Backpacker Best of Chiang Mai

Day 1
Your driver will be waiting for you with a sign when you arrive at either Chiang Mai Airport (CNX), Chiang Mai Train Station or Chiang Mai Bus Station. From there, your driver will take to your accommodation: Eco Resort, close to the river and close to Chiang Mai's old town. Check-in and relax after your long journey!

Accommodation: Eco Resort Chamberlain Hostel in a 4-Bed Dorm, or similar
Transportation: Chiang Mai Airport (CNX), Chiang Mai Train Station or Chiang Mai Bus Station to Eco Resort by Car or Van

Day 2
Wake up and enjoy your breakfast, then the morning is free at leisure. Now's the time to either relax or go on a little urban adventure. In the afternoon, be back at your hotel by 16:00 to get picked up to start your bicycling tour of Chiang Mai. Once you have your bike in your hand and two wheels below, you go through the small alleys of Chiang Mai's Old City. Pay a short visit at a local temple to learn about interesting community stories. From here it’s time to get lost way off the beaten track with a visit to the artistic and hip area of Nimmanhaemin Road and Chiang Mai University. On the way your guide will let you try some delicious local snacks and on the local night markets, you will fill up your appetite and stomach, be sure to try signature cuisine of Northern Thailand. Then it is time to burn off those calories as you proceed through the backstreets of the city and local neighbourhoods. Around 21:00 you will be back at the bike shop where you started the tour. From here you can visit the old town by yourself, continue to the Night Bazaar or return to your hotel. Your guide will help you find transportation to your desired destination.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Eco Resort in a 4-Bed Dorm, or similar

Day 3
Wake up and enjoy your breakfast, and then get ready to experience real Thai cooking with a little of the special Northern Thai flavor! You will be picked up between 8:30 and 9:00 for your morning cooking class. Get ready to learn how to cook tasty Thai food in a beautiful home garden setting. Start with a trip to the local market to get to know the ingredients, and shop for whatever you need for your dishes.

You can choose to make 6 dishes from 6 different categories:
Appetizer: som tam (papaya salad) or spring rolls,
Curry Paste: green, red or massaman,
Curry: green curry, panang curry, khao soi (Chiang Mai noodles) or massaman curry,
Soup: tom yam kung (hot and sour shrimp soup), tom kha gai (chicken in coconut milk soup) or Thai noodle soup,
Stir Fry: pad thai (fried noodles Thai style) or stir fried cashew nuts with chicken,
Extra Dishes: sticky rice with mango or banana in coconut milk.

In the home garden, you will start cooking one dish at the time. 1 wok for 1 person, so you really get a feeling for the techniques. Thai food is based on a balance between the different flavours; spicy, sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. It goes beyond a single dish, but seeks to balance a full meal of various dishes. You will get an understanding for this philosophy during your afternoon and, once you have cooked your way through, you can take seat to test all of the lovely dishes you have prepared yourself.

Expect to be back at your hotel around 14:00 with a cookbook in hand, and a very full stomach!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Eco Resort in a 4-Bed Dorm, or similar

Day 4
Wake up and enjoy breakfast and then check-out from your accommodation. Good luck on your next adventure!

Meals: Breakfast