Muay Thai and Yoga Training Camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand

A typical day starts at 06:30 with a 10-minute skip and stretch, then a 5km run around the moat or up the hill behind the camp, depending on the group. From 07:15 to 09:15 it's technique: stance, footwork, teep, roundhouse, elbows and knees, then three to four rounds of pad work with a trainer. Breakfast is served at 09:30 — eggs, rice, fruit, coffee — and the middle of the day is free for sleep, massage or a walk into town. Afternoon session runs 16:00 to 18:00 and is heavier: clinch work, sparring (optional, with headgear and shin pads), bag rounds and conditioning. Dinner at 19:00. Yoga on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 19:45.

What separates this camp from the dozens of others in Chiang Mai is the trainer-to-student ratio and the fact that the head trainer, Kru Somchai, fought over 200 times on the Bangkok and Isaan circuit before retiring in 2015. He runs the pad work himself most mornings and will hold for you personally at least twice a week. The camp also caps numbers at 16, which most camps in the city don't do — you'll see places nearby with 30 or 40 people on the mats.

Accommodation is on site: eight rooms in two low buildings behind the gym, each with air conditioning, a private bathroom, a fan and a small balcony. Rooms are simple — tiled floors, a firm Thai mattress, a desk, a wardrobe — but clean and quiet. Wi-Fi reaches the rooms and the restaurant. There's a small pool for cooling off after afternoon training, a shaded seating area, and a laundry service that turns around in 24 hours for 50 THB per kilo.

The camp is on Soi 7, Santitham, a residential lane about 1.5km north of the old city. You can walk to the moat in 15 minutes, and there are dozens of cheap restaurants, 7-Elevens and a night market within a 10-minute walk. Chiang Mai International Airport is 6km away — the camp arranges a taxi for 200 THB each way if you ask in advance.

Food is included: three meals a day, six days a week, cooked in the camp kitchen. It's Thai food — pad kra pao, som tam, khao soi, grilled chicken, sticky rice, lots of fruit — plus a Western option at breakfast. Vegetarian and vegan versions are made on request; the kitchen needs to know before you arrive. Sunday is a rest day and meals are not served, so most people eat in town.

Yoga is taught by a visiting teacher, Malee, who comes in three evenings a week. It's a 60-minute class focused on hips, hamstrings and shoulders — the areas that get tight from kicking and clinching. Mats and blocks are provided. No experience needed; most people in the class have never done yoga before.

What's included

- 7 nights' accommodation (private or shared room) - 3 meals a day, 6 days a week (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - 2 Muay Thai training sessions daily, 6 days a week - 3 yoga classes per week - Use of the on-site pool and gym - Loan of gloves, shin pads and hand wraps - Filtered drinking water - Wi-Fi in rooms and restaurant - Laundry service (50 THB per kilo, paid on site)

What's not included

- Flights to and from Chiang Mai - Airport transfers (200 THB each way if arranged) - Travel insurance - Sunday meals (rest day) - Massage and spa treatments - Doi Suthep temple entry (200 THB) - Personal expenses and drinks - Visa fees if applicable