South East Asian Trips

Thailand's most northerly province, Chiang Rai is located 785 kilometres from Bangkok and borders Myanmar in the north and Laos in the east. Built by King Mengrai in 1262 the province has a mainly mountainous terrain and helps form the 'Golden Triangle' around the Mekong River. Chiang Rai is a major draw for tourists keen to experience the region's natural attractions and learn about its place in Thailand's past. Another key reason for tourism to the area is the local hill tribes. Visits to hill tribe villages are regular events and goods made by the hill tribes (materials, trinkets, etc.) are very popular purchases. The province features a number of key attractions including Mai Sai, Chiang Saen - home of numerous ancient ruins, and Doi Hua Mae Kham - home to a number of hill tribe villages.

Chiang Rai Attractions are known to famous throughout Thailand for its uniqueness. All the attractions in Chiang Rai have one way or the other a subtle relation with the tradition and culture of Thailand which makes the travel to Chiang a special and one of the most memorable one. Chiang Rai attractions are located at a convenient distance from the hotels in Chiang Rai and provide for some of the best sightseeing in Chiang Rai. The attractions in Chiang Rai mainly involve the historical sites and the temples and shrines of Buddha and other venerated figures of Thai mythology.

The other attractions come in the form of museums and art and craft centers. If you plan to witness all the Chiang Rai attractions then this notion would remain only a pipe dream since it is not possible without having ample time in your hand. The sublimity of these attractions in Chiang Rai have a great influence of the ancient Hindu mythology. The shrines and the temples built in reverence of Buddha depict the carved out figures of the giant figures and elephants resembling the Ramayan of India and in Thai it is called Ramakin. The way of worshipping the idolized figures is also a great pleasure to see amidst the very Thai ambience and you will come to know more about the culture of Thailand. So pack your bags and get ready to know about Chiang Rai on your Thailand vacations.

Attractions in Chiang Rai

Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai

Chiang Saen is a town located right next to the Mekong River. The town itself is quite ordinary except for its ruins - ruins that provide archaeological evidence of Chiang Saen's former glory as a 14th-century city kingdom. The town is literally littered with temples (36 in total), fortresses, moats, Buddha images, remnants of city walls and chedi that all bear witness to its' intriguing past. In fact some of the monuments are actually older than the Chiang Saen era, providing evidence to an even later kingdom known to locals as 'Yonok'. Many of the artefacts (sculptures, Lanna-style Buddha images and pottery) unearthed in Chiang Saen have been moved to the Chiang Saen National Museum to provide a fascinating insight into the area's history and pre-history. Very close to the Golden Triangle, Chiang Saen is a crossing point into Laos, but only for Thai and Laos citizens. The town also acts as a port for ships from carrying goods from China. Although the archaeological aspects of Chiang Saen are fascinating, the town itself is very quiet, with very little to do. Almost everything in the town closes around 21:00. Worth seeing - but probably not worth going out of your way for.

Details - The museum is open on Wednesdays to Sundays from 08:30 am to 16:30 pm (except official holidays) and admission is 10 Baht.

How to get there - Buses from Chiang Rai to Chiang Saen run frequently and the fare is 25 Baht.

Doi Mae Salong Mountain in Chiang Rai

Mae Salong in Chiang Rai is very reminiscent of parts of China and much of the area's history has a strong Chinese connections. When the Communists took over mainland China in 1949, remnants of the Nationalist Chinese army fled to the Thai-Burmese border. In 1961 they were driven into Thailand and some settled own on Doi Mae Salong Mountain and formed a Yunnanese community right in the heart of the Thai kingdom. The Yunnese who settled here were involved in the opium trade until the Royal Thai Army resisted these activities. A road was built into the area in the 1980s and since then there has been a great effort to incorporate the Yunnanese into mainstream Thai society. Despite this effort, however, a strong Chinese heritage is still very much apparent - Chinese is still often spoken in Mae Salong, and it's not unusual for people to have Chinese satellite TV.

Aside from Doi Mae Salong's picturesque scenery, there is quite a bit to do here. If you wanted to you could quite easily stay two or three days. A tour of the Chokechamrern Tea plantation is worthwhile - the fact that this brand of tea originally came from Taiwan underscores the area's Chinese connections. There is also a museum and the village market sells the fine teas produced around the village. There are also a number of Akha, Lisu, Mien and Hmong villages in the area, and the Hilltribe Development and Welfare Centre supports them with the sale of their handicrafts (mainly woven cloth and silverware).

Details - The museum opens daily from 08.30 to 16.30. The entrance fee is 30 Baht per person.

How to get there - Doi Mae Salong is located on Route 1089, 40 kilometres from Mae Chan. It is possible to get to the mountain by bus from Chiang Rai to Ban Basang (fare 15 Baht) where you can pick up a Songtaew to the mountain top (50 Baht).

Doi Tung in Chiang Rai

Known by locals as Thailand's Switzerland, Doi Tung ('Flag Mountain') is an attractive mountain-top destination of forests and nearby Shan, Akha and Lahu tribal villages. Probably the most important attraction in the area is Wat Phrathat Doi Tung - a temple built one thousand years ago which is an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from Thailand and overseas. A giant flag was flown from the point where the temple's chedis were built giving 'flag mountain' its name. Doi Tung is also home to the Doi Tung Development Project, an initiative of Her Royal Highness Srinakarindra the Princess Mother (mother of Thailand's current monarch) who passed away in 1995.

Doi Tung has traditionally been an area at the centre of Thailand's opium production, and with a ready supply of the drug in the area, drug use was prevalent, especially amongst the poor. The Princess Mother built a summer palace in the area and initiated the Doi Tung Development Project. The purpose behind the project was to establish means of overcoming the area's social problems through education, training, and through "Sustainable Alternative Development" such as changes in agriculture (an Agricultural Training Centre was set up to help people change from opium production to growing crops such as coffee, strawberries and macadamia nuts) and the introduction of trade in such items as local handicrafts (a 'Cottage Industry Centre' was also set up alongside an outlet for locally produced goods and to ensure local crafts such as hand carpet manufacturing are passed on to future generations.

The Princess Mother's palace has been maintained exactly as it was when she stayed there. The grounds of the palace (Mae Fa Luang Garden) are extremely well kept and certainly warrant a visit. Visits to the Doi Tung Development Project's various activities are also possible.

A trip to Doi Tung is often combined with a visit to Mai Sai. Probably the biggest draw to the region is its scenery. A trip through the mountains to Doi Tung is simply glorious. Hiking here is possible, but you should always arrange a guide - drug production does still exist and the Mong Thai Army and Karen Rebels are occasionally active in the area.

Details - Admission to the royal palace and the gardens is 100 Baht per person. Both open 07.30 to 17.30 daily.

How to get there - The palace is located at kilometre 12 of route 1149. Given the distances to be covered and the fact a motor vehicle is essential to a trip to Doi Tung, an organised tour to the site is recommended.

The Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai

The Golden Triangle was an expansive area taking in parts of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. The region was famed for providing an estimated 50% of the world's illicit heroin and opium supply. Various US Agencies (including the CIA) were (supposedly) active in the region to counter opiate production and it is one of the few places on earth outside Vietnam where 'Agent Orange' was (supposedly) utilised to kill vegetation - in this case the opium poppies that flourished in the fertile land around the Mekong River. So rewarding was the region's drug trade that various factions inside the three countries fought each other struggling over control of the lucrative crop. The Golden Triangle was a "no-go-zone" except for the fearless, the foolhardy, and the military. Nowhere else in Southeast Asia earned so much infamy - nowhere else conjured so many images of warlords and wickedness- For many then, a visit to the latter-day Golden Triangle must be a bit of a disappointment.

Opium production has been illegal in Thailand since 1959 and His Majesty King Bhumipol's 'Royal Projects Foundation' initiated a 'crop substitution program' that has moved farmers away from cultivating deadly opium and successfully driven them towards more lucrative (if less immediate) produce. The success of the program has all but tamed the region's drug trade, and today the Golden Triangle is simply a small area around where the three countries meet around a village called Sop Ruak.

In many respects there's not a lot to a visit to the Golden Triangle except looking at the scenery and having your picture taken in front of a big "Golden Triangle" sign. There's nothing extraordinary about the place - quite the contrary in fact (probably a testament to the success of King Bhumipol's project). The water is slow moving and murky, and the river traffic little more than huge Chinese flat-bottomed boats carrying export goods to Thailand and Myanmar. Unless of course you can get to Myanmar side of the river where there is a Casio (there was a plan to make this an international haven for gambling, but nothing much materialised), there's little to do save eat at a few decent restaurants and visit a few ancient temples. However, the Golden Triangle is one of those 'been there; done that' type of places. As such, it's certainly worth the visit, so long as you don't expect more than it offers.

How to Reach- From Chiang Rai you can take a bus to Chiang Saen. From Chiang Saen take a Songtaew to Sop Ruak (fare 10 Baht). If you need to let people know where you are going simply say 'Golden Triangle' in English - they should have heard that before!

Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai

Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai has its location on Trairat Road and is the most important of the Buddhist Temples in Thailand. Chiang Rai's Wat Phra Kaew concedes of being the abode of the first royal temple of Chiang Rai. It was in May, 1978 that it got the prestigious status. But the origin of this lovely temple is a matter of surmise that can't be asserted with certainty. It is one of the most poignant tourist attractions in Chiang Rai that one should not miss out on his or her Thailand vacations. The temple was originally was known to be as "Wat Pa Yia" which means yellow bamboo forest in Thai. According to the legend the Emerald Buddha was revealed after a severe lightning had struck it. It is slightly different from the other Buddhist Temples in the sense that it has no living quarters for the monks. It is beautifully decorated all around by the holy buildings, pagodas and statuettes.

Sightseeing in Chiang Rai is incomplete without paying a visit to the Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai. The Emerald Buddha is housed by the Wat Phra Kaew which is Chiang Rai's main building. The wall of the temple has been decorated by the scenes form the Thai version of Ramayana called as Ramakin. There is also an intriguing similarity between the mythological figures of Ramakin and Ramayana as there are also some of the replications of the giant figures and monkeys. Thailand vacations are going to feature a lot of tourist attractions for the discerning tourists wanting to learn more on the myth and facts relating to the history and culture of Thailand and Chiang Rai's Wat Phra Kaew is the best resort for exploring the historical as well as mythological facts for the tourists.

Tham Tu Pu, Chiang Rai

Tham Tu Pu, Chiang Rai is one of the caves that is located in the most interiors of the natural rock formations of earth. Chiang Rai's Tham Tu Pu is one of the most beguiling of the caves in Chiang Rai and attracts a lot of tourists from all parts of the globe when they come for their Thailand vacations. The concept of worshipping is different from the conventional ways for the worship of Lord Buddha. You have to go through the difficult paths where you will come face to face with the bats and very unique rock formations of stalagmites and stalactite limestone rock formations never seen before.

Tham Tu Pu of Chiang Rai has its location at the foot of the limestone tower which is located in the northern side of the Mae Kok River. This is also an exciting resort for the geologists and archaeologists since it has in store lot of interesting facts about the limestone rock formations, paintings and carvings on the walls of the caves.

The water seeping through the walls of the Tham Tu Pu of Chiang Rai is the reason for the formation of stalagmites and stalactites. There is more than one entrance to the cave but the cave has the accommodative capacity of only 30 people at a time. The interior of the caves is very fascinating and frightening too, making the visit to the cave even more exciting. The cave of Tham Tu Pu of Chiang Rai has the small pores through which the light comes in making the cave glow in the dark. The image of Buddha in the cave really makes for a sure visit for the tourists in the list of Chaing Rai Attractions on their sightseeing tour in Chiang Rai.

Wat Jet Yot, Chiang Rai

Wat Jet Yot, Chiang Rai is one of the temples that houses the statue of Buddha and is one of the important tourist attractions of Chiang Rai. The paintings on the wall which are frescoed are simply awe inspiring and fascinate the tourists who come here from all over the world. Wat Jet Yot, Chiang Rai is on the northern parts of Chiang Rai and is revered by the local people and many more pilgrims who come from different parts of Thailand and the world as a whole.

The Thai wooden ceiling of the main building is frescoed and looks very beguiling and subtle as well. The temples of Thailand have a very unique appearance and they reflect the glorious culture, heritage and tradition of Thailand which is very fascinating for the occidentals. The temple boasts of its pristine touch of art and paintings that are immaculately done on the interior of the temple walls. Sightseeing can only be considered complete if one has paid visit to the Wat Jet Yot in Chiang Rai on their Thailand vacations. One can easily find out the difference between the temples of Chiang Rai and the other temples through their difference in appearances. Wat Jet Yot, Chiang Rai has a completely beguiling appearance and instigates us to stay for quite some time and virtually takes back to the era of Buddha.