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Chiang Mai · Chiang Rai
Northern Thailand, planned by people who live here.
Ethical elephant sanctuaries, misty mountain parks, golden temples and jungle ziplines. 32 hand-picked day trips with hotel pickup, from ฿650.
TAT licence 24/01168
Hotel pickup included
No-riding elephant sanctuaries
Book online, on WhatsApp or LINE
Explore by interest
What kind of day are you after?
8 tours
Elephant sanctuaries
Feed, walk and bathe with rescued elephants. No riding.
7 tours
Adventure
Ziplines, jungle luge, white-water rafting and ATV trails.
6 tours
Temples & culture
Doi Suthep, the White and Blue Temples, hill-tribe villages.
5 tours
Nature & trekking
Doi Inthanon, cloud-forest trails and rice-terrace valleys.
6 tours
Food & evenings
Street-food walks, khantok dinners and temples by night.
Most booked
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The trips we send people on most, and the ones they come back to tell us about.
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Elephant sanctuaries
Half-Day Elephant Sanctuary
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Nature & trekking
Doi Inthanon National Park
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from฿1,500/ person
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Adventure
Skyline Jungle Luge & Zipline
Up to 2 hrs of activities Chiang Mai
from฿2,250/ person
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Temples & culture
Chiang Rai: 3 Temples
Full day Chiang Rai
from฿1,300/ person
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Elephant sanctuaries
Elephants, White-Water Rafting & Sticky Waterfall
Full day Chiang Mai
from฿1,800/ person
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Temples & culture
Doi Suthep Temple & Hmong Village
Full day Chiang Mai
from฿700/ person
View →Elephants, the right way
Feed them. Walk with them. Never ride them.
We only work with sanctuaries where the elephants set the pace. You'll prepare their food, join the mud spa and wade into the river for bath time, then leave them to be elephants.
- Small groups with the camp's own mahouts
- Half-day or full-day, with rafting, trekking or ATV add-ons
- Lunch, insurance and hotel pickup included
Fit it into your trip
Got a morning? An evening? We have a tour for it.
Find us
5 Prapokklao Road, Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
Why book with us
A real office, real people, honest advice.
Idea Smile Tour is a small, licensed desk in the Old City. We work with local operators we know well, and we'll tell you straight which trip suits your group, your budget and the weather that week.
- Walk in or message
- Drop by the office or chat with us on WhatsApp, LINE or WeChat.
- Licensed & insured
- TAT licence 24/01168. Most tours include travel insurance.
- Operators we've vetted
- Sanctuaries, zipline parks and guides we know personally.
- No hidden extras
- Prices include pickup, entry fees and lunch unless we say otherwise.
Before you go
Good to know for northern Thailand
Temple dress code
Cover shoulders and knees at every temple, including Doi Suthep and the White Temple. A light scarf and long trousers or a long skirt solve it.
When to come
Nov–Feb is cool and clear, the best time for Doi Inthanon. Mar–Apr is hot and can be smoky. Jun–Oct is green season: rice terraces and waterfalls at their best.
Money
Carry some cash in Thai baht for markets, songthaews and tips. Cards work in malls and hotels; Thai ATMs charge a fee on foreign cards, so withdraw larger amounts less often.
Getting around
Grab and Bolt work well in town. Red songthaews run shared routes around the Old City. For day trips, pickup from your hotel is included in all our tours.
Book with a licensed desk
Be careful with flyers handed out on the street that promise very cheap packages. Check the TAT licence number, and message us if something looks too good to be true.
Not sure which tour to pick?
Tell us your dates, who's travelling and what you enjoy. We'll reply with two or three options that fit.