Thailand has a wonderfully rich, unique culture beneath its chaotic veneer, but too many backpackers don’t really immerse themselves in the Land of Smiles’ traditions and culture. Sure, you ordered Pad Thai most nights and drank Chang at the infamous Full Moon Party – but did you actually make an effort to explore Thailand’s colourful personality and understand what makes its people tick? My advice is to travel to the North of Thailand and spend some time in Chiang Mai, where there are plenty of ways to experience local Thai culture.
Full disclosure: I spent a few weeks in Thailand when I was 21 and most of my stay was dedicated to beer, beaches and boat parties. However, I’m so glad I took a break from all that to go to Chiang Mai. There, tourists can do cultural things you can’t do anywhere else, like feeding and bathing elephants that have been rescued from abuse and cooking real Thai cuisine with locals. It’s the cultural things I did in Chiang Mai that are my stand-out memories of my Thailand trip and I’ll always be glad I took the time to learn more about the country that charmed me.
Thailand is a place where traditions and customs are visible everywhere in daily life; from the food and garlands laid out on pavements as offerings to the spirits, to the small ‘wai’ that locals use to greet one another – but you won’t notice any of that if all you do is lie on the beach and drown yourself in cheap buckets of booze.
Authentic, cultural Thai experiences in Chiang Mai
I spent most of my time in Thailand island-hopping, but ventured north to Chiang Mai for a week to soak up some culture instead of sunshine. Chiang Mai is a little less commercialised than the Gulf and this makes it the perfect place to chase authentic Thailand. Here are some cultural things to do in Chiang Mai.
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Visit a Karen tribe village
Located in the lush hills of northern Thailand, the Karen tribe villages like Baan Tong Luang can be reached by bike or trekking through the forest, where you’ll pass rice paddies and waterfalls. This is the place to go to escape the constant horn-honking in the city and see people going about their daily lives in the same way their ancestors did hundreds of years before them.
The minority communities here are intriguing and though you’ll want to take photographs, don’t forget to put the camera away and make an effort to chat and ask questions about the handicrafts the ladies are selling. The densely populated northern villages are one of Thailand’s most authentic and traditional areas, where people subsist mainly on farming and rice harvesting as they hold on tightly to their heritage.
Learn how to weave like the women in the village, who will teach you that the colours and patterns worn differentiate the tribes. You can even sleep over in the village, and the sound of crickets in otherwise absolute silence magnify the atmosphere after dark.
Read more about a Hill Tribe Village Tour and River Cruise
Want to go the whole hog? You can also try a 4-Night Hill Tribe Village Tour with Thai Jungle Trek from Chiang Mai
2. Take a Thai cooking class
Between struggling to understand the menu and fear of eating something that disagrees with you, travellers can be tempted to stick to a few safe choices when it comes to ordering food in Thailand – but this means missing out on all of the flavours and delicious dishes. The best way around this is to take a Thai cooking class to learn about the ingredients, cooking methods and types of dishes served around the country.
Your teacher can take you to a local market to pick up all of the fresh produce you’ll need, and this in itself can be an overwhelming experience. Thai markets are hectic, but one of the best places to see local life in action. You’ll learn that northern Thai cuisine differs to that of other regions – there’s less coconut milk and sticky rice aplenty.
Grind your own curry paste and listen to the teacher’s (often hilarious) explanations of the health benefits of the fragrant herbs you’re cooking with as you whip up dishes like Jungle Curry, Pad Thai and for the brave: Kôw gun jan (rice mixed with blood and minced pork, served in banana leaf). You can then go home and wow people with your cooking skills. Bet they’ve never had Thai food like this before!
Check out all the different Chiang Mai cooking classes available
3. Go jungle trekking
Sweat out all those Chang toxins with a stomp through the jungle to Mae Khampong Eco-Village, which clings to the slopes of the Doi Mon Larn range of hills in the Mae-On district. There’s something about being out in nature in northern Thailand that feels like you could easily disappear off the end of the earth… in a good way!
As you pass traditional teak houses on your trek; stop at a coffee plantation for a tasty caffeine fix, have a traditional Thai massage (which, by the way, is amazing), and cool off in the natural San Kampang hot springs before you return to civilisation. Traditionally, Thai families boil eggs in the sulphuric hot water. Maybe don’t do that.
A good local guide will make your trip more meaningful because they can explain the context, history and stories necessary to really understand your surroundings. Sip a cup of the local ‘Miang’ tea and listen to their stories.
Check prices for a Private Full-Day Jungle Trekking at Mae Wang Chiang Mai
More cultural tours and activities to do in Chiang Mai
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4-Night Experience in Chiang Mai: Palong Villages Stay and Chiang Dao Trek
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3-Day Chiang Mai and Golden Triangle Tour Including Doi Mae Salong
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Chiang Mai by Night: Private Tour including Buddhist Chant, Thai Dinner and Night Market
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Full-Day River Kayaking Trip in Northern Thailand Jungle from Chiang Mai
If you want to see more of Thailand’s cultural-rich north, this 6-Day Northern Thailand Tour covering Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai from Bangkok is a good option!
Sometimes, travel can become just as routine as your life back home. When you’re on a long backpacking trip in particular, it can become almost cyclical: arrive, see the sights and then leave as unenlightened as you were when you arrived. You’re barely skimming the surface of your holiday destination, instead focusing on ticking another place off your bucket list so you can move on to the next.
Isn’t the whole point of travel to see what Wednesday looks like in countries that aren’t your own? These cultural activities in Chaing Mai will ensure you leave feeling enlightened.
Planning a trip to Thailand? The Lonely Planet guidebook will be your bible.
Check out booking.com’s 30 best hotels in Chiang Mai.
Do you try to make friends with locals on your adventures? What kind of activities do you like to do? Leave a comment!
How to get to Chiang Mai
Check out the options for getting to Chiang Mai via ground transportation here.
mappingmegan says
Cooking class sounds really fun! I love the concept of Withlocals, and love that their platform has started expanding throughout the world. Spending time with locals is such a fabulous way to spend your time while abroad – ultimate in authentic experiences! And in putting our money to these kind of guides, we’re investing directly in the local communities too 🙂
2aussietravellers says
I like small group cooking tours when we travel to as a way to get to know a bit more about the locals, especially the ones that take you shopping in the backstreet lanes and markets to get your ingredients. You also usually get to chat to someone over a common interest which opens up the conversation more than another type of tour activity would.
Vicki Garside says
Chiang Mai has so much to offer – from volunteering with rescued elephants and taking cooking classes to temple hopping and having some of the best massages on the planet! WithLocals sounds like a nice concept, I just hope they are not taking too much of a cut to promote these experiences at the expense of the locals who are just trying to make some money.
Bernard Tan says
I have never been to a full moon party and never travel to go for cooking tours. I should planned that in my itinerary.
Antonette Spaan says
I generally don’t really reach out to locals because we’re active travellers and like to go hiking and trekking, but I really see the value of meeting locals along the way, for example. Thanks for suggestion on With Locals, I’ll definitely keep that in mind if we end up going to Thailand again!
Kathrin Hälbich (@KathrinHaelbich) says
This is exactly how I felt when I was on a longer backpacking trip through Europe. After a while, you just feel like you have to move on and on and can’t really experience a destination fully. This is why I really like spending more time in one place, sometimes even living somewhere for a few weeks / months. I like your suggestions on what to do in Chiang Mai. I hope to travel to Thailand next year or the year after and hope I can try some of the things you mentioned.
Katie says
I love the concept of ‘With Locals’! Some of the best experiences I’ve had traveling have been local cooking classes, family homestays, and tours with locals. It definitely gives you a deeper insight to a location that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Rosemary says
Some of the best experiences when traveling are the interactions with locals. That is truly the best way to have an authentic experience. Never heard of With Locals and glad to know they exist. How did you like the cooking experience?
jannaonajaunt says
Thailand is one of the countries I’ve been wanting to visit. As someone who looooves food I am particularly interested in doing the cooking class. I love Thai food and I am keen to learn more about how its made. Great idea!
Nam says
Nice article 😀 wish I have found it before I went to Chiang Mai 🙂 although I wouldn’t have time to go trekking anyway 😛
Veronika says
Thailand is amazing and Miang Mai is the best place for digital nomads! I missed my cooking class on my last visit of Thailand, but I must do it next time. I really looks like cool experience!