The quieter neighbor of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai is a land of outstanding natural beauty, where visitors looking to avoid the hordes can visit remote hill tribes, spot exotic wildlife, and check out the golden triangle, the former center of the world’s opium trade. Chiang Rai is a traveler’s paradise, endowed with abundant natural attractions and antiquities. Attractions range from ruins of ancient settlements and Buddhist shrines to magnificent mountain scenery and hill tribe villages. For those interested in the natural side of Chiang Rai, jungle trekking is a magical experience; explore the mountains of the north along various hiking trails, many of which access the villages of diverse hill tribes groups, many of whom maintain their traditional lifestyles. Chiang Rai town, which tends to be a little more ‘laid back’ than its more popular neighbor, now competes with Chiang Mai as a tourist attraction and is fast becoming a popular escape for tourists wanting to leave their troubles behind.
1. Chiang Rai One Day Trip
Rong Khun Temple
Wat Rong Khun is also known as the White Temple. Whereas most temples visited by tourists have a history going back many centuries, this magnificent place of worship was built only recently. It is the realization of a dream for Thailand’s noted artist, Mr Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed and supervised the construction of this beautiful white temple and its many statues of figures.
Karen Ruammit Elephant Club
Enjoy some elephant trekking at the Karen Ruammit Elephant Club. The Karen village of Ruammit, on the banks of Nam Mae Kok (Mae Kok River), is promoted as a Karen community, but nearby are Lahu, Lisu and Akha villages clustered on its outskirts. Despite its equally mountainous location, it is quite different to adjacent towns of Baan Thaton and Doi Mae Salong. If you want to see the picturesque Chiang Rai jungle at first hand, this elephant trekking park is one of the best in the region.
Mae Sai Waterfall
Huai Mae Sai Waterfall is a part of Mae Kok National Park that, located in Huai Mae Sai village, Mae Yao Sub-District,19km away from the city of Chiang Rai. Huai Mae Sai waterfall is set over 2 levels. The first level is 15m-high. The 1st level is covered with moss and fern. The 2nd level has a pond where tourists can swim.
King Mengrai Monument
The King Mengrai Great Memorial is located in the town on the intersection leading to Mae Chan. Originally, King Mengrai was the ruler of Nakhon Hiran Ngoen Yang, an ancient town on the banks of the Mae Khong around Chiang Saen, before Chiang Rai was established as the administrative center in 1262. He consolidated his power by merging the city in the north and founded the Lanna Thai Kingdom in 1296 with Chiang Mai as the capital.
Chiang Rai Night Bazaar
A fraction of the size of Chiang Mai’s more famous night bazaar, the mini version in downtown Chiang Rai is still a pleasant place for an evening stroll and an excellent option for snacks and a beer. The offerings are similar, though much reduced in choice, to the Chiang Mai version: hill-tribe handicrafts, pirated DVDs, T-shirts, carved soap candles and so on.
2. Chiang Rai One Day Trip
Every guidebook seems to have a different view of the evolution of the term ‘golden triangle’ and even disagree on when the term was coined. Most do agree that the term applies to the opium growing region covering Northern Thailand, Eastern Burma and Western Laos. Many tourists flock to the Golden Triangle region of Thailand expecting some sort of ‘wild west’ scene. They are certainly disappointed. The Thai area of the former triangle is full of small quiet villages where the most exciting thing that happens is the arrival of the next tour bus.
The area is full of beautiful natural scenery and ancient temples, so it’s very much worth a visit. Just go with the proper expectations. In fact, the area is proving quite popular for those that want something different, away from the beach scene. To serve them, a number of hotels and resorts have been built in the area, some of them quite luxurious.
3. Doi Tung Mountain in Chiang Rai
Known by locals as Thailand’s Switzerland, Doi Tung, otherwise known as 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 1,000-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, who passed away in 1995.
Now famous for its flowers, trees and clear mountain air, Doi Tung has traditionally been an area at the center of Thailand’s opium production, and with a ready supply of the drug in the area, drug use was prevalent, especially amongst the poor.
