When the rain stops falling and you can feel the cold breeze, the beauty of Chiang Rai will be becoming hard to resist. Landscape of the green and yellow fields, flowers blooming and sea fog in the morning with the perfect kind of weather – the best trip you could have asked for. It would not be too crowded like in the winter so it’s better to travel at this time of year. We decided to take a road trip and we would need a car. Traveloka offers both cheap flight to Chiang Rai and car rental service! With reasonable prices, you can choose a variety of cars, with or without a driver. Just got off a plane and contacted the staff, hopped on a car and we were ready for the trip to Chiang Rai!

Start the first day of this trip with a chill and easy tour from Traveloka. First, we visited the Mae Kachan Hot Spring. Dip your feet in the warm, mineral water and relax. Then headed back to town but made a stop at Wat Rong Khun. A famous temple with its unique designs and architecture. The stunning all-white temple is really outstanding – an unforgettable sight. Then we went to Wat Rong Suea Ten, another temple with a unique colouring – but this time it’s blue! A spectacular beauty that you will never find in somewhere else. Lastly, Baan Dam Museum, a house of the famous Thailand national artist Thawan Duchanee. The place is decorated in all black and full of art pieces like painting and sculptures. The trip of White, Blue, Black – truly an amazing day! The tour also provides you an international buffet, so don’t worry about the food.

In the evening, we planned to find a place to visit not far away from the town, but also nature-related. We ended up in Singha Park and thought it was perfect! With easy travelling and lots of cool spots to take photos, it also offers many activities to do! Take a farm tour on a bus and visit the gardens full of flowers, or do something more exciting and with extreme sport activity. The park has a shop and café with local ingredients like tea or homemade pizza. Explore the farm while the sun is setting, what an experience!

After finding a place to stay in Chiang Rai, we spotted the Blue Lagoon Hotel. A modern style hotel located in the town, near many attractions like Night Bazaar market, Clock Tower and the mall while the price is affordable too. It was a decent stay and a good choice we made.

If you visit Chaing Rai on Saturday like us. Do not forget to go to Chaing Rai walking street. An all-in-one place where you can find foods, snacks and souvenirs. Walk along the street and shop with the locals. Try local food while browsing souvenirs. Remember that the market only holds on Saturday.

As we have told you before, the way of travelling that we will do for this trip is to drive! We booked a car with Traveloka and then we were ready to drive anywhere. So, we added Phu Chi Fa as our destination in our google maps and started the engine. This mountain is a perfect place to watch the sea fog, so you might need to wake up and leave the hotel early – but the view is definitely worth the effort.

Near Phu Chi Fa, there is still another interesting place to watch the sunrise called ‘Phu Chi Dao’. However, you can drive only to the foothill, then take a local’s truck for about 3 km. but that’s not all, you need to walk for about 200 meters then you will reach the destination! But if you get to see the scenery then all your tiredness will fade away. Of course, this place is less crowded than Phu Chi Fa but you need to prepare and contact the local to find a guide first.

From Phu Chi Fa, we drove a long way to Doi Sa Ngo which has a height of 709 meters above the sea. We will see the way of life of the Akha tribe community in the villages. You get to see the 360-degree view above the hill as well. The view point shows the landscape of three countries, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. If you have time, try spending a night here too and you might be lucky enough to see all the stars in the sky. We parked our car at the foothill and took a local truck for about 1 km. to reach the hilltop.

We made it down to the land and drove back towards the town. We headed to the famous Tham Luang – Khun Nam Nang Non National Park. Which is now becoming a tourist hot spot since the incident. The cave is not the only highlight here but there’s also the emerald pool with its unique colour. The nature here is full of life, with a variety of plants and animals.

In the afternoon, our next stop is Doi Mae Salong so we can visit the temple and pray at Sinakarintrastitmahasantikhiri pagoda which is located at the top of the hill. Not only we got the blessing but we got to see a beautiful view. We also heard that it’s best to visit in the morning and watch the sunrise here.

Another landmark here in Doi Mae Salong is a tea plantation. Because this place is well-known as the best place in Thailand to plant tea leaves. A perfect spot to get the best shot. And when you arrive at the farm, do not forget to taste a cup of tea! Order some tea with delicious cake and take a break for a while.

After exploring many places, we started to get hungry. Luckily there is famous cuisine here in Doi Mae Salong which is Yannan food. We had Stewed Pork Knuckle and ate it with rice or bun. Do not forget to try stir-fried vegetables here that use local ingredients – like tea leaves as well.

Last day of the trip, we decided to go shopping for food and souvenirs, not in the usual market but in Mae Sai district, a place where you can cross the border to Myanmar and shop in the market. It was the last day and we wanted an easy trip, so we booked a one-day-trip tour with Traveloka. They will take us to famous attractions in Chaing Rai and Mai Sai market as well. Also on the trip, they took us to the golden triangle park and Chiang Saen District which have many interesting destinations as well. For us, the plan was flexible and we could also negotiate with the guide so that we can make it in time to the airport and take a cheap flight back to Bangkok!

No matter how time flies, Chiang Rai is still one of the cities that is small, quiet and simple. But it’s becoming easier to travel with local guides and facilities provided. Also, the locals here are kind and always helpful. We always love travelling to Chiang Rai and know for certain that we will get the perfect place to stay away from the city life. Just walking along the street or going up on the mountains – a memorable trip that you will love too. Start your plan and take a cheap flight from Bangkok to this attractive city when you get a chance.