2 Days in Chiang Mai – Elephants, Temples, and More!

We have put together the perfect itinerary for 2 days in Chiang Mai that will leave you believing that this is the best city in all of Thailand. We will tell you exactly what to do in Chiang Mai in 2 days including the best elephant sanctuary Chiang Mai has to offer, which also is extremely ethical, and walk you through all of the incredible Chiang Mai temples around town.

On top of that, we will talk about where to stay in Chiang Mai, for your Chiang Mai itinerary of 2 days and of course a few tidbits on what to eat! Hint: lots of Pad Thai. Now let’s get to it!

Chiang Mai is nestled in Northern Thailand, sandwiched between Myanmar and Laos. Though it isn’t on the coast, like Halong Bay, or Koh Phi Phi, or mountains like SaPa, we think you’ll have as much adventure in Chiang Mai as you would anywhere else in Southeast Asia (or on earth for that matter)!

Chiang Mai has elephants. That should be enough to get you there, but the adventure doesn’t stop there. There are beautiful eye-catching temples scattered throughout the city. An Old Town complete with a moat and brick wall around the entire town is an incredible site. And of course the food is so good that you will not want to leave!

Are you ready to get into the details of what makes Chiang Mai so awesome?? Here is everything you need to see during 2 days in Chiang Mai.

Day 1 – Chiang Mai Itinerary

Chiang Mai Temples

Until the elephants started gaining popularity, the number 1 tourist destination in this part of Thailand was the Chiang Mai temples. We recommend taking your first day of your 2 days in Chiang Mai to explore these incredible masterpieces around town.

The city of Chiang Mai is full of treasured temples spotted all across the city. The temples are each a truly stunning combination of gold and red, with jewels of all colors decorating the entirety of each building.

Get a map of Chiang Mai, or use the map we put below, mark out all the temples you want to see. We recommend getting a bike and setting out to explore for the day! This way you’ll be able to cover more ground. However, if you would rather walk, that is more than okay too! Either way you’ll have a blast seeing things you won’t be able to see anywhere else on earth.

Chiang Mai Square

Chiang Mai is literally shaped like a square, with a moat and brick wall surrounding the entire town. It is a beautiful set-up, and you’ll find a surprise around every corner as you walk around town.

We recommend taking a half day to walk around the square with no agenda. During our walk we stumbled upon a street food festival that we would have not found without aimlessly wandering, and the food was INCREDIBLE! We ate fresh sushi and Thai delicacies for $.50 my friends, and we ate until our bellies couldn’t fit any more!

Day 2 Chiang Mai Itinerary

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Chiang Mai

The second day of our Chiang Mai itinerary is going to be the best day of your 2 days in Chiang Mai BY FAR. We are going to plan a trip to the best and most ethical elephant sanctuary Chiang Mai has to offer: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary!

Visiting an ethical elephant sanctuary when you visit Chiang Mai should be required. It is an ABSOLUTE MUST PEOPLE! Why? Let us tell you.

First off, because elephants are the kings of the animal kingdom. Lions have NOTHING on them. They are somehow the largest AND cutest land animals on earth. How is that even possible? Seeing and playing with elephants will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Second, because all of the money you spend (if you go to an ethical elephant sanctuary) goes towards saving elephants from terrible lives. Although it is tough to hear and see, some elephants raised in Southeast Asia are treated poorly and made to work their entire lives in terrible conditions.

These sanctuaries, like Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, raise money to purchase an elephant and save that creature from these conditions. Sounds like a cause that everyone can get behind.

Third, because you will have the time of your life! During the full day experience you’ll get to feed them bananas, sugar cane, pumpkins, and more. You will get to have a FREAKING MUD BATH with them (Zach literally fell and slid down the mud/poop mountain on the way down… what an oaf). And finally, you will get to finish it off by rinsing off in the river, with elephants playing and using their trunks as super soakers all around you.

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Details

Getting to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary was actually extremely easy, as long as you do one thing: book your transit as a part of your elephant adventure package! You can book your tour online, or by visiting the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary office in Chiang Mai. We recommend booking online since the tours can book up quickly.

The trip to the sanctuary itself is far enough (and straight uphill) that it would be a real challenge on a bike or in a tuk-tuk. Also, as far as we’ve seen, any day-trip you book in Chiang Mai will come with a pick-up from your hotel or homestay. Therefore, book the trip with transit included and you’ll get picked up & dropped off right at your hotel!

One of our favorite parts of the day was actually getting to FEED the elephants! You might as well have tattooed a smile on Julie’s face for the ENTIRE day. Elephants eat over 350 pounds every day. Sounds like a hungover brunch for us…

And on top of all that, you will get to keep the shirt they give you (which we are wearing in all the pics)! This is the best souvenir we got in all of Thailand, since it reminds us of our day in the best elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

Where to Stay in Chiang Mai

Unfortunately where we stayed has closed since 2018, which is such a bummer because it had an amazing location, extremely friendly hosts, delicious food, free bikes to use and for an unbeatable price of under $20/night. 

Instead we’d recommend one of these places instead.

Prix Hotel: Conveniently located in Old City Chiang Mai and an unbeatable price!

Check price and availability for Prix Hotel here!

Arun Dara Villa: The affordability of Thailand make it the perfect place to splurge on a place to stay with a private pool! Located right in Chiang Mai’s Old City and the perfect place to explore during 2 days in Chiang Mai.

Check price and availability for Arun Dara Villa here!

 

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read our itinerary for 2 days in Chiang Mai! If you want any more advice on your trip to Chiang Mai, reach out in the comments or on the About Us page and we would love to help out.

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