What To Do in and around Chiang Mai, Thailand

After our weeks of volunteering at Children's Village School in Kanchanaburi, we got the chance to explore Thailand more widely. But for now, I'm just going to focus on Chiang Mai, where I spent just under a week. Here were my favourite things to do in and around the city.

1. Elephant Nature Park (www.elephantnaturepark.org)

This place has become a lot more well-known over the years since I visited, and I'm over the moon about it. Elephant Nature Park was set up as a sanctuary for elephants used and abused by both the tourist trade and the logging industry. It also acts as a way of educating people about the cruelty elephants face in the process of being 'tamed'. I won't go into the gruesome details but I know I'll never, ever ride an elephant for this reason, and I constantly discourage people I know from doing the same if I know they're heading to a place that uses elephants in the tourist trade. Essentially, any elephant that is fit for being ridden by tourists has been through a lot of trauma.

So I'm glad that ENP has become more popular, as it shows people are choosing ethical encounters with elephants over the more cruel kind. At ENP, you get the chance to feed elephants, watch them roam freely, and even bathe them in the river.

If you fancy, you can also stay for several days or even weeks, volunteering with either the elephants or the street dogs they also rescue.

2. White water rafting (www.siamrivers.com)

The great thing about white water rafting in Thailand is that the water is a lot warmer than if you do it in, say, Canada (yes - I must have been insane to agree to that one!) should you fall in, and you WILL fall in. Our adventure took us through some great rapids, but there was also a calmer stretch where we were invited get out of the raft and float down the lazy river in our lifejackets.

White water rafting near Chiang Mai

3. Thai food cooking class

The class we chose began with a trip to a local market to buy all the ingredients needed for our meals. We then got to try our hands at making pad thai, spring rolls, Thai green curry, a cashew-based stir-fry AND sticky rice with mango - and then, of course, eating it all afterwards! It was interesting seeing how little super-spicy curry paste actually needs to go into a dish to make it hot! After our class, we were each given a beautiful hand-made book of all these recipes and more to take home with us. Asia Scenic offers all of the above in either a half-day or full-day course. Red Chilli offers classes in groups of up to eight maximum, if you want a more intimate experience. Regardless of class size, both these companies give you your own wok and stove so everyone gets the chance to cook everything on the menu.

My attempt at a pad thai during our cooking class

4. Canyoning

I can't remember which company I went canyoning with, but it was a day I've never forgotten. The river near Chiang Mai is perfect for it, with sheer waterfalls to abseil down dramatically like James Bond, as well as natural waterslides of smooth rock to plummet down. Such an exhilarating experience!

Canyoning near Chiang Mai

5. Hill tribe trek

If you have two days to spare, stay at the Lisu Lodge (a guesthouse run by the Lisu hill tribe) and from there, book a trek up into the hills near Chiang Mai to stay with a tribe and learn about their traditions. Our hike took us through forests teeming with wildlife, and we were provided with a packed lunch wrapped in leaves and nestled in a basket made of grass to minimise waste. When we finally made it to the top we were given a warm welcome by the Lisu tribe, and treated to the incredible view down over the surrounding land. We were offered lychee wine and food by the village shaman and got to visit a traditional Spirit Gate - we were warned not to touch it, for fear of releasing evil spirits. If we did, we were warned we'd have to purchase a pig and sacrifice it to appease the spirits.

An 'eco lunch' wrapped in leaves during our hill tribe trek

Aside from these activities, there are myriad temples, markets, bars and more to keep you busy in Chiang Mai. We visited for five days but, honestly, we could have stayed much longer!