Thailand

Updated September 2026. Mae Pan is the Doi Inthanon waterfall I would choose for someone who wants a forest walk as well as a view of falling water. Its tall drop sits away from the main sightseeing road, with an unpaved approach and a footpath between the parking area and the falls. Those details matter

Updated September 2026. I put Baan Dam Museum on a Chiang Rai itinerary for its architecture and the strange company its objects keep. Carved timber, paintings, animal hides and horn-backed furniture occupy a compound of buildings with very different shapes. I find that combination more interesting than the museum’s reputation as a dark counterpart to

Updated September 2026. Baan Kang Wat is where I would send someone looking for small studios, contemporary Thai craft and a quieter shopping visit on Chiang Mai’s western side. The appeal is the concentration of independent makers: ceramics, illustration, scented candles and other work sit close enough together to compare without spending the day crossing

Updated September 2026. I like Pai’s Bamboo Bridge as a reason to leave the town centre and spend part of the day among the fields around Pam Bok. It suits a slow walk, an interest in the rural landscape and a visit to the monastery at the far end. The main reservation is seasonal: the

Updated September 2026. I recommend Lampang when you want a northern Thai city where temples, old trading streets and ceramics belong in the same outing. The Wang River gives the old quarter a clear centre, while the city’s wooden religious buildings show a different side of the region from Chiang Mai’s better-known temple circuit. The

Updated September 2026. My main reason to consider Night Bazaar Place is its location: you can stay on Chang Khlan Road and make the surrounding evening markets part of an ordinary night out, without arranging a separate trip across Chiang Mai. I favour this area for easy dinners, shopping and access to the streets between

Updated September 2026. I recommend Tube Trek for a Chiang Mai day built around pools and water slides, particularly when a group wants different levels of activity in the same place. The children’s play area, lazy river and wave pool give it more variety than a hotel pool. The larger slides add a reason for