Northern Thailand Sports

Chiang Mai has plenty of opportunities to watch or participate in sports, such as Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), bowling, ice skating, jogging, cycling, and tennis.

As Thailand’s national sport, Muay Thai boxing is very important to locals in Chiang Mai. It attracts significant crowds of tourist as well, who come to experience the spectacle. There is a fight almost every night of the week at one of the city’s two arenas. The best time and place to go is on Fridays at   Kawila Boxing Stadium, 1km to the east of the Ping River. A tuk-tuk from Tha Pae Gate is 50฿. Tickets are cheapest (350฿) if bought in advance at most guesthouses. At the stadium they’re 400฿, or 600฿ for ringside seats. A night of fighting typically starts at 9pm and consists of 8-10 individual bouts in varying weight classes. A three-piece band plays music along with the ebb and flow of the action. It’s brutal, exciting, and a genuine taste of Thai culture that should not be missed. The other stadium, Thapae Stadium, is more touristy but easier to access, 50m south of the Tha Pae Gate on Moon Muang Rd. It is a large covered space lined with bars, and is a different but equally fun experience. Come early for the best seats. For information on learning how to box, see Beyond Tourism.

There is a fitness track at Huay Kaew Arboretum on Huay Kaew Rd. A better fitness park is on Nimonaha Min Rd. at the University Arts Museum. The track is set around a concrete moat (330m) with concrete logs and an archaic wooden bench press. (Open daily 5am-8pm.) Buak Haad Park, in the southwestern corner of the old city, is a hidden oasis. Cool off in one of the several hotel pools that open for public use for a nominal fee. (Open daily 5am-10pm.)

Golf and tennis can be played at the Chiangmai Gymkhana Club, in the southeastern corner of town off the Chiang Mai-Lamphun Rd. The club was founded in 1898 by 14 Englishmen who worked in Chiang Mai as traders but whose true passions were racing, polo, and tennis. Today, club membership is 60% Thai. Nine holes on the course cost 300฿. Caddies (100฿) are compulsory. (☎053 241 035. Office open daily 9am-5pm. Golf club rental 300฿, driving range 25฿ for one bucket of balls.) The Anantasiri Tennis Courts, 48/5 Superhighway (☎053 222 210), across from the National Museum, have lighted courts at night.