Active Pursuits

Chiang Mai has a few noteworthy venues for adventure and extreme sports. This is the only place in Thailand where commercial Hot-Air Ballooning has been approved. Earth, Wind and Fire (158/60 Moo 6 Cheungdoi, Doi Saket; tel. 05329-2224; www.balloon.wind-and-fire.com) is a highly reputable and certified outfit with professional pilots operating pre-dawn rides between November and March -- depending on the weather. Prices are available on request.

Chiang Mai has succumbed to the bungee jumping craze; addicts can head north to the Mae Rim area to try this sport out. First-timers pay 1,500B (US$43/#23), but thereafter it's 1,000B (US$29/#15). For details, call tel. 05329-8442.

Rock climbers can practice on a challenging man-made rock wall at The Peak (28/2 Chang Klan Rd.; tel. 05382-0776-8), near the Night Bazaar. Single climbs cost 200B (US$5.70/#3.10), and hourly rates are available. They also arrange trips for climbing the real rocks in the surrounding hills.

Ultra-light aircraft flights have come to Chiang Mai as well. A small but very organized operation, Chiang Mai Sky Adventures, flies from a private airstrip north of the city in Doi Saket. A 15-minute flight, more or less a piggy-back ride on the pilot's shoulders, costs just 1,700B (US$49/#26) and takes you on a great loop out over a large dam and reservoir and past a spectacular hilltop temple. They also do flight instruction and certification. Call Mr. Chaimongkol at tel. 05386-8460 or visit www.skyadventures.info for info.

Trekking

There are so many tour groups in Chiang Mai that specialize in trekking that it can seem impossible to choose one. Most of the smaller companies have offices along Thapae Road, in guesthouses, and all along the major tourist routes in the city, and they are always happy to talk about what's on offer. Many adventure tours mix mountain biking or motorcycling with tribal village tours.

For jungle trekking, there are a number of small outfits arranging trips from Chiang Mai, but Contact Travel (www.activethailand.com) is in a category all its own. Combining treks and village stays with multisport adventures by Jeep, bicycle, and kayak, the folks at Contact can cater a tour to any needs and price range. They also offer more traditional itineraries with elephant treks, visits to caves, and relaxing bamboo raft river trips, and their English-speaking guides are the best in the area. Treks from Chiang Mai stop at Lisu, Lahu, and Karen villages. A 2-day/1-night trip is 4,600B (US$131/#71) per person if you join their regular tour, or 5,600B (US$160/#86) per person for a private group trip. A 3-day/2-night trip, which takes you to a greater variety of villages, is 5,500B (US$157/#85) per person if you join their regular tour or 6,850B (US$196/#105) per person for a private group. For an additional 1,500B (US$43/#23) per person you can hire a porter to wrestle your bags along. Their office in Chiang Mai is at 420/3 Chang Klan Rd. (tel. 05327-7178; fax 05327-9505).

Small operators that cater to the low-end backpacker market offer trips for as little as 1,500B (US$43/#23) per day. This usually means being in a large group, with care and feeding at a lower standard, but that's budget-trekking -- and there is a kind of fun in commiseration over post-trek beers. You might try the following companies:

Top North Tours (41 Moon Muang Rd., Chiang Mai; tel. 05320-8788) offers a range of short tours featuring trekking, bamboo rafting, and elephant riding. They're a reliable budget choice, but that means big groups and basic services. Queen Bee Travel Service (5 Moon Muang Rd., Chiang Mai; tel. 05327-5525; www.queen-bee.com) has a whole range of budget trekking services and cultural tours.

Boat Trips

Within the city, a long-tail boat trip along the Mae Ping River is a fun diversion. Head for the boat landing of Mae Ping River Cruise Co. (133 Charoen Prathet Rd.; tel. 05327-4822; www.maepingrivercruise.com) at Wat Chaimongkol on Charoen Prathet Rd., opposite Alliance Francaise). A tour lasts about 2 hours and costs 500B (US$14/#7.70) with fruit and drinks included. Starting in the city center, you'll get great views of old teak riverside mansions, behind which rises the tall skyline of this developing burg. While on the outskirts of town, you'll see villages that offer scenes of more suburban and rural living.

Elephant Encounters

One of Thailand's greatest treasures, the domesticated Asian elephant has worked alongside men since the early history of Siam, and these gentle giants are an important symbol of the kingdom. Elephant training culture is strongest in parts of Isan (the northeast) and the far north. In and around Chiang Mai alone, there are a grand total of 14 elephant camps that try to cash in on the popularity of these gentle giants. Not all elephant camps are pleasant: at shoddier camps, creatures are drugged to keep them placid, and conditions are grim. Choose your elephant camp wisely. Resort-run ele-camps such as those at Anantara and Four Seasons' Tented Camp, both north of Chiang Rai in the Golden Triangle, are among the most humane. By far the best way to interact with the animals is a visit to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang. In and around the immediate Chiang Mai area, though, you have your pick of day trips. Just north of town in the Mae Rim Valley you'll find a number of camps offering packaged programs (all similar) that are fun, especially for kids. Most day-tours include a few hours of hill trekking on elephant back with groups of three or four in a howdah (elephant seat), which is followed by ox-cart rides to so-called "primitive" tourist villages and even bamboo rafting back to camp. Maetamann Elephant Camp (535 Rimtai, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai 50180; tel. 05329-7060) is one recommended camp to try. They charge a hefty 1,500B (US$43/#23) per person, but this ticket includes the show, bamboo rafting, elephant ride, and a simple meal.

Mountain Biking

Out in the fresh air in the hills outside of town you can get a slower, closer look at nature, sights, and people. Many small trekking companies and travel agents offer day trips, but I recommend the folks at Contact Travel (420/3 Chang Klan Rd; tel. 05327-7178) for their 1-day excursions just north of town or for multi-day adventures in the region. Day trips start at 1,800B (US$51/#28).

Hitting the Links

For Thais and Western retirees, golf is a favored hobby in Chiang Mai, especially in the cooler months. All courses below are open to the public and offer equipment rental. Call ahead to reserve a tee-time.

• Chiang Mai Green Valley Country Club, located in Mae Rim, 20 minutes north of town on Rte. 107, 183/2 Chotana Rd. (tel. 05329-8249; fax 05327-9386), is in excellent condition with flat greens and fairways that slope toward the Ping River (greens fees: weekdays 1,200B-1,800B/US$29-US$51/#18-#28; weekends 2,000B-2,400B/US$49-US$69/#31-#37).

• Chiang Mai-Lamphun Golf Club, Baan Thi Road, 10km (6 miles) east of Sankampaeng (tel. 05324-8397; fax 05324-8937), located in a valley to the east, is a fine 18-hole course (greens fees: weekdays 1,400B-1,600B/US$34-US$46/#22-#25; weekends 1,800B-2,000B/US$44-US$57/#28-#31).

• Lanna Golf Club, on Chotana Road, 2km (1 1/4 miles) north of the Old City (tel. 05322-1911; fax 05322-1743), is a challenging, wooded 27 holes, and a local favorite with great views of Doi Suthep Mountain (greens fees: weekdays 600B-1,000B/US$15-US$29/#9.25-#15; weekends 800B-1,200B/US$20-US$34/#12-#18).

Spas & Massage

The spa industry is taking off all over Thailand and Chiang Mai is no exception. There are a few fine, full-service spas in and around town, and treatments come with a price but are worth it. Many hotels offer massage and beauty treatments, but some new "spa" areas are no more than converted guest rooms with subdued lighting and overpriced services. You can pay a fraction of the cost for the same treatment at one of the many small storefront massage parlors in and around any tourist area of the city. Note: The offer of an oil massage in a back room often covers for soliciting for sexual services.

Some of the most luxurious spas can be found in luxury resorts near Chiang Mai:

The Dhevi Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi (51/4 Chiang Mai-Sankampaeng Rd., 5 km [3 miles] east of town; tel. 05388-8888) is an enormous complex built of teak to mimic a Burmese palace. The treatments and spa environment are extensive, with the unusual addition of a starlit sauna or rasoul, and therapies which reflect local Lanna culture.

Oasis Spa offers a good standard of service at its four locations in town: at 102 Sirimangkalajarn Rd., 4 Samlan Rd., 22 Chaiyaphum Rd., and 200 Moo 7, Chiang Mai-Doi Saket Rd. For reservations, call tel. 05381-5000 or visit www.chiangmaioasis.com. A luxury campus of private spa villas, Oasis Spa offers a long roster of treatments and provides free pickup and drop-off from hotels in Chiang Mai.

Baan Sabai (on 17/7 Charoen Prathet Rd.; tel. 05328-5204; or 216 Moo 9, San Pee Sua; tel. 05385-4775) is the bridge between the expensive services of a five-star spa and the affordable street-side places. You get the best of both worlds here: a stylish facility and escape for a few hours at affordable rates. You can visit either their convenient in-town hideaway (near the Night Bazaar), or the more spacious "Village" location just northeast of town.

Let's Relax, located in Chiang Mai Pavilion (on the second floor above McDonald's, 145/27 Chang Klan Rd.; tel. 05381-8498) and its sister, Rarin Jinda, located opposite the Riverside Restaurant (14 Charoenrat Rd.; tel. 05324-7000) have affordable massages and are perfect for a quick rest and recharge when wading through the Night Bazaar area.