Pearl of the North - 7 days

Wat Rong Khun

Located 13 km south of Chiang Rai, Thailand, Wat Rong Khun is commonly called the white temple. It was built by Chalermchai Kositpipat, renowned Thai artist who wanted to create a lasting tribute to Rama IX, the present King of Thailand, and also honor his hometown.

Mae Sai

Mae Sai, or locally more often, Maesai, is the northernmost city of Thailand. It is mainly a stepping stone for visits to Myanmar and has few attractions of its own.

Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is in Chiang Rai Province, in the far north of Thailand. The English name comes from the meeting of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand here, but to the locals it's Sop Ruak, since this is where the Mekong meets the Ruak River. Historically the Golden Triangle has been an area well-known for the growing of opium, and the name comes from a US State Department memo on the practice.

The Opium Museum

The Golden Triangle used to be infamous as one of the largest producers of opium. Various Thai organizations led by the Royal Project and Doi Tung Development Project, have spent decades battling this trade. As part of this campaign, the Hall of Opium was built to educate people about the dangers of the drug through an entertaining exhibition which traces opium’s history from its first use 5,000 years ago to current issues of drug abuse and addiction.

The Kok River

The Kok river is a wide, shallow, and slow-moving river. There is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) of small-scale whitewater halfway between the towns of Taton and Chiang Rai. Alongside the Mae Kok river, an hour's boat ride upstream from Chiang Rai town, is an touristy "elephant camp" on its north shore.

Doi Mae salong

Mae Salong's early history centred on the the opium trade of the Golden Triangle. Its recent history was shaped by the 93rd Division of the Chinese Nationalist Army that refused to surrender to Chinese communists after the Nationalist Kuomintang government was routed in 1949. The local culture now changes to the oolong tea, which is now Mae Salong's main product.

Hill tribes

The hill tribes have traditionally been primarily subsistence farmers who use slash and burn agricultural techniques to farm their heavily forested communities. Popular perceptions that slash and burn practices are environmentally destructive, government concerns over borderland security, and population pressure has caused the government to forcibly relocate many hill tribe peoples. Traditionally, hill tribes were also a migratory people, leaving land as it became depleted of natural resources or when trouble arose.

Tham Lot Cave

Tham Lot (length 1,666m) is a cave system near Soppong, Pang Mapha district, Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand. The Nam Lang River flows through the cave which is filled with stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is also home to large numbers of bats and swifts. In Tham Lot and other caves nearby teakwood coffins have been discovered which are thought to have been carved by the Lawa tribespeople thousands of years ago.

Padong tribes

From Burma and forming a minority tribe Karrenis the Padongs fled to Northern Thailand, where they have the status of political refugee. They are about a thousand and are distributed in some villages. Padongs are special for the custom of their wives to surround the neck, since childhood, with a long necklace spiral, which gives the impression of extending that body part. From there come the names of "long-necks" or "giraffe women".

Fish cave

About 17 kilometers (10 miles) from Mae Hong Son town is the small Fish Cave (tam plaa in Thai) national park. The name is a bit misleading. There's no cave that you can really go into. The park surrounds a place where a small stream emerges from the rock face of a hill. However, there are definitely fish !

Trip on the back of an elephant

Enjoy a safari trip on the back of an elephant. Thailand is the most famous place to meet the asian species. More little than his big brother from Africa, the elephant of Asia used to help humans during hard work in the jungle. At now, human protect them through several elephant camps.

Doi Suthep

The Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. It is often referred to as Doi Suthep although this is actually the name of the mountain on which it is located. Located 13 kilometers north of the city of Chiang Mai, it is a sacred site for the Thais. From the temple, you will have an impressive view of the city of Chiang Mai.