Northern Thailand
CHIANG MAI
Chiang Mai is a destination. Not a doorway.
The Lanna Kingdom
WHERE THE AIR CHANGES
Most travellers treat Chiang Mai as a stop on the way north. We have never understood why. Inside the old city walls are centuries of temple culture, craft and cooking that Bangkok cannot copy.
Up in the highlands above the city is another world, where time moves slowly and a single morning can mean more than a week of ordinary sightseeing.
THE NORTHERN EDIT
Ethical Elephant Sanctuary
No shows. A morning with a private mahout at a sanctuary where the elephants decide how close they want to come, always on their own terms.
Sunday Night Market
We time it to miss the crush. We know the vendors and the stalls that matter, including the one with no sign and a three-hour queue. You eat there without waiting in it.
Doi Inthanon & Hill Tribes
Thailand's highest peak at golden hour, then dinner with a Karen family down in the valley. Two altitudes in a single day.
People come to the North for a night and stay a week. We plan for the week.
— Phuket Venture
WHERE NEXT
YOUR NORTH
The highlands are for travellers who want to feel something. Leave the days to us.
Plan your journey