Tour Golden Triangle – 3 days/2 nights excursion in Northern Thailand

Chiang Mai – Tha Ton
In the morning the guide will pick you up by minivan at your hotel in Chiang Mai. Head north and after an hours drive arrive at the Chiang-Dao Chiang Mai Elephant Training Center.

At Chiang-Dao Chiang Mai Elephant Training Center they make sure that every one of our elephants is happy.

Each elephant is assigned a dedicated mahout who cares for them on a one-on-one basis.

They strictly limit the elephants’ work to the mornings, allowing them the freedom to roam the vast, natural forest in the afternoons and nights.

With expansive hills and the nearby Ping River, the elephants can explore the forests and enjoy refreshing baths in the river.

Next, we will leisurely sail on a raft down the Ping river – back to square one. An unforgettable experience.

After having lunch at a good nearby Thai restaurant, the next stop is “The Caves of Chiang Dao”, one of Thailand’s largest cave areas. It is said that the caves reach 12 kilometers into the mountains. Even for those not wanting to enter the fascinating caves, the short trip there is still worth taking.

A long drive later we arrive to the resort in the afternoon.

Tha Ton – Chiang Saen
After a nice breakfast and maybe a morning dip in the pool, we get onboard a long-tailed boat on the Kok River. The luggage is brought by minivan and will meet us later.

First we sail a bit west towards the the Burmese border, which is marked with a rope hung across the river. Then we sail east towards Chiang Rai. An extremely nice and calm boat ride with a constant view of the mountains in the horizon. Within a few hours we arrive at one of the Karen villages, halfway to Chiang Rai. The minivan picks us up here.

While we slowly drive north one spectacular view is being replaced by another.

The mountain drive is absolutely stunning and we make small breaks whenever the view is most beautiful. We also stop at some of the Karen villages en route.

When we stop next, we have reached Thailand’s northernmost point, Mae Sai. Mae Sai is a melting pot of different tribes; Thai, Karen and Burmese. It is a border city, where everything imaginable is being sold.

It might be more unusual than beautiful here. We offer a quick trip into Burma for about one hour. In Burma the poverty is obvious compared to the more developed Thailand.

In the afternoon we drive towards Laos and soon we arrive at the mighty Mekong River and the Golden Triangle. We drive along the Mekong River and end up in the town of Chiang Saen, where the lovely resort is waiting.

The resort consists of nice spacious rooms and a great view of the Mekong River and Laos on the other side.

Chiang Saen – Chiang Rai
After breakfast at Serene we make a short drive to the area where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet. The area is called the “Golden Triangle” and it originates from the lively trade of opium which took place in the region. Do not expect to find opium dens, because the production and trade have since moved west to Afghanistan and Pakistan. We settle with a visit to the Hall of Opium – a museum that tells the story.

We then drive further to even more beautiful sights along the Mekong River. We follow this scenery for a long time along the river to the city of Chiang Khong. We have a good local lunch before we head towards Chiang Rai, arriving early afternoon.

We are going to experience the beautiful temple, Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple. There will also be time to get an impression of Chiang Rai before heading to the airport, where the plane will bring you to new adventures in Bangkok.