Chiang Mai Highlights Tour

The Warorot and Ton Lamyai Markets

Your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel at 0800 for your Chiang Mai Highlights Tour. First, we will drive to the most famous markets of Chiang Mai, the adjoining Warorot and Ton Lamyai markets in the Kad Luang complex on the Ping River. You will hear the story of the devastating fire that destroyed the markets in 1968. Close to the markets is a Chinese temple that we will visit as well. This area is known as the Chinatown of Chiang Mai.

The Temple on the Mountain

We will continue to Doi Suthep, the mountain that overlooks Chiang Mai, to visit the most famous temple of North Thailand: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. We walk up the famous Naga staircase to this magnificent temple from where you have an amazing view of the city and its surroundings. Your guide will tell you about the history of the temple and about Kruba Srivichai, the monk whose followers constructed the road to the temple in 1935.

Doi Pui Hmong village and the Family Coffee Brewery

After visiting the temple, we will continue further up the mountain to visit the Hmong village Doi Pui, where will have lunch in a local restaurant. The Hmong people are an ethnic minority that migrated from China to Thailand. We will walk through the village to the Family Coffee brewery owned by Neng, a Hmong man, and his family. The brewery has a coffee shop with a lovely view over the village and the mountains. We will spend some time here learning about coffee.

Wat Pha Lat and Wat Chedi Luang

Then it is time to descend the mountain to Wat Pha Lat, the “jungle temple” of Chiang Mai. The “Ho Phra Chao Rin Nam” is of particular interest. This Burmese-style building has been reconstructed in 2019. Our last stop today will be the spectacular Wat Chedi Luang. The temple dates back to the 14th century. Its chedi, or stupa, collapsed in 1545. For more than 400 years, it remained in a ruined state until its reconstruction in the 1990s. Not everyone in Chiang Mai was happy with the restoration of Wat Chedi Luang. Judge for yourself, I would say. We will drop you off at your hotel after our Chiang Mai Highlights Tour.

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