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About six years ago, my husband and I travelled to Chiang Mai and had a wonderful time. We trekked the jungle, explored the colourful temples, and trawled the night market and bars until the wee hours. But that was B.C. or, more aptly put, before children. These days, the thought of traveling with two children under 5 to exotic locales is less than appealing and more of a logistical nightmare.

Cleanliness, familiar food and the availability of diapers take precedence to those rustically charming but let’s face it, not very child— friendly spots. But what we happily discovered was that this relaxed city in Northern Thailand also has a side which we never even noticed on our last trip all those years ago — that it is a great place for children.

Definitely more family—orientated than chaotic Bangkok or some of the somewhat sleazy beach towns, Chiang Mai has a wonderfully large variety of activities children love (be clever and resist the urge to take them to more than one Wat!) — with lots of up—close animal encounters, terrific national parks, and dozens of swimming pools in most of the city’s hotels.

With most of these hotels now offering heaven—sent kids clubs or babysitting services, mums and dads can still enjoy the night market, and perhaps even sneak out for a romantic night on the town.

Nature Parks

Children of all ages will love the multitude of wide open, lush spaces found in Northern Thailand’s many national parks. Rivers and waterfalls with romantic folklore like the tragic story of Wang Bua Ban at the Huay Keaw Waterfall is just minutes from the city center, and equally close is the powerfully cascading Montatam Waterfall, which is not just clean and perfect for swimming, but is also a great lookout point to marvel at the city vista below. Families can happily spend the day exploring the nature trails, bird watching, stopping for a picnic or taking a dip in one of the beautiful waterfalls — so make sure you take your swimsuits along!

Animal Planet

Just the sheer amount of animal—centered activities is enough reason to visit the city (for the kids at least!). The largest zoo in Thailand, is nestled here on a hilltop, and has all the usual animal suspects,

but more worthy of note are the Pandas and interactive exhibits and shows, as well as playgrounds and sand pits all surround by a gorgeous landscape filled with trees, lakes, waterfalls and splendid views of the city. The 200 acre Chiang Mai Zoo can be quite tiring for little feet, so do hop on and off of the many ’tuk tuks’ around.

Further along in the Mae Sa Valley there are a variety of pony rides and ’animal shows’ to be discovered, where the more adventurous little ones can get up close to their slithery friends and also have a laugh at the performing monkeys, birds and other interesting creatures.

Last but not least, a trip to Chiang Mai would not be complete without elephant rides, which are easily found at different locations close to the city. Children will be in pure ecstasy (or maybe terror for the littler ones!) riding atop these majestic but sweet animals, taking you for a peaceful stroll across the jungle.

Other Activities 

After all the animal and nature escapades, there are still a huge amount of other activities for children of all ages to combat boredom. Artistic families should look into the Mae Sa Valley Craft Centre, a village where even the kids can paint ceramics, make parasols, dye batik, or take Thai cooking lessons. Older kids may want to try out the many video gaming shops, the skating ring or perhaps the Speedway circuit.