Highlights of the Golden Triangle 

Head to the far north of Thailand to venture through a mountainous land and discover its new identity following an unsettled past.

Beauty of all kinds

You’ll set off from Chang Mai with a driver, heading north to Chang Rai through the mountains, stopping at picturesque and intriguing places on your journey. Over the following days, you’ll get beneath the skin of Chang Rai, observing its remarkable beauty that masks a complicated history, meeting the people shaping its future, and seeing a diverse selection of work by local artists.

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Short Add On Tour
4 nights
Chang Mai, Chang Rai

Recommended itinerary

Day 1

Chang Mai

Welcome to Chang Mai, a large town in Thailand’s scenic northern mountains. Today, you’ll meet your guide and check into a hotel for an overnight stay. You'll have some free time to relax after your journey or head into Chiang Mai.

Day 2

Journey to Chang Rai

After breakfast, you’ll leave Chiang Mai behind, driving north toward the Burmese border. It’s a journey that’ll take around five hours, but you’ll stop on the way, visiting Chiang Dao Caves and the fertile plains surrounding Fang, known for its orange plantations. You’ll ascend the mountainous land to see Wat Thaton, a splendid temple overlooking the Kok River. After lunch, you’ll venture further into the hills to reach Ban Lorcha, an Akha hill tribe community centre and a tourism development project that promotes sustainable, self-reliant development. Afterwards, continue to the village of Ban Phatai to board a long-tail boat down the Kok River, through jungle scenery and past tiny hill tribe villages to Chiang Rai.

Day 3

Chang Rai and the Golden Triangle

This morning, you’ll visit a rural development project where you can buy beautiful local handicrafts to support the revitalisation of the scenery and community. A visit to Doi Tung Royal Villa with its splendid Mae Fah Luang Garden follows a colourful and tropical place upon a mountaintop. Afterwards, a scenic mountain drive brings you to Mae Sai, Thailand’s northernmost city, for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Burma, Laos, and Thailand meet at the Mekong River.

Day 4

Chang Rai

Today's itinerary includes a visit to Doy Din Daeng Pottery. Here, artist Somluk Pantiboon creates contemporary ceramics using traditional techniques. Afterwards, visit Ban Dam, the estate of the late Thawan Duchanee, where nearly 40 houses accommodate Thawan’s collections of paintings, sculptures, bones, skins, horns and silver and gold items. Lunch is at a local restaurant before returning to Chiang Rai and taking a rickshaw to visit one of the oldest temples of Chiang Rai, Wat Phra Kaew and a local market.