The 130-km-long Mae Kok is one of the most scenic and unspoilt rivers in Thailand. Rafting trips are often combined with ''inland" excursions, like elephant trekking to hilltribe villages. You can take a short trip or cover longer distances, staying at local villages on route.
You can also hire a long-tail boat along the river, any time from 7am until 11pm, stopping at sites along the way. A full-day trip to Thathon and back costs around 2,100B for boat hire. Stop off at the Buddha cave, a temple within a cavern; an elephant camp, a hot spring; and a riverside Lahu village. If you have limited time, you can hire a boat stopping at only one or two attractions. Costs vary from 300B to 700B depending on the stops and your bargaining ability. The ferry pier is beyond the bridge across from the Dusit Island Resort.
Wonderful countryside, cool mountain air - definitely back to nature. Most scenic attractions can be visited in a day from Chiang Rai. In the vicinity of Chiang Rai, you can tour historic Chiang Saen, visit the scenic Golden Triangle, shop at the Mae Sai border, or explore the cool hillsides of Doi Mae Salong. Here's a few of the ones you really shouldn't miss...
Mae Sai on the Burmese Border
The northernmost town of Thailand is separated from the Burmese border town of Tachilek by a small river also called Mae Sai. A popular spot for both Thai and foreign tourists, who come to see the sights and buy jade and other precious stones produced in Burma. Mae Sai is a thriving trading post for local goods, clothing, hilltribe products, jade ornaments, trinkets and jewelry of Burmese origin. Current attractions include an elephant show (including rides) and a nature park, as well as orchid nurseries. Most of these attractions are packaged by Chiang Mai tour operators as a half-day trip costing around 700B.
Doi Mae Salong
After the Communists took over the mainland of China in 1949, a division of the Nationalist Chinese army fled to the Thai-Burmese border areas. Some of were allowed to settle down on a border mountain called Mae Salong in 1961. The road up the mountain has enchanting scenery and plenty of hairpin bends, penetrating the mountains for some 35 kilometres to end at Santi Kiri, the mountain top settlement where the descendants of the defeated Nationalist Chinese soldiers tend tea and coffee plantations, orchards and flower and vegetable gardens. A resort complex allows an overnight stay. The village, a sort of 'high-altitude Chinatown' contains several spice shops, teahouses and restaurants.
Pu Kaeng and Other waterfalls
Waterfall enthusiasts will enjoy the plentiful waterfalls around Chiang Rai. Pu Kaeng is the largest with around 17 "steps". Located in Doi Luang National Park about 58 km from Chiang Rai. Mae Kon, another beautiful waterfall is only 30 km from the provincial town. Sai Khao Waterfall only 240m away from the main highway No.1, also has hot springs nearby.
Chiang Saen
Chiang Saen was one of the ancient capitals of the Lanna Thai (The Kingdom of One Million Rice fields) which dominated northern Thailand from the late 1200s. Older than Chiang Rai the town is historically important, forming the beginning of a distinctive style of Buddhist sculpture during the late thirteenth century. The remains of several noteworthy religious monuments can still be seen. The town museum contains bronze Buddha images and artifacts excavated locally.
The Golden Triangle
Located 9 km north of Chiang Saen is where the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos meet, known as "The Golden Triangle." You can stand at the very point where the Rauk River from Burma flows into the Mekong, to take a lovely view of the rice fields and the distant mountains. To get a wider view, you can climb up Doi Chiang Miang on the riverside. Don't expect to see poppy fields, heroin factories, drug addicts or traffickers here - just enjoy the view. The heady days of the international drug cartels are over and Chiang Rai sits quietly at the gateway of a Golden Triangle where the power of the tourist currency outweighs the draw of drug money.
Credit: www.gochiangmai.com
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