Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai
5

Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai

By Thai Akha Cooking School
Recommended by 99% of travellers
99% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The best way to get to know a country’s culture is through its food. Delve deeper into Thai cuisine, and the culture of the Akha hill tribe, during this small-group cooking class in Chiang Mai, which proves perfect for food lovers and first-time visitors. As well as learning to master traditional dishes, you’ll get a glimpse of local life at a fresh food market (morning session only).
Free cancellation • Full refund if cancelled up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time).
Reserve now & pay later • Secure your spot while staying flexible.
Lowest price guarantee • Find a lower price online? Get the difference refunded!

Ages 6-99, max of 12 per group
Duration: 6h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • Learn more about northern Thailand's minority groups during a cooking class
  • Discover unfamiliar ingredients during a market tour (mornings only)
  • Prepare around 10 different dishes, sure to suit every taste
  • Hassle-free 2-way transfers from your central Chiang Mai hotel
Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best
2024

  • Local market tour (only for morning class)
  • Individual cooking station
  • Akha Hill Tribe coffee
  • Full color cook book
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (only within 3 km from city area)
What's not included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)


Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
  • 14/10 Soi Rat Chiang Saen 2 Ko., Tambon Hai Ya, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand
    Meeting Point for Walk-In: Morning Cooking Class: Meeting at Wat Pan Whaen Temple, by 9:00 am There is where we meet before starting the market tour. Evening Cooking Class: Meeting at Cooking School Location by 5:00 pm
Pickup details
  • Our Cooking School has moved to a new Garden location since January 2020. Our new location is just 5 minute walk from Chiang Mai South Gate, so it is 15 minutes walk from the center of the old city. For more info, please visit our website page: Pick-Up Area and Meeting Point
Hotel pickup offered
During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.
    Airport pickup offered
    During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included airports.
    • Chiang Mai Intl Airport, Chiang Mai Thailand
    End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

      • Wheelchair accessible
      • Pushchair accessible
      • Near public transportation
      • Infant seats available
      • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
      If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 35919P1

      • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
      • Visitor are welcome
      • Come with empty stomach
      • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers

      • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

      If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 35919P1

      From
      S$57.62
      per adult
      Select date and travellers

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      About the operator
      Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
      • Thai Akha Cooking School
        5.0 of 5 bubbles6,460
        Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • remibA9053GX
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Amazing
        I highly recommend this cooking course. Jasmin was very pleasant and incredibly attentive to us. And starting the day with the market was really nice
        Written 14 March 2025
      • dcL385HT
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Best cooking class
        Amazing. Loved it. Food was delay. Facility was clean and well organized. Instructors were friendly and kbowledgeable. You should book it.
        Written 5 March 2025
      • Y9161YMbrianm
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        A cooking class with class
        Got to experience so many dishes! Starting the class with the market was also a highlight! Highly recommend, you get so much more than your money’s worth.
        Written 4 March 2025
      • Quest30832742079
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Adventure through the world of Thai cooking
        Incredible experience, such an adventure being taken around the market by our expert guide. The dishes were really fun and intuitive to make with the perfect guidance from our guide. Can't recommend enough.
        Written 28 February 2025
      • jackgJ9255LR
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        “Eat like medium Thai hot”
        Great experience and expect to leave with a full belly. Great flavours and left wanting to cook at home. Clean, fresh and our cook was super friendly and funny !
        Written 15 February 2025
      • treshellm
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Make this a stop for your vacation experience!
        The market shopping and class experience are so well planned to make the experience an immersive authentic cooking experience. The instructors are very talented and can make the best of any level of chef. We shopped in the market and tasted various foods and flavors. It was not too rigid but was fluid and a fun experience. I would love to come back with more family and friends!
        Written 8 February 2025
      • thilaad
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Akha Cooking experience in Chiang Mai
        Class was excellent, instructions were simple, 11 dishes in total … I like the instructor , funny n gave us some historical explanation too no complains
        Written 30 January 2025
      • FarAway68611754854
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Jasmine can make anyone an amazing chef
        Great introduction into Thai cooking! I appreciate the walk through the market which introduced a lot of fun snacks, vegetables, and other things to try. Come on an empty stomach! This is a lovely cooking school.
        Written 26 January 2025
      • jak0bah
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Many different dishes and a lot of fun!
        The cooking class was so much fun and I enjoyed cooking and trying all the dishes! Niti was incredibly nice and made the experience even better! I would recommend going for sure, Thank you ☺️
        Written 24 January 2025
      • J8801NLfrancac
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great experience!
        Niti was incredibly nice and helpful. The food was very varied and delicious! Thank you very much for this experience😊
        Written 24 January 2025
      • kaylH6113DE
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great experience at Thai Ahka Cooking School.
        We had a fantastic experience. Everything was so well organized. I'm a vegetarian and the menus could be customized to suit my needs. Great instructors with personalized attention. I would definitely recommend!
        Written 23 January 2025
      • 445donnieh
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great cooking class!
        The instructors were knowledgeable, passionate, and friendly and the food was delicious. Highly recommended! Would definitely come back!
        Written 22 January 2025
      • tomgilianv
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Amazing teacher and class
        Niti is such an amazing chef and teacher, I would love to go again! If I come back to Thailand I will for sure come here again!
        Written 13 January 2025
      • P1602XTanamariab
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Best experience in Chiang Mai
        Everything was perfect. I highly recommend it to any tourist to try. A day to remember. Thank you ladies for your time and all info🙏🏻
        Written 4 January 2025
      • 486philv
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Talented Teachers! Worth the Time and Money!
        This is an excellent value to spend half a day in Chiang Mai. Jasmine and Sandy were excellent hosts and teachers. The tour of the market was quite educational and they allowed us to sample some fresh and unique items we wouldn’t have tried on our own. When we went back to cook, their location was super clean, spacious, and well decorated. Their English was excellent, frequently adding in humor to make sure we were all paying attention. (I won’t give too much away, but some of humor was about squash, melons, and the amount of spice.) Jasmine’s instruction for us was very clear and she was super patient when we had questions. Jasmine also shared a lot about her Akha culture that was a pleasant bonus. I was impressed that they provided 11 total dishes to eat. With up to 4 different choices for the main courses and soups, plus appetizers and desserts, there were many different combos of food that could be cooked and sampled. That means if you went with a couple, you could learn to cook more like 13 or more meals. The even more impressive part is that Jasmine was able to simultaneously teach the entire group how to make 4 completely different dishes on her own—she is quite talented. Overall, I was surprised with how much I learned and the amount of joy this class/tour provided on my trip.
        Written 5 December 2024
      See all 6,460 reviews
      These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

      Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

      Popular mentions

      5.0
      5.0 of 5 bubbles3,611 reviews
      Excellent
      3,548
      Very good
      55
      Average
      7
      Poor
      1
      Terrible
      0

      These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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      mikiko
      11 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sept 2024 • Solo
      It exceeded my expectations. We first enjoyed driving around the city in a pick-up-and-drop-off ride Songtaewoo, and during the tour of the local market, we sampled local ingredients. The introduction of spices and vegetables was also good. Some of the dishes were cooked to your liking, and you made and ate them repeatedly, until you were full. It was fun to spend time with people from different countries. We recommend that you install WhatsApp in advance so that you can contact the organizers in real time.
      Automatically translated
      Written 17 September 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Curious38
      Dublin, Ireland53 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      We had a fantastic experience taking part in the evening course offered by this school. The whole schedule is so well organised and all utensils and ingredients are there and ready to go. The course took place in an open spaced area and the temperature was perfect throughout. Ming was a terrific teacher, she is professional, friendly and very entertaining while also of course, being an excellent chef :)
      The price is very fair overall and we definitely recommend going hungry as there are so many courses to get through :)
      Written 8 August 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Peter W
      14 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Jun 2024 • Couples
      We loved this class! Our instructor Jasmine was helpful, informative, and funny. She gave us a wonderful tour of the market and gave us samples of some northern food. She also showed us the ingredients that we would use later that day.

      The class itself was very well organized. In our group we had a mix of novice and experienced chefs, and we thought everyone was able to participate and learn a lot. The instructor did a great job of managing multiple people at the same time.

      We appreciated the pace of the class- we would cook a dish or two, then break and eat. Then cook some more, break and eat. The dishes were enough to get a great taste, but small enough that you didn’t get outrageously full.

      This class is fun, informative, and delicious. We quite literally enjoyed every minute of it, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this class to anyone.
      Written 8 June 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      L F
      1 contribution
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Jul 2024 • Couples
      - very friendly, warm-hearted and open staff
      - intimite cooking class feeling with a lot of personal touch and love for each and every detail and person in the room
      - didn't feel like working through a menu but spending an evening together with friends or family
      - great variety of dishes (10 dishes per person in total) and tastes everyone can choose from and the chef was always on point, checked everything and everyone, perfect guidance and perfect mixture of pre-prepared and cooking in the moment
      - great personal background story is getting shared about the chefs family roots as an Akha in Thailand, compared to traditional Thai cuisine and well incorporated small Akha details and dishes into the overall menu
      - chef picked up personal details and characteristics about everyone and played around with them while being open for questions all the time
      - 4 hours went by very quick and value for money is extraordinary
      - 10/10 experience. It's a must for every Thai cuisine fan who wants to learn how to cook the traditional dishes at home
      Written 28 July 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      William Taylor
      8 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      The best cooking class I’ve done in Asia! Jasmine was a great host and educated us about the Akha people whilst bringing humour to the evening. We prepared several delicious dishes - some chosen by ourselves - to make it a wholesome, educational, and overall amazing experience. I’d recommend this cooking course for those that want to try new flavours and unique experiences.
      Written 14 May 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Sydney A
      1 contribution
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Feb 2025 • Solo
      I booked this afternoon cooking class last minute and went solo. It was an AMAZING experience! It was very well organized from pick up, to dish selection, to cooking instructions. Staff were all lovely, and Niti was so funny, informative and engaging. I highly recommend this class to anyone whether it’s by yourself or with a group. I also met some other awesome travellers which was a bonus. Food was of course amazing.
      Written 9 February 2025
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Caroline M
      1 contribution
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Aug 2024 • Family
      Great experience- highly recommend! The trip to the market at the beginning was a great way to experience a very quintessential piece of Thai culture and our guide, Jasmine, did an excellent job leading us through and sharing information. When we started cooking, the process was absolutely flawless. With 11 different dishes and all guests having different tastes and dishes, it was absolutely incredible how well Jasmine and her assistant kept things flowing. Jasmine was funny, informative, and great teacher. Overall very excellent!
      Written 17 August 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Claire W
      59 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great learning experience! Exactly what I hoped for.
      Market tour was informative.
      Staff English was impressive
      Food quality was top notch
      Facilty was immaculate
      Staff were well trained and I was impressed how Jasmine could seamlessly teach 4 dishes at the same time. Her and Sandy were a great team! Jasmine had a great sense of humour and was a m Akha person informative of her culture
      Coordination was executed without a hitch
      One of the best activities I have ever done!
      Written 4 December 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Jack1988360
      London, UK27 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Incredible experience with Sandy. We cooked around 10 dishes as a group of all sorts of Thai and Akha dishes.

      The red Thai curry was great, as was the spicy chicken stir fry.

      Food was amazing and beers and wine for purchase whilst doing the class.

      I’d thoroughly recommend this class as well as our amazing guide Sandy
      Written 24 February 2025
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Jim R
      Dublin, Ireland18 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      What a great experience! The best 4 hours I have spent for a while. Superb ingredients and instructions from the lady chef, a member of the Agha tribe. She took us through a huge range of dishes as we learned many tips about the art of Thai cooking. She was very entertaining with good humour along the way. You can have a drink while you cook and you get to eat all you have cooked. We were picked up at our hotel and dropped back. We all left with a cookbook and some dried herbs. I would highly recommend this activity to anyone interested in Thai food.
      Written 23 November 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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      Thai and Akha Cooking Class in Chiang Mai provided by Thai Akha Cooking School

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