Arrival in Chiang Rai.
You will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon depart for an original way to enjoy a half day seeing the highlights of Chiang Rai city. Transfer from your hotel to the King Meng Rai Monument. From there, board a samlow (rickshaw), and start with a 15 min ride to the main market area, to get a feel for local life in Chiang Rai. Continue by rickshaw to Wat Phra Kaew with its beautiful brass and copper Buddha image, and further still by rickshaw to the Hill tribe Museum operated by the Population & Community Development Association. Leave your rickshaw and continue by road to end your half day’s visit at Wat Rong Khun with its unique “kanok” architecture.
Overnight in Chiang Rai
Transfer distance / duration: 0-60 km / 0-1 hour

Breakfast at your hotel.
Depart for the town of Mae Chan. Then drive up into the hills to visit a Yao Hilltribe Village, to get a feel for hill tribe life. Continue driving up to Doi Mae Salong, to the Santi Kiri KMT Yunan Chinese Refugee settlement. The town of Mae Salong was founded in the 1960s by former Kuomintang (anti-Communist) soldiers who had been expelled from Burma made wines and other locally grown products are sold. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Doi Tung region, 2000 meters/6500 feet above sea-level. En-route visit hilltribe villages. In the past, the forest area around Doi Tung was destroyed by shifting cultivation. In 1987, the Doi Tung Development Project was established according to the King Mother’s initiative in order to protect the region, eradicate the cultivation of opium, and encourage farmers to use sustainable agricultural practices. Visit Mae Fah Luang Gardens, with flowering plants and beautiful gardens. Drive on to Wat Phrathad Doi Tung, a sacred hilltop shrine, regarded as the holiest sanctuary by the residents of Chiang Rai and nearby provinces. The Wat was built in A.D. 911 and it is believed that the left collarbone of Lord Buddha is enshrined in the twin Pagodas. Continue to Mae Sai, the bustling trading town at the farther-most northern border between Thailand and Burma.
Overnight in Chiang Rai

Breakfast at your hotel. Departing from your hotel on a 4WD vehicle, drive past stunning scenery of rolling mountains and lush paddy fields to Ancient Monks Cave, a beautiful stone cavern that contains several Buddha images. It is located 6 km from town and the Department of Fine Arts has registered the place as an important ancient site.
From the monastery's pier, start your long-tailed boat journey (45 minutes) to a Karen Hilltribe Village, where you will trek through the forest on an elephant's back to Yafu Lahu Hilltribe Village. The trek lasts around 1.5 hours and travels up and down the forested hills. At this village, enjoy a delicious lunch of northern Thai dishes with your friendly hosts in their house. For more adventurous palates, you are welcomed to sample the extraordinary hill tribe food. After lunch, begin a short trek (30 minutes) to Huay Mae Sai waterfall, a picturesque waterfall with a moon-shaped pool where you can swim and take a short rest.

Breakfast at your hotel.
Transfer to Chiang Rai airport for your onward flight.
Transfer distance / duration: 0-60 km / 0-1 hour