Chiang Mai with a Toddler—Wats, Elephants, and PooPoo

Chiang Mai with a Toddler

Chiang Mai is situated in northern Thailand surrounded by lush mountains. This ancient city is home to many Buddhist Temples and the old town area still has the remnants of the moat and portions of the wall that surrounded the city in earlier times. The city is very manageable to get around, and there are many foreigners (both tourists and expats), so the locals speak English very well. Unlike our other trips, Chiang Mai would be the first leg of a three-city, two-country trip with family so we decided to hire a private driver/tour guide at each location. We tried to make this trip to Chiang Mai with a toddler fun filled for all of us—I don’t think we left disappointed!

Day 1

Flying from Hanoi, Vietnam, we had a layover in Bangkok which gave us an arrival time in Chiang Mai in the late afternoon. Once we checked into our hotel-style serviced apartment, the Astra Condos, we went out to eat at a restaurant with local cuisine down the street from our apartment. What a joy it was to walk on sidewalks from our hotel to the restaurant as living in Hanoi offers no such enjoyment!

Day 2

We woke up early and headed off to the Elephant PooPoo Paper Park where actual elephant poo is recycled into paper goods. The museum was a drive out of the city and there are no actual elephants there, but it was a truly unique experience. When we arrive, we were the first ones to visit on that day, which was perfect because there were no crowds to deal with, which can be problematic with a toddler. A guide took us around the park and explained the poopoo papermaking process at each station. The experience is very hands-on and surprisingly no stinky poo smells!

First, they showed us the different kinds of poo

Then, we mixed the poo with different colors. Either food coloring or old poopoo paper scraps

Once the color is mixed, we separated it in the mold

Then, it was taken out to dry

After dried, it was taken out to use (as paper)

Lily decorated her own journal

After we bought our souvenirs from the Elephant PooPoo Paper Park, we headed back to the city to visit the Art in Paradise Museum. This is an interactive museum and we all had fun trying out the different exhibits. This is definitely something to do if you are in Chiang Mai with a toddler on a hot or rainy day.

After the Art in Paradise Museum, we had lunch and rested until it was time to pick up Matt’s brother, Garrett, from the airport. Once we picked him up, we immediately headed for the hills. . . literally. We first went to Wat Prira That Doi Kham, a large temple with many buddhas on a hilltop with gorgeous views of the city.

Once we returned to the city area, we checked out a few more Wats including Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh, where we were surprised to find out that our tour guide once studied as a monk there.

Day 3

We headed out of the city for the Chiang Mai Mountain Sanctuary, one of the many elephant sanctuaries surrounding northern Thailand. This was quite an experience to remember. After we arrived, we were able to feed the elephants, up close and personal.

After the elephant feeding, we went on a short walk with the elephants to see them take a mud bath in the wild.

After spending time with them in the mud bath we headed to the rinse off area. Mama and baby elephant were having the best time in the water. The baby was swimming and climbing all over mama, just like a human kid—always in the mama’s face!

Then, we headed back to the main hut to have lunch, buy our souvenir pictures, and change before heading back to Chiang Mai. Now you may be asking, how would a toddler do on this trip, especially one who seems to be afraid of all the animals lately thanks to her parents’ adventures with animals from the last trip (see KL blog). Well, Lily loved looking at and talking to the elephants, as she was safe on her dad’s back—but did not want to get too close to them. She did attempt to feed one at the end of the day, but when that elephant’s trunk came swinging in she got scared. At least she tried!

This excursion was pretty family friendly, as you can get as close or as far away from the elephants as you want. The walk with them was not very far, but it was hot in the sun with no shade, but we managed better than I had imagined.

After we returned from the elephant sanctuary, we visited the Chaing Mai Historical Centre. This is a museum about the history of Chiang Mai. There was so much to learn with many exhibits showcasing the history. Lily had a great time running around and looking at things and it was not busy at all. Next, we went across the street, passing by the Three Kings Monument, to the Lanna Folklife Museum learning about the time of the Lanna Kingdom.

At the end of the day, we headed to the night market to find somewhere to eat and ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe. Once we sat down to order, the waiter informed us that it was Buddha Day, the one day of the year where alcohol sales are prohibited all across Thailand. We were bummed as we could have really used an ice-cold adult beverage at the end of the day. Instead, we had non-alcoholic drinks, ate our American food, and then went souvenir shopping at the night market to end our trip in Chiang Mai.

Our next leg of our three-part trip was to Bangkok.

Don’t Forget to Pack: Summer clothes, sunscreen, hats, and bug spray. If you plan to visit temples, make sure to dress appropriately: no tank tops and women must have their legs covered. You can rent skirts or pants at most temples, or you can buy them at the market in your favorite color for cheap.

Food: You can find excellent Thai food anywhere, but Chiang Mai also has a wide variety of international cuisine to choose from.

Observations on Chiang Mai: Most of the people speak English. Coming from Hanoi, we appreciated the small city feel as we could walk to a lot of places and everything in the city was a short drive. The airport is also close to the city which makes it easy for people on a tight schedule.

Hotel Review: We stayed at the Astra Condos, and booked this room on booking.com. Overall it was a nice place to stay for the short time we were there.

Transportation: Aside from our private driver/guide, we took TukTuks to and from the market, which was our first TukTuk experience with a toddler (and a lot of fun).

Check out more blogs about our travels here.

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2 comments on “Chiang Mai with a Toddler—Wats, Elephants, and PooPoo
  1. Teri Edwards says:

    Love this blog and the photos!

  2. Sharon Romano says:

    I have so enjoyed this…. I feel like I am on the journey!

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