Many of these villages can be reached For my third visit to this country that I love I wanted to see and feel the culture as a local, especially in this area where the tribes still live and thrive in ways that they always have. Whether you're seeking information or inspiration, all your trips to Thailand start here. The Golden Triangle area is located in Chiang Rai Province of northern Thailand and is a border town. Golden Triangle - only go there on your way to Laos. You cant enter Laos proper from the island without getting a proper visa anyway. I also met the veterinarian on staff who has the special job of doing her heart work here, and it was beautiful to see how devoted she is. Golden Triangle Tours : Chiang Rai , Thailand , Day Excursion Be sure to indulge at the sticky rice cart which is set up for every meal. Later, internal political conflicts in Myanmar caused production in this region to skyrocket until it accounted for more than 70% of the opium sold globally (much of which was refined for heroin). I mentioned drug smuggling in the last paragraph not because I believe you will engage in it during your Chiang Rai to Golden Triangle journey, but because the illegal drug trade (in particular opium) is a notorious part of this regions history. Had a nightmare 60 km trip back to Chiang Rai Hospital, and an overnight stay. It reaches the Mae Khong River to the north and borders both Myanmar and Laos. I learned the proper way to pick the leaves and we shared smiles and the ancient work surrounded by the magic of the place and the fragrance of the leaves. With the rise of production in Myanmar, its borders with Thailand and Laos have become one of the most significant drug trafficking points in the world. When I visited the Hall of Opium in 2015, I was lucky to have it practically all to myself, and I was impressed by the careful information and the quality of its exhibition rooms, with videos, photos, dioramas and the accurate recreations of all kinds of spaces and figures related to opium. Golden Triangle (Chiang Rai) - What to Know BEFORE You Go (2023). Golden Triangle Luxury Explorer Package with elephants, spa, cooking and cultural experiences Dusk-to-dawn Jungle Bubble experience with dinner and breakfast amidst the elephants CHECK-IN 2:00 PM CHECK-OUT 12:00 PM Complimentary high-speed WiFi Breath-taking views of three countries LOCAL TIME 9:21 PM WEATHER 25C 76F This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Deep down, the Golden Triangle tag has been used by the tourism industry to exaggerate the real appeal this area conveys to tourists. For me, the highlight was the giant golden Buddha statue, located close to the Ruak River on which boat rides are available. There are so many things to do in Chiang Rai. Wat Rong Suea Ten (The Blue Temple) is located just outside of Chiang Rai and represents the newest temple in the area. Read more here. A stay at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort is a must when you visit Chiang Rai. This magical part of Thailand, which juts up against Laos and Myanmar, is one of the Kingdoms greatest travel treasures. Chiang Rai Hotels | Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Chiang Rai was founded in 1262. As luxury travel and wellness experts we help you travel well, Destinations, Asia, Featured, Stay, Thailand, Travel, Travel Guides / June 18, 2018. By hand you are taken into the courtyard where you can try local foods being prepared, you can press rice into milk and watch little pancakes being made and after you have feasted on these treats you are guided into the presentation area where Jinna Luck greets you and tells you more about the initiatives of the project. Thanks! After visiting the market, you can take the path that starts behind the market and climbs up to a Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill, which offers good views over Myanmar. The Tented Camp is located in the heart of the Golden Triangle near the confluence of the Rivers and overlooking three countries : Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Tiger penis and snake blood wine also on offer. Chiang Rai One Day: Hot Spring,White Temple, Golden Triangle, Yao&Akha Hilltribe. Chiang Rai, Thailand 2023: Best Places to Visit - Tripadvisor View Golden Triangle Luxury Explorer Package. It is place you can go to see no mans island. UN Thailand Women from a village in the Chang Rai area weigh out bamboo shoots for sale which they collected from local forests. There's also, not surprisingly, an opium museum, but we weren't tempted inside. Notorious in the past because of the opium trade, the Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of three countries converge: Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). Receive daily updates directly in your inbox -, Fighting drug trafficking in the Golden Triangle: a UN Resident Coordinator blog, Thailands COVID-19 response an example of resilience and solidarity: a UN Resident Coordinator blog, Living and loving with HIV: A UN Resident Coordinator blog, Biocups, electric motorcycle taxis and recycling 500 billion bottles for a sustainable Thailand: A UN Resident Coordinator blog. Following a stroll through (and dinner in the night market of) Chiang Sean, I return to Chiang Rai in time to have a walk around the town center. It is about 829 kilometres from Bangkok, and mostly mountainous. Need help planning your trip to Thailand? The Golden Triangle area is located in Chiang Rai Province of northern Thailand and is a border town. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT): Licence Search flights to Chiang Rai. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This Sliding Bar can be switched on or off in theme options, and can take any widget you throw at it or even fill it with your custom HTML Code. Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle - Chiang Rai, Thailand - Lartisien Women from a village in the Chang Rai area weigh out bamboo shoots for sale which they collected from local forests. This activity is a guided activity, the day that I explored the mountain I was taken by open-air truck up to the plantation through the Santa Kim Village where I could see the native Yao and Akha hill tribe villagers in their everyday lives. Thailand, anyway, has cleaned up its act; the history of opium production here is memorialized in a pair of museums. Took the scenic drive up there and went on a boat ride over to the Laos side. It is also possible to take a boat tour from there to cross the river and go to a market in Laos (market famous for its counterfeits) or on the Laotian island of Don Sao. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. One methamphetamine tablet, known as yaba in Thailand and the Mekong region, currently costs only about 50 baht ($1.60) in the northern area of Thailand, making the drug much more accessible to drug users or potential users. Find all the transport options for your trip from Chiang Rai to Golden Triangle (Station) right here. Private Tour: Hill Tribes and the Golden Triangle Tour from Chiang Rai Image Pat Bailey. Little mobile restaurants are set up with low tables alongside t,he Mekong river. It was once known as a major crossroads of opium production whose culture was gradually abandoned thanks to King Rama 9 royal projects. . Thailands Golden Triangle is an appealing tourist attraction for many travelers. Jungle views from our suite room at the Anantara Golden Triangle. Image Pat Bailey, Tools of the trade for weaving at the Ban Hat Ban Bae Thai Lue Textile Weaving Village. The statue is gigantic and looks so sparkling with golden color. Walking with the elephants at the Anantara was a life moving experience. On our Golden Triangle tours from Chiang Rai we always make a stop at the beautiful Choui Fong tea plantation. This experience is a full day of living the life like a local and I highly recommend it. Chng ta c th i t mae Sai n tm gic vng bng g. Image Pat Bailey. Our modern, chic and comfortable room at Le Meridien Chiang Rai Thailand. The Thai part of the Golden Triangle is a large area in the northernmost part of the country, and the places that may be of greatest interest to the traveler are: It should be mentioned that the Golden Triangle (used by travel agencies to name manypackage tours to Thailand) sometimes disappoints some travelers with inflated expectations who hope to find much more than a couple of rivers merging together. for a trip on the Mekong River. The answer is, you can do quite many interesting things. It is an impressive start, and a true first impression for the stay that you will have at this luxury property. For an semi active tourist do you recommend Northern Thailand for 12 days (Chang Mai, Tha Ton, Mae Sai, Chang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Sukhothai Historical Park & Tak Province.) Turn left at the intersection to head for The Golden Triangle. Just keep driving until youre about to reach The Ancient Walls of Chiang Saen. I enjoyed a private cooking class at Spice Spoons, the on-property cooking school, where I learned how to make traditional Thai mango sticky rice and vegetarian green curry and Pad Thai. Otherwise, we would not recommend a day trip from Chiang Mai. Fill your information in the booking form and press submit. THAILAND'S GOLDEN TRIANGLE Is it Worth It? [2023] Within 24 hours we will email back confirmation of availability and total price as well as a link to our secure encrypted online payment page. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); All Rights Reserved - Mundo Nomada Travel Co.,Ltd. Our trip to the Golden Triangle began at 6:30 AM and ended back in Chiang Mai at 10:30 PM. Image Pat Bailey. more. Located in the far north of the province, the Golden Triangle is one of Chiang Rai's most famous attractions. View of the Mekong river is super at the Golden Triangle. By South-East Asia correspondent Mazoe Ford and Supattra Vimonsuknopparat in Chiang Rai, Thailand. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Blue hues glow inside the beautiful Blue Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. As far as getting to Laos, its a bit more complicated. Considering 80 per cent of the Thai prison population is incarcerated due to methamphetamine-related charges of one form or another, it is very evident that increased trafficking and decreased prices of the drug have accelerated and exacerbated challenges to the criminal justice system and related human rights in the country. Sightseeing Join Tour Chiang Rai / PICK UP ONLY IN CHIANG RAI. She is a published poet, a lover of hearts, and a forever student. An abundant buffet of mind-numbing choices is served every morning for breakfast at Favola, the downstairs restaurant with views of the river. From here, you can cross the Mekong to Laos Huay Xai, where a slow boat to Luang Prabang awaits you. This place shows that countries are just borders created to separate people. I have a new appreciation for tea in general, but especially for the tea picked here by these women daily. There is a triangle shape formed, at the meeting of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Explore different ways to experience this place. Let us design your trip to Thailand. 15. Please help me I want to go to thailand last week of this month .what about weather condition of thailand at this month. Ive created an entire post that essentially doubles as a Chiang Rai itinerary. In part, as a result of the low street price and affordability, Thailand has seen a significant increase in use, particularly among youth. Cheers Chiang Lai Local Travel Agency, where you can start from Chiang Lai and tour the Golden Triangle, Hi. Read our, If you are around, just stop there, the view is amazing. Drop into Latitude 19 just off of the lobby for dessert after dinner and be sure to order the clair, each month the chef presents a new clair and they are perfect with a glass of bubbles. Pulling up at the jetty, a welcoming committee of gentle giants greets you. Visit an anthropologists paradise Image Pat Bailey. And how long will the boat ride be? Its unique in that Myanmar, Laos and Thailand have borders in common defined by the confluence of the Mekong and Rusk Rivers. UNODC has a long-term partnership with the Thai government and other stakeholders to combat drug trafficking in the Golden Triangle and, from the military base at Doi Chang Mub overlooking Myanmar, joint patrols are conducted on a regular basis to counter trafficking. In recent decades, the cultivation and trade of opium that made the Golden Triangle famous has been drastically reduced in all three countries and, in the specific case of Thailand, it was banned in 1959 and has been practically eradicated for many years. We went as part of an 8 stop tour, but it is a full hour north of Chiang Rai. You do not need to tell us at the time of booking but please let us know by e mail or telephone at the earliest opportunity. In the early 1940s the Golden Triangle of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos produced a modest amount of opium, but the suppression of opium crops in China and later Iran in 1955 brought the bulk of the worlds opium production to move to this mountainous region of Southeast Asia. We are interested in visiting the Lao island of Donsao by taking the boat across from the Thai border. The short walk up there also allows to visit two Buddhist temples along the way. Its hard to put into words how it feels to walk beside an elephant, just walking up to one and putting my hand on its leathery skin took my breath away. It was pretty cool to see the island where Opium gets traded as it doesn't belong to any country. One morning I wandered to the main pool to watch the colours in the sky dance and play in the water, the sun was a brilliant red orb in the soft misty sky. Great photo opportunities, not a lot to do but worth going too. If you want to say you've been to Laos, then take the boat over. the Golden Triangle. Is Chiang Rai Worth Visiting? - Leave Your Daily Hell During your Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Got to see the 3 countries, took lots of photos. Things to do in the Golden Triangle Chiang Rai The end of the line as far as Golden Triangle day trippers are concerned, this small town sits right over the river from Laos. Then we continue to Sop Ruak, the heart of the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong River and Ruak River meet. Chiang Rai province's golden triangle bordering Laos and Burma was once the hub of opium production. The area appears as a triangle shape, with Mekhong River dividing the borders of Thailand and Laos. I generally started in Mae Sai, on the Thailand-Myanmar border, before riding a song-thaew along the Mekong to the Saam Liam Trong Kham monument itself. However, criminal networks have very quickly adapted; traffickers have changed their routes to circumvent Chiang Rai and go through other provinces or via Laos and back into Thailand, with marginal increased costs and inconvenience affecting the trade. Populations have dwelled in Chiang Rai since the 7th century and it became the center of the Lanna Kingdom during the 13th century. There is a charming chefs garden on property near the school with heritage herbs and other goodies for an authentic cooking experience. Part Balinese, part Thai and a mix of Myanmar and Laos, the food is beyond delicious! The grand open-air common spaces include a two-story lobby with a courtyard entrance and peek-a-boo view into what is waiting for you when you check in, a welcoming lobby bar with velvet seating, an outdoor terrace where you can sip and dine poolside, and wrap-around spaces with extra-large balconies that share the spectacular views. Both of their exhibitions tell you everything you need to know about opium. Once you finish there, ride all the way back to Chiang Rai city by bus. The trip was fun ! There is also a wat we drove right past on the road up, but we did not stop. However, the mysterious essence of the Golden Triangle remains undisturbed. See all 60 Golden Triangle tours on Tripadvisor, Chiangrai Tour with cruise at Mae Khong River, See all Golden Triangle experiences on Tripadvisor, View all hotels near Golden Triangle on Tripadvisor, View all restaurants near Golden Triangle on Tripadvisor, View all attractions near Golden Triangle on Tripadvisor, Points of Interest & Landmarks in Chiang Saen, Wat Phra That Chedi Luang: Tickets & Tours, Wat Phra That Chom Kitti: Tickets & Tours, Musk ox Safari in Dovrefjell National Park from Oppdal, City Sightseeing Gothenburg Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, Astroville Food Tour of Downtown Houston with Tunnel Access. Visit Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai - Thailandee.com Just enjoy the food and the amazing view. If youre feeling non-committal, do it on a day trip. Choose between 1, 2, 3 or 4 columns, set the background color, widget divider color, activate transparency, a top border or fully disable it on desktop and mobile. Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand, and situated on the Kok River basin, 416 metres above sea level.