Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle

Chiang Rai sits in Thailand's far north, where the Mekong divides Thailand from Burma and Laos. This three-day, two-night private tour sets the region's two most striking buildings — the white temple of Wat Rong Khun and the black house of Baan Dam — alongside a river cruise to a Karen village and a boat trip out to the Golden Triangle. It suits travellers who want art, temples and river country at an unhurried northern pace.

WHAT TO EXPECT

An Unscheduled First Afternoon

Nothing is scheduled on day one. You arrive in Chiang Rai and settle into your hotel, where standard check-in is from 2pm, and the rest of the day is free for resting or simply strolling around the city. No meals are provided on the day of arrival, and the evening is your own. Both nights of the tour are spent in Chiang Rai. That gentle start makes the trip an easy northern companion to time spent further south, such as our four-day Bangkok and Ayutthaya itinerary.

The Market, Wat Phra Kaew And The Black House

The second morning begins after breakfast at a local market, given over to local products, and continues to Wat Phra Kaew — the temple where the Emerald Buddha image was once enshrined. A short drive from the city centre reaches Baan Dam, the Black House. It is the creation of the national artist Thawan Duchanee and is part art studio, part museum, part home: an eclectic mix of traditional northern Thai buildings interspersed with some outlandish modern designs. All of this falls in the morning half of the day, before lunch.

The White Temple And The Mae Kok River

Wat Rong Khun is the most visited monument in the region, though it is a very recent temple: the Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat began it in 1997 and has said himself that it will only be completed 60 to 90 years after his death. Its whiteness makes it unique of its kind, and in the wihaan a fresco mixes Buddhist codes with the Matrix, Star Wars, the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York and even Kung Fu Panda. Lunch that day is by your own account. The afternoon brings a one-hour private boat cruise on the Mae Kok river, from Chiang Rai to a Karen village where you can watch elephants or feed them, before the transfer back to Chiang Rai for a second night.

Chiang Saen And The Golden Triangle

After breakfast on the final morning you drive to Chiang Saen, the ancient city on the bank of the Khong river, then the House of Opium museum and its account of opium's history in Thailand. Lunch is again by your own account, at a local restaurant at the Golden Triangle, before a private boat takes you along the Mekong to the point where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet. You then transfer back to Chiang Rai for your onward flight; hotel check-out is at noon. The itinerary extends readily into the four-day Mae Sariang and Mae Hong Son route or the ten-day Truly Northern Thailand journey.

GOOD TO KNOW

The tour is private throughout, with all transfers and sightseeing by air-conditioned car, two nights' accommodation on a double or twin sharing basis with daily breakfast, both private boat trips, all entrance fees, mineral water and government taxes. An English-speaking guide is provided as guided time rather than for the whole stay. Breakfast is the only meal included; both lunches are by your own account. International flights, drinks, tips and gratuities, early check-in or late check-out and compulsory personal travel insurance are excluded, and surcharges apply over festivals such as Loy Krathong and Songkran, Christmas and New Year. See more Thailand itineraries or the wider holiday packages collection.