When you begin researching Chiang Rai, high on everyone’s list will be the incredible temples in the area. In case temples aren’t your thing, here are six things you should do when making the trek out to Chiang Rai.
Phu Chi Fa
Watch the sunrise and the sea of mist lift from the valley below Phu Chi Fa, a viewpoint on a cliff on the Doi Pha Mon range.
Located in northeast Thailand, its about a two hour drive from Chaing Rai, so if you want to see the sunrise it’s worth staying overnight in nearby accomodation. The trail isn’t long, only 400m to the top, but as we had to drag two half asleep children up the hill in the dark and cold, it was long enough.
The view was beautiful and particularly fascinating looking across the border into the Laos countryside. It wasn’t as clear as we would have liked, thanks to the burning off in the area, and it was certainly cold. I never could have imagined needing beanies and puffer jackets in Thailand!
Finding accomodation close to Phu Chi Fa was no small feat as very few can be booked online. Those that do have websites might have a phone number but they don’t speak much English. Basically your best bet is to head out there and hope that there is availability (if its not a Thai holiday or weekend this should be ok) or ask a Thai friend to phone for you.
Thankfully our friends were able to find us a tent for the night. It was super windy, the noise of the tent keeping us awake a lot of the night and there were no hot showers or electricity, but it was cosy and fairly exciting all tucked up together on a hillside tent in rural Thailand. Honestly even if we didn’t do the sunrise walk, staying in the tent was an adventure in itself and a lot of fun.
Doi Pha Tang
This entire mountainous area is so different to other parts of Thailand. It feels raw, authentic and like you’ve stepped back in time. There is very little English spoken but it wont matter because the people are so friendly and kind.
We had planned to watch the sunset from the summit of Pha Tang but given the early morning at Phu Chi Fa and the levels of smoke in the area, the girls and I decided against it. Tom ran up the mountain to see it though and felt it was worth it, the sunset through the smoke making the sky appear as if it was on fire.
The food is incredible and heavily influenced by Chinese culture. There is a lot of surprising history about the life of the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand that we really didn’t expect to learn.
On your way back down the mountain you’ll be treated with spectacular views of the valley below. Be sure to stop at one of the many stores on the side of the road selling cheap strawberries. They are the best we have ever tasted, grown by the locals on the steep hillsides.
Elephant Peace Project
Back in Chiang Rai we got to tick off a major bucket-list experience. Spending time with elephants! For a day we became the Mahout, which are people who work with, ride and tend to an elephant. We learnt how to feed, bathe and treat the elephants in a way that honours them and promotes connection. By learning how to communicate with the elephant, walk with them and observe them, we gained a wonderful respect and true love for these gentle giants. In learning the traditional Karen way we saw how the people who have always worked with and lived with elephants consider them as part of the family, rather than a working animal or pet.
There are two elephants at the peace project. They are family members of the founder Dada, and are treated as such. What is incredible is that these same elephants will remember her great-grandparents. After spending the morning with them we went on a walk through the jungle before we sat with the elephants, and all had a delicious traditional Karen lunch.
Find out why this is our favourite place to see elephants in Chiang Rai HERE
Singha Park
We nearly didn’t go to Singha park but decided to stop on our way home from walking the nearby waterfalls. The park is enormous. So big in fact you’ll need to ride a bike or take the tram to get around. There is much to do here. We boarded the tram and got off at every stop, exploring the gardens, tea plantations, lakes and petting zoo. The highlight was walking through the plantations and making our own bag of tea using ingridents grown on the farm. Entry to the park is free but you’ll need to pay for transportation around the park and at particular attractions.
Walking Street Markets
The Chiang Rai walking street markets are a total vibe! The food, the people, the sights are something to behold and an immersive culture experience. The park nearby was lit up with fairy lights, smoke machines and flowers, there was also a dance concert when we went which the girls loved! These were my favourite markets in all of Thailand.
Kuhn Korn Waterfall
One of the most impressive waterfalls we came across during our time in Thailand. This 70 meter high, single drop waterfall can be found just 40 minutes from Chiang Rai. The walk is a 3km round trip through beautiful banana fields and bamboo forests.
Admission is free and while you can swim the rocks do get quite slippery. During the wet season this place is extremely dangerous to swim because of fooding, so make sure you’re aware of the weather situation before you go.
Where we Stayed
Most people heading to Chaing Rai do a day trip or spend just a couple of nights, but as you’ve read there is so much more to do here. Plan to stay at least three night with a couple more on the nearby mountain range. Its ok to slow down a bit and take it all in, you’re going to miss so much of the goodness this place has to offer by rushing around and trying to fit too much in.
In Chiang Rai we used booking.com and stayed at Na-Rak-O Resort. It’s location was great for being able to easily walk around town and find great coffee of a morning.
Getting Around
You really need a car in Chaing Rai if you hope to get off the beaten path and explore outside the city limits. Otherwise there are GRABS (taxi), scooters, buses or tours that will take you where you want to go.
Special mention to our dear friends Beer and You who took such incredible care of us. Not only did they spend time showing us around, sharing invaluable advice and helping us bridge the language gap but they also loaned us a car for the week. We will treasure the special time we had with you both!
The Whole of Us 
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