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Pine forest reflected in the still water of Pang Ung reservoir in Mae Hong Son before dawn
Bamboo rafts on the stream inside the Tham Lod cave near Soppong
The walls, gate and gilded chedi of Wat Phra That Lampang Luang
The cross-shaped hall of Wat Phumin in Nan with its naga stairway

Things to do in Northern Thailand: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai

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Photo: Pattarawooth, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son

Raft through Tham Lod cave and watch the swifts come home

Check dates and prices

Photo: Tinss, CC BY-SA 3.0

Ko Kha, Lampang

See the walled Lanna temple of Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

Check dates and prices

Photo: Kesaputta, CC BY-SA 3.0

Nan old town

Find the whispering lovers in the murals of Wat Phumin in Nan

Photo: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0

Northern Thailand is the mountain country of the old Lanna kingdom: forested ranges, cooler air, hill towns and temples in teak and gold. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai each have their own page.

To the south, Sukhothai keeps the ruins of the first Thai capital. West of Chiang Mai, the winding road to Pai and Mae Hong Son leads to Pai Canyon and the Tham Lod cave. East and south, Lampang and Nan are quieter Lanna towns with some of the north's finest temples. The seasons matter more here than anywhere else in the country: cool and clear from November to February, smoky from February to April.

Places in this region

5 things to do in Northern Thailand

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Bamboo rafts on the stream inside the Tham Lod cave near Soppong

Raft through Tham Lod cave and watch the swifts come home

Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son

1.5 to 2 hours in the caveGo alone or with a tour

A river runs straight through a mountain near Pai; you cross the cave by bamboo raft behind a guide with a gas lamp.

Check dates and pricesFrom Pai: Lod cave and Jabo village
Been there?
The walls, gate and gilded chedi of Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

See the walled Lanna temple of Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

Ko Kha, Lampang

1 to 2 hoursGo alone or with a tour

A fortified 15th-century temple on a mound near Lampang, with an open-sided hall, a gilded chedi and a natural camera obscura.

Check dates and pricesLamphun and Lampang temples from Chiang Mai
Been there?
The cross-shaped hall of Wat Phumin in Nan with its naga stairway

Find the whispering lovers in the murals of Wat Phumin in Nan

Nan old town

About an hourFree

A cross-shaped hall that faces all four directions, carried on two nagas, with 19th-century murals of everyday life in Nan.

Been there?
Seated Buddha and brick chedis at Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai Historical Park

Cycle the central zone of Sukhothai Historical Park

Sukhothai

Half a day for the central zoneNo booking needed

Cycle flat paths between the temples of the first Thai kingdom's capital, starting at a lotus-bud chedi among rows of seated Buddhas.

Tours in Northern Thailand
Been there?
Narrow sandstone ridges and forested gullies at Pai Canyon

Walk the ridges of Pai Canyon before sunset

Pai, Mae Hong Son

1 to 2 hoursFree

Walk narrow sandstone ridges in the last good light, then watch the sun go down over the hills from the first platform.

Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Northern Thailand yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Which places for what

    Chiang Mai for temples, food, markets and day trips. Chiang Rai for its modern temples and the Golden Triangle. Pai and Mae Hong Son for mountains, caves and hot springs. Sukhothai for the first capital's ruins. Lampang and Nan for quieter Lanna temples.

  • Combining them

    Chiang Mai is the hub. Greenbus coaches reach Chiang Rai in about three hours, Lampang Luang is an easy day trip, and Pai is the first stop on the mountain road west. Sukhothai sits on the way between Bangkok and the north.

  • Getting around

    Buses link the main towns. For temples outside town, caves, viewpoints and tea estates, a day tour, a hired driver or a scooter for confident riders is the practical choice: mountain roads are steep and winding.

  • When to go

    November to February is cool and clear, cold at night in the mountains. From February to April the burning season brings heavy smog, often at hazardous levels. The rains run from about May or June to October, when some cave chambers and trails can close.

Questions travellers ask

Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai?

Chiang Mai if you have time for only one: more temples, markets and day trips. Chiang Rai is smaller and quieter, with the White and Blue temples and the Golden Triangle; two or three nights there is better than a long day trip.

When is the burning season in the north?

Roughly February to April, when agricultural fires bring severe smog that often reaches hazardous levels and hides the mountains. November to January is the safest window for clear air.

Is Pai worth the detour?

If you want mountains rather than temples, yes. Pai is the base for Pai Canyon at sunset and for the Tham Lod cave near Soppong, about halfway to Mae Hong Son.

Other places to go

Things to do in Thailand

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