Mekong Voyagers
Twin royal pagodas standing on the ridge of Doi Inthanon in northern Thailand
THAILAND ITINERARIES

Thailand tours

Three private itineraries, each one built around the north of the country rather than the beach resorts you will find sold elsewhere. If Thailand is only a small part of your trip, that is exactly how we designed this list.

Packages3
Shortest4 days
Longest6 days
BasisPrivate, tailored to your dates

Why travel Thailand with us

This list is short on purpose. Our business is the Mekong, and only the northern corner of Thailand, around Chiang Mai and the Golden Triangle, has anything to do with that river. We would rather run three itineraries we know well than pad this page with island and beach packages that pull attention away from what we actually specialise in.

If your goal is to travel the river itself through Thailand, these three packages are not the place to look. Go instead to [Golden Triangle to the Nine Dragons](mekong/tours/14d13n-golden-triangle-to-the-nine-dragons), which starts in Chiang Rai and follows the Mekong across three more countries, or to [Slow Boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang](laos/tours/7d6n-slow-boat-huay-xai-to-luang-prabang), which picks up the river crossing on the Lao side. What follows here is for travellers who want northern Thailand on its own terms, as a standalone trip or a short add-on.

All three are private and run on your dates rather than a fixed departure calendar, and any of them can be shortened, extended or joined to a Mekong itinerary in another country. We would rather steer you toward the right trip, even when that trip lives on a different page of this site, than stretch this list with packages we would not book for our own family.

All Thailand packages

Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in 4 Days

A tight northern loop pairing Chiang Mai’s old city and elephant sanctuary with a day trip out to the Golden Triangle.

6 Days / 5 Nights Chiang Mai Discovery Tour

More time in the north, with room for Doi Inthanon and the hill country around Chiang Mai alongside the Golden Triangle.

Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, 5 Days / 4 Nights

Chiang Mai used only as the flight gateway, with every night after that spent in Chiang Rai province on the river itself, including one in Chiang Khong.

The essentials

All three routes fly into Chiang Mai and work the same corner of the country; what changes is how much of each trip is actually spent on the Mekong. The two Chiang Mai-based routes treat the Golden Triangle as a single day out; the five-day route flips that around, using Chiang Mai only as the airport and giving the river itself two full days, including a night in Chiang Khong.

DurationPackageRoute
4 days / 3 nightsChiang Mai and Chiang Rai in 4 DaysChiang Mai, with a day trip to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle
6 days / 5 nights6 Days / 5 Nights Chiang Mai Discovery TourChiang Mai, Doi Inthanon and the Golden Triangle
5 days / 4 nightsChiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, 5 Days / 4 NightsChiang Mai (gateway only), Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen, Sop Ruak and Chiang Khong on the Mekong

How to book

Let us know when you want to travel, how many people are coming and which hotel grade suits you, and a written plan follows, adjusted to fit your trip rather than handed over exactly as printed here. Nothing gets booked without your sign-off. For visas, the current Thailand-Cambodia border situation and payment terms, see [Thailand travel information](thailand/travel-information).

Request a quotation

Frequently asked questions

Why is your Thailand list so short compared to other agencies?
Because Thailand is not our focus. We run a small set of northern itineraries well rather than a large catalogue of beach packages we would be reselling rather than running ourselves. Our real depth is further down the Mekong, in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Do any of these tours touch the Mekong?
The 4-day and 6-day Chiang Mai routes both include a day trip to the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong forms the border between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Our 5-day Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle route goes further, spending two full days on the river itself with a night in Chiang Khong. For a trip that follows the river through Thailand and beyond, see [Golden Triangle to the Nine Dragons](mekong/tours/14d13n-golden-triangle-to-the-nine-dragons) instead.
Can I combine a Thailand tour with a trip into Laos?
Yes. Chiang Khong, near Chiang Rai, is the standard crossing point into Laos over the Fourth Friendship Bridge, and from there our [Slow Boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang](laos/tours/7d6n-slow-boat-huay-xai-to-luang-prabang) picks up naturally. Tell us and we will join the two itineraries.
Is Chiang Mai on the Mekong on any of these trips?
No, on any of them. Chiang Mai sits on the Ping River, part of the separate Chao Phraya basin, and functions only as the flight gateway. The genuine Mekong stretch of Thailand runs further northeast, through Chiang Saen, Sop Ruak and Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai province.
Are these tours suitable for a first trip to Thailand?
Yes. All three suit travellers who want culture, temple art and cooler air over beach time, and each is private and run on your dates. Choose the 4-day route for the shortest introduction, or the 5-day route if reaching the actual river matters to your trip.

See also

ThailandThailand travel informationChiang Rai and the Golden TriangleGolden Triangle to the Nine DragonsSlow Boat from Huay Xai to Luang PrabangThe Mekong