Chiang Rai

The three temples

Chiang Rai is known abroad almost entirely for three modern temples, and they are genuinely worth the trip.

• Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple — an all-white, mirrored, hand-built fantasy by a local artist, still growing. It is unlike any temple in the country.
• Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple — deep blue and gold, and far less crowded than the White Temple.
• Baan Dam, the Black House — not a temple at all but an artist's compound of dark wooden buildings and animal remains. Disturbing, deliberate, and memorable.

The Golden Triangle

The point where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the Mekong is about an hour north of Chiang Rai town. It was the centre of the region's opium trade, and the museums and the views across to Laos are the reason people come.

It is also a launch point for Mekong boat trips, and it combines naturally with a loop up through Mae Sai on the Myanmar border.

Mountains, tea and the hill country

The province is the best part of Thailand for driving, and the landscape is the point.

• Doi Tung, with the royal villa, the Mae Fah Luang garden and the viewpoint over the border.
• The tea plantations around Mae Chan — the Choui Fong plantation has a café and tasting room built into the hillside.
• The hill-tribe villages of the far north, which are worth visiting with care and a good guide rather than as a spectacle.

Getting there and when to go

Chiang Rai has its own airport (CEI) with frequent flights from Bangkok, and it is about three hours from Chiang Mai by road — a good one-way trip if you make a loop of it.

The seasons match the rest of the north: November to February is cool and clear, and the burning season from roughly February to April brings some of the worst air quality in the world. Bring a layer for the evenings in the cool season.