Half Day Temple Tour and Buddhist Alms Giving

This spiritual journey will take you across Chiang Mai to observe serene Buddhist processions where dozens of Buddhist monks take to the streets collecting alms. Your tour will start early morning when you will be picked up from your hotel in Chiang Mai in your private minivan and arrive at the foothill of Mt. Suthep in time to purchase offerings and join the locals and devotees during their daily alms giving sessions. Your private guide will also help you participate by filling the monks’ alms bowls with rice or other items you may have purchased to give them as alms.

After the alms-giving session your tour van will take you up the mountain to the Wat Phra that Doi Suthep where you will have to climb 309 steps on the Golden Naga Staircase to reach the temple’s sparkling pagodas. Here you will get the chance to treat your eyes to the majestic views over Chiang Mai and the Buddhist monasteries which showcase traditional Thai architecture, boast richly decorated murals and shrines and a stunning replica of the Emerald Buddha. After this you will head to Wat Umong, which is a 14th century temple covered in small plants and moss giving it the charm of a monument from a different world. Here you will get a chance to walk through secret tunnels and reach a monastery where you will get your own private blessings ceremony with the resident monks.

After taking in the ambient sounds of chants amidst fresh flowers, with the air heavy with incense and candle fumes, you will finish your tour with a delicious bowl of khao soy – which is a classic Thai dish made with coconut milk, crispy noodles and a bunch of spices that will delight your senses. You will then be dropped back to your hotel.