Mae Kampong Cooking Class
Price
Overview
Mae Kampong Cooking Class
Hike, forage, and feast in one unforgettable day!
Escape the city and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the northern Thai countryside on this unique one-day experience. Set in the stunning mountain village of Mae Kampong, our Jungle Cooking School in Chiang Mai blends gentle trekking, learning about herbs and plants used in cooking, and hands-on cooking into a truly memorable day.
What to Expect
We begin with a scenic one-hour drive from Chiang Mai to the lush hills of Mae Kampong—an idyllic village known for its cool climate, forested landscapes, and authentic charm. Just visiting Mae Kampong is a highlight for many travelers, and you'll have the chance to wander the streets, engage with the locals and marvel at the amazing setting.
Our journey continues on foot with a guided nature walk through the surrounding jungle. Led by a knowledgeable local expert, we’ll stop often to touch, smell, and taste wild herbs and plants traditionally used in northern Thai cuisine. Depending on the season, we may even forage ingredients for your upcoming cooking class! The hike is easy-going, covering around 1–2 km, and includes a visit to the picturesque Mae Kampong Waterfall.
After the trek, we head to a local home where your culinary adventure begins. In a relaxed, welcoming setting with lovely jungle views, you’ll learn how to prepare a mix of iconic Thai dishes and lesser-known regional specialties, with vegetarian and vegan options available. You'll be introduced to fresh ingredients, traditional techniques, and then get hands-on to cook your own meal—before sitting down to enjoy the delicious results.
Tour Highlights
Guided Jungle Walk & Foraging – Explore Mae Kampong’s lush forests, learn about edible herbs and plants, and even forage ingredients for your meal.
Hands-On Cooking Class – Cook authentic northern Thai dishes in a relaxed local home with beautiful jungle views—vegetarian and vegan options available.
Visit Mae Kampong Village & Waterfall – Discover one of Chiang Mai’s most charming mountain villages and stop by the scenic Mae Kampong Waterfall.
Community-Based Experience – Support sustainable tourism with every booking—benefiting local guides and preserving village culture.
100% unique activity in Chiang Mai
As recommended in our best tours in Chiang Mai for 2026!
Included/Excluded
- Air conditioned transportation
- Guided hike through the forest, learning about the herbs and plants
- Visit to Mae Kampong waterfall
- Welcome drink at cooking class
- All ingredients for 3 courses
- Online cook book
Tour Plan
08.00am - 08.30am - Pick Up
We'll pick you up within city limits and drive approx 1 hour 20 minutes to Mae Kampong village
10.00am - 11am - Village and Forest Walk
Explore the charming Mae Kampong village and venture into the surrounding forest with a local guide. Along the way, you’ll discover the edible plants that grow in the area — tasting, touching, and smelling as you go.
11.30am - Visit Local Waterfall
We’ll pause at the beautiful Mae Kampong Waterfall for a short break before continuing on to the nearby cooking class.
12pm - Begin the Cooking Class!
After a refreshing welcome drink, it’s time to start cooking! You’ll be able to choose from several menu options — including vegetarian and vegan — and prepare a mix of stir-fried dishes, curries, soups, and desserts.
14.00pm - Lunch
After all your hard work, it’s time to enjoy the delicious dishes you’ve prepared! Savor your lunch while taking in the stunning village views and cool mountain air in this peaceful forest setting.
15.00pm - 16.00pm - Return to City
After lunch, we’ll wrap up the program and head back to Chiang Mai, where you’ll be dropped off at your accommodation.
Additional Information
Why Choose this Cooking School?
This unique experience goes far beyond the kitchen. Set in the beautiful mountain village of Mae Kampong, you’ll explore where many traditional Thai ingredients come from — seeing, touching, and tasting them in their natural environment. The cool temperatures and peaceful forest setting make it a refreshing escape from the city.
A True Taste of Local Life
After a light hike through the village and forest, you’ll cook in an intimate, casual setting with local hosts who share their passion for authentic Thai cuisine. The menu blends traditional recipes with a few familiar favorites, giving you a deeper connection to the flavors and culture of northern Thailand.
You may also like
3 Comments
5Highly recommended Mae Kampong experience – great food, great guides, beautiful walk
I really enjoyed this experience and would happily recommend it.
Everything was well organised, and communication beforehand was good. They even asked in advance what kinds of food I’d like to cook, as well as anything I couldn’t eat. When we first started the hike, I was given a sticky rice treat cooked in bamboo, which you peel open and eat from the inside. It was lovely, and a nice way to start the walk.
The hike through Mae Kampong village and into the forest was excellent. Nee was a fantastic guide and seemed to know everything about the plants, herbs and flowers we passed. It was genuinely eye-opening to see how much of the local environment is used and how useful it all is. The walk itself was beautiful, including up to the waterfall, and nothing felt rushed. The pace was relaxed, and Nee also pointed out local wildlife, such as birds and spiders, along the way.
The cooking part was just as good. Su and Pook (a local guide) were involved with guiding the cooking, and the whole experience felt very different from other cooking classes I’ve done in Thailand. Usually, you’re choosing from the usual dishes like red or green curry, massaman, pad krapow, tom yum, etc. What made this special was that everything we cooked was different and felt genuinely local, not the standard set of dishes you see everywhere.
We made a local steamed omelette dish, which was great, and a tomato-and-chicken dish I’d never had before, which was amazing and served with sticky rice. We also had a lovely blue-and-purple drink. Later on, we made khao soi. I’d suggested it beforehand because I’ve tried making it at home and had pieced together a version based on YouTube recipes. Going through it properly, step by step, I realised there were quite a few things done very differently and much more traditionally. By the end, I felt really confident that I’d be able to make it properly at home. We finished with a fabulous dessert made from rice flour.
Overall, the experience was friendly, relaxed and really well run. It wasn’t rigid or formulaic at all — we had time to talk about ingredients, ask questions and actually learn. I came away having taken a lot more from this than I usually do from cooking classes. If you’re looking for something that feels local, unhurried and genuinely educational, this is a great thing to do.
5Incredible Experience
We absolutely loved this experience. Incredible guides who were kind, funny, knowledgeable, accommodating, and made it a day we’ll never forget. Loads of learning and laughter in a gorgeous environment. The food we cooked together was delicious and we look forward to recreating the recipes at home. A special thank you to Nee who was beyond fantastic.
5This was an amazing experience! My sister and I were lucky enough to be the only ones attending that day, we had the loveliest day with the girls.
My sister has a gluten allergy and they were so nice and accommodating.
We felt very safe and taken care of with them, I definitely recommend this experience for women traveling alone especially.
The foraging walk through the village before reaching the restaurant was amazing, seeing how people make use of the land in the cooking and how much that affects the quality of the food is incredible to see and to get to learn about. Also an amazing sensory experience to experience it in nature, smelling, feeling.
Perfect mix of nature and cooking.
The car was very comfortable and had great AC!
It was an unbelievable experience and everyone went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. 10/10 recommend.
Comments are closed.