chiang Mai spreads this out for up to eight days, making it one of the best places to celebrate the world's biggest water fight. Together with your Thai Buddies, you will experience first the cultural ceremony and then the water fight in the old city.

Situated in the heart of the old city, Chiang Mai Sunday Street Market is considered the best night open-air market in Thailand. Browse for affordable gifts, sample tasty local food, or enjoy a Thai massage.

Experience the lush nature of Mae Wang in the southern part of Chiang Mai on a one-day trek. You’ll walk through dense forests and past serene streams and local orchards, then enjoy lunch in banana leaves and cool down in some waterfalls. This is a full-day trek for lower-intermediate level and above.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is considered the most important temple in Chiang Mai as well as one of the most sacred places to visit in Thailand. Marvel at the incredible gold pagoda and exquisite architecture while experiencing firsthand the historical and Buddhist symbol of Chiang Mai.