Floating high above the city and mountains as the sun rises is both thrilling and calming. The hot air balloons generally reach a height of about 2,000 metres, allowing a complete 360-degree panorama, and the average journey time of up to an hour allows you to capture spectacular photographs. A celebratory champagne awaits you upon landing, and you will be presented with a certification of your adventure.
If it’s an adrenaline rush you are after, or if you are a nature lover looking for a bird’s eye perspective on the landscape, a paramotor flight is an unforgettable adventure. Experienced trainers and pilots will guide you through the paramotor ride as you sail high above the green mountains, forests and rice fields, with only the occasional puffy clouds for company. Sunrise and sunset voyages are available, and GoPro cameras and videos are provided.
Wat Pha Lat is a quiet and little known forest temple near Doi Suthep, set next to a waterfall and shaded by old trees. The trail leads up a largely gentle incline, and is a little rough and rocky in places. On the way you will see monks heading up and down, and when you arrive you will find dragons and mystic creatures in the temple compound. Serious hikers, and monks, can continue up Doi Suthep.
The Mae Wang is perfect rafting water, with the rafts made from bamboo, rather than rubber, which provides a natural and gentle ride along the tree-shaded waterways. Long and narrow, the rafts are made from bamboo poles lashed together, the warm river water sometimes splashing through, so take a waterproof bag for your camera. Although you can go rafting alone, a guide is probably better as he will point out points of interest along the way.
Kayaking along the Ping River will provide an entirely different perspective on Chiang Mai, as you pass temples and homesteads and shops, and under bridges such as the Rattanakosin Bridge and the Iron Bridge. A kayak or canoe can be rented with or without a guide, and helmets and lifejackets are provided. Late afternoon is probably the best time, when the weather is cooler, and the lights come on as evening approaches.
