Chiang Mai's Lantern Festival: Thailand's Most Magical Night
On the full moon of November, thousands of paper lanterns are released into the sky above Chiang Mai — a moment of such beauty that it has become one of the most photographed events in Southeast Asia.
The Yi Peng festival — the Festival of Lights — takes place on the full moon of the second month of the Lanna calendar, which falls in November. On this night, thousands of khom loi (sky lanterns) are released simultaneously from the moat of the old city, from the Mae Ping River, and from the grounds of the Wat Phra Singh temple, creating a spectacle of floating lights that rises slowly into the night sky and drifts south over the city.
Chiang Mai is the cultural capital of northern Thailand — a city of 300 temples, a well-preserved medieval moat and walls, and a creative community of artists, chefs, and craftspeople that has made it one of the most interesting cities in Southeast Asia. The old city, enclosed within the moat, is compact enough to explore on foot or by bicycle, and the temples — Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chiang Man — are among the finest in Thailand.
The Sunday Walking Street on Wualai Road and the Saturday Walking Street on Wua Lai Road are the finest night markets in Chiang Mai — a kilometre of stalls selling hand-made crafts, silver jewellery, silk scarves, and the northern Thai food that is quite different from the cuisine of Bangkok. The khao soi (a curry noodle soup with crispy noodles on top) and the sai oua (northern Thai sausage) are the dishes that define Chiang Mai's food culture.
The Doi Inthanon National Park, 80 kilometres south of Chiang Mai, contains the highest peak in Thailand (2,565 metres) and some of the finest birdwatching in Southeast Asia — more than 380 species have been recorded in the park, including the rare green-tailed sunbird and the Doi Inthanon flycatcher. The twin royal chedis on the summit, built to commemorate the king and queen's birthdays, offer views over a landscape of cloud forest and rice paddies.
The elephant sanctuaries around Chiang Mai are the finest in Thailand — places where rescued elephants live in large natural enclosures and interact with visitors on their own terms. The Elephant Nature Park, founded by Lek Chailert, is the most famous and the most reputable, and the experience of feeding, bathing, and walking alongside elephants that have been rescued from the logging and tourism industries is one of the most moving in Southeast Asia.
The cooking schools of Chiang Mai are among the finest in Thailand — a half-day course that begins with a visit to the market to buy ingredients and ends with a meal of six or seven dishes is one of the best ways to understand Thai cuisine. The Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School and the Thai Farm Cooking School are consistently rated among the best, and the skills learned in a single morning are genuinely transferable to a home kitchen.
The best time to visit Chiang Mai is from November to February, during the cool season, when the temperatures are comfortable and the air quality is good. The hot season (March to May) brings smoke from agricultural burning that can make the air genuinely unhealthy, and the rainy season (June to October) brings daily afternoon showers. The Yi Peng festival (November) is the finest time to be in Chiang Mai, but accommodation must be booked months in advance.
