Day Trip Attractions – Chiang Rai
If you go to Northern Thailand, you will most likely find yourself in the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. I can’t knock this city because I admit that I do love Chiang Mai, and I visit it often. But if you want to escape the big city rush, you can head up to Chiang Mia’s little sister Chiang Rai, and check out some of its day trip attractions.
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai is a much smaller version of Chiang Mai and also has many of the same excellent services that Chiang Mai has on offer, except on a much smaller scale. It’s a smaller city, and much easier to navigate. Chiang Rai is located about 3 hours Northeast of Chiang Mia by bus. If you decide to travel by bus, it’s strongly recommended to take the Green Bus service from Chiang Mai’s Arcade bus station. The Green Bus is reasonably priced and much more direct than the regular buses. You can also fly to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai or Bangkok via Nok Air, and a few other budget carriers.
On my last trip to Thailand, I spent three days exploring the Chiang Rai area. You can see a lot in only two days. However, I like to have a full day just to hang around a place so that I can get a better feel for the local life.
Although Chiang Rai is not as touristy as Chang Mia, there still are plenty of budget accommodation and cheap food options available here. When I was there, I was in a social mood, so I decided to stay at one of the many great hostels in the area.
Main Attractions
Although I like to travel cheap, I will admit that I’m lazy! I will often pay a bit more for comfort and convenience when it comes to visiting favorite sites. I joined a tour group for about USD 30. The tour included the White Temple, the Blue Temple, the Black House, the Monkey Kingdom, the Golden Triangle, and a few other attractions.
It was a full day trip that included lunch. There were only three of us in an air-conditioned truck with an excellent tour guide. It was a comfortable way to explore the area, plus I got to make some new friends at the same time. (The best part about traveling!)
Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)
The White Temple is Chiang Rias claim to fame as far as favorite tourist sites go. I highly recommend checking this place out.
The temple is 15km south of Chiang Rai, and it is possible to visit with the local bus. It is also possible to get there with a bicycle, however after speaking with a girl at my hostel who visited the temple with her bicycle, I decided it would be better for me just to join one of the day tours. She told me that the bike ride was hot, and the road going to the temple was very busy with poor air quality.
What To Expect To See
Regardless of what mode of transportation you take, expect to leave with some spectacular photos! The featured image for this blog is of The White Temple. I made that photo from the left side of the pond. I found this to be the best angle to get a photo without people in it. The weekends tend to overly crowded.
The Blue Temple
Although this one is still under construction, it is worth coming for a visit. I liked the Blue Temple attraction better than all the other places that we visited during the tour. Mainly because there were fewer people at this temple, and I am a big fan of the blue color scheme. But if you only have time to see one attraction while in Chaing Rai I would strongly suggest The White Temple! 
The Black House – Chiang Rai
This famous temple has a strange mix of death and art built within its surroundings. The temple and the building within the temple grounds are all made of dark teakwood. There is an extensive collection of bones and reptile skins within all of the building here. The Black House is not a religious temple, nor is anything else within the property. This temple is more of a unique architecture project that houses a lot of different daunting art.
The Golden Triangle
This area which used to be one of the world most prominent opium producing regions in Asia and is bordered by three countries; Thailand, Laos, & Myanmar. There is a monument with a fantastic view of the river where you can see all three states at the same time. Our guide Tom took us there for the sunset.
Monkey Cave – Chiang Rai
We didn’t enter the actual monkey cave, but we did see a lot of monkeys around the park. If you do visit, then please take care. The monkeys are cute, but they are also still wild animals and can carry rabies. 
Apparently, even monkeys in Chiang Rai can be hopeful when it comes to buying lottery tickets.
Choui Fong Tea Plantation
The tour made a quick stop at The Choi Fong Tea Plantation, where we got to try some different locally produced teas. The plantation overlooks some beautiful valleys. The Choui Fong estate made to be an excellent stop for taking photos during the Chiang Rai tour.
That concludes; Day Trip Attractions – Chiang Rai! If you have been to Chiang Rai and you would like to share some travel tips with our readers, then please tell us about it in the comment section below. If you want to read more about Chiang Rai, you can find more information on my website; Thailand. You can also find out more information about Chiang Rai on Thailands official tourist website; Amazing Thailand.
For more information and tips on traveling you can click on the link to my website; Travel Can Be Cheap. Thank-you for visiting my site today! I hope you have found this information useful.
Tyler England
