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It's the Land of Elephant Love elephant? Want to see the cuteness of the animal? Chiang Mai is where you should head for. There are many elephant camp in Chiang Mai that you can go to watch their talent in elephant shows, ride elephant through jungle, feed them, or even play and bath with them.02
But...None Allowed in the City Ironically, due to the law, elephants are not allowed in the city. If you see them on the street of Chiang Mai, they probable sneak in against the law. The reason is that the animal is walk slowly and can be hit by traffic. Also, asphalt road is too hot and not good for their soft and sensitive feet.03
The City of 300 Temples The city has more than 300 "wat" scattered throughout the old city and surrounding suburbs. Each one can be dated back between the 13th and 18th centuries built with beautiful "Lanna" style which characterised by lavishly carved wooden panels golden decorations. Don't miss, if you love to visit beautiful traditional buildings.04
One of the Most Easiest Province to Go This province is one of the easiest to reach both from Bangkok and outside of Thailand. There are dozen of direct flights that will take you to Chiang Mai in less than an hour from Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi airport, as well as flights from several airports around the Globe. If you prefer travel by land, there are buses are run round the clock from Mo Chit in Bangkok, also 5 trains daily from Bangkok Station including 2 sleeping trains .05
It's Has Only 2 Train Stations Believe it or not, despite being the most developed city of northern Thailand, it only has 2 train stations -- Chiang Mai and Saraphee. 3 time less in number if you compare to the neighbour Lamphun province which has area 4 times smaller (Lamphun has 6 stations).06
No Bus Inside the City If you want to get around the city with public transport, just forget about the bus, as there are NO bus within Chiang Mai city. There was buses couple of decades ago, but none left today. You can use taxi, "Tuk Tuk" and "Sonh Thaw Daeng" or red truck. Tell them where you want to go and they will take you to the place, wherever you want (just make sure to ask about the price first).07
But Uber is Cheapest and Easiest Looking for a cheaper (and sometime more reliable) alternative to get around the city, try using Uber or Grab application on your smartphone. It save you a lot when you need to tell the driver where you wanna go, easier to communicate with the driver and no problem about cost negotiation.08
Chiang Mai Has Its Own Culture You may have noticed that Chiang Mai has many things different from other part of Thailand. At first glimpse, you may notice that cultural events are celebrated differently especially Loy Krathong which Chiang Mai people set afloat lantern instead of float raft on water. If you look close you will notice they speak different dialect, eat different food, and have their own unique way of life.09
It's Actually Chilly in Chiang Mai Don't forget to bring a parka or coat when you visit Chiang Mai in winter as the weather is chilly especially in the morning and nighttime. Sometime, the temperature can drop to single figure, and high mountains can have frozen dew too.10
Most Pristine Forest and the Highest Peak Chiang Mai has 14 national parks and that's the most number of all province of Thailand. Just travel away from the city centre and you can see pristine forests everywhere, surrounding the flat area where the city located. Among all, Doi Inthanon National Park in western part is the most known. This is home to the highest peak of thailand with the altitude of 2,565 metres above sea level.