Why you should visit the charming Chiang Mai during the Flower Festival

25.02.2019.

As I heard many amazing and authentic things depicting Chiang Mai, I took the opportunity to visit it. The first weekend in February during the Flower festival holds the enchanting moments to visit. Settled down in the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai attracts numerous tourists that have a chance to explore its temples and wildlife. This town without the proper square and walking area covers the streets that ressemble to the crossword of traffic. Even the pedestrian crossing is not common as the upper bridge connects both sides.

Neverthless, Chiang Mai offers the bunch of things to see and touristic tours are the most convenient way. That’s the reason that most of the hostels/hotels offer the daily tours, even with the lunch. 

The perfect itinerary of Thailand will include Chiang Mai, Bangkok and lovely islands like Krabi and Koh Lanta.

See also: Flower Festival at Madeira

Chiang Mai during the Flower Festival

Flower festival is being held for over 40 years now, during the first weekend in February. Nong Buak Hard Park is one of the rarest parks in the town filled with flowers and flower sculptures during the festival. The musical performances enrich the event and I even got a book about Chiang Mai. As I came before the official opening on Friday, it was a perfect chance to take pictures without crowds.

Not only in the park, the whole street around river embraces the floral sculptures. Some of the lovely examples are the colourful ladies in their floral dresses, nice windows, baskets and so on. It’s the place where you can see the variety of thai and tropical plants. Some of them you won’t even recognize because of the signs written in thai.

The Flower Parade

At the evening this street becomes filled with people and musical performers which is not usually the case (because of the traffic). Flower festival is a special opportunity to try the cheap thai food and coconut ice-cream. During the Saturday morning the flower parade will feel your senses with even more flower sculptures. Of course, the winner becomes evident in the evening as well as the Miss Flowers of Thailand.

Doi Inthanon National Park

Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand with its peak of 2565m, part of the Himalayan mountain range. Many hostels and hotels offer touristic tours to Doi Inthanon, mostly 1 day (with or without trekking) but there’s also a possibility of 2 or 3 day trekking tour. Within the distance of 100 km from Chiang Mai, it’s easily accesible by road. As the lunch and fresh water is also included in all the tours in Thailand, this is the best way to explore this country.

Doi Inthanon enjoys the wonderful mountain views at the king and the queen’s pagoda with their lighthearted gardens. Birdwatching can be caught at Doi Inthanon to its highest in Thailand (from July to October), as well as the vast flora and wildlife. I have to mention that once I took the birdwatching course. The national park itself got name by the king Inthawichayanon who took care about the persevation of the forrest.

Mae Ya Waterfall & coffee farm

At Doi Inthanon we can see few waterfalls among which the most beautiful is Mae Ya Waterfall. Many mountain farms are inhabited here and we visited one small Christian village that produces coffee, bananas and scarves. On the way back we visited market with plenty of choice where dried fruits are at its best „bloom“.

The Queen Sikirit Botanical Garden

This garden is located in Chiang Mai but well from any road, unfortunately (30 km from the centre of the town). You would need to go with taxi, rented scooter or with the tour (though there are not many tours but something like this.

The vast area of the gardens cannot be done all by foot but they have shuttle buses. The entrance fee of 100 Thb includes the conopy walk (seing the gardens from the air, the longest one in Thailand), glass house with the orchid collection, Museum of Natural Sciences. The gardens are situated in the closeness of Mae Sa waterfall.

River Cruise along Mae Ping river

The river cruise usually lasts two hours or even 3 days, which gives the possibility to visit Chiang Rai. Seeing Chiang Mai in the different attire is astonishing as it will give you the opportunity to see various hotels near the river. You will see the way people live and make houses (even the princess, not just usual people).

One of them is the Farmer’s house, where you can discover the colourful palette of tropical plants. Offering the snack such as pineapple/watermelon you will get not only the refreshment, but a little museum. Taking a cooking class is your chance to learn more about the Thai culinary art.

Unusual tropical plants to learn about

Many, many curative plants can be found here like madan (helps to cure cold), pomerac (helps with the toothache, reducing fever, treatment of skin), star fruit (which strengthens bones and teeth, control of toxins and parasites, helps with sleeping). Of course, here’s ginger, cinnamon, cashew nuts (nourishing the hair and skin, contains magnesium in large quantities, helps with cardiovascular disease). The sensation is inexplicable when seeing so many tropical plants common in the western world. I highly recommend this opportunity.

Chiang Rai

Except this 3 hours away town of Chiang Mai holds the famous white temple, here’s to be found the blue temple and black temple. It’s advisable to take a tour as these temples are within quite a distance from the centre but also because the local buses might be full (as it happened to me considering the bus station in Chiang Mai is very far from the centre). Unfortunately the tours don’t include Mae Fah Luang Garden in Doi Tung, learn about it more here. This garden certainly should be checked.

Doi Suthep Temple

This temple is one of a kind, set up in the forrest, special at night with its ambiance of a tunnel.

Where to stay

Hostel Lullaby– is a stylish hostel in the pure centre that offers free breakfast, bycicles, yoga classes and more;

Sylvis Hostel Chiang Mai– is a cozy place which offers social atmosphere and lovely garden;

Mad Monkey Chiang Mai– is a lovely hostel offering large pool, bar and restaurant, yoga spaces and gym;

Hidden Garden Hostel– best budget hostel with a pool and fancy atmosphere;

Gategaa Village– is a budget hotel on the riverside with a fantastic pool and cozy ambience;

18 in Town Homestay– is a pretty hotel within a tranquil garden in a pure centre of Chiang Mai;

Phra Singh Village– is the best luxury hotel in the Old town in the tranquil oasis;

Final thoughts

For sure, Chiang Mai has other awesome sights to be seen but these are the base in the scope of floral and natural scenery. Pai is the town that deserves to be visited, only 130 km from Chiang Mai. With plenty of waterfalls, strawberry fields and extraordinary caffes I will be back to check it out. I will surely be back to Chiang Mai as I have still left much to explore. You should too as Chiang Mai leaves you with the eyes of wonder.

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