Trip overview
This route gives the north a full four days rather than the single day trip our shorter Chiang Mai itinerary allows, with room for an elephant sanctuary, a silk-weaving village, the Golden Triangle, a brief crossing into Laos and the White Temple in Chiang Rai, before two nights in Bangkok close things out. Compared with our four-day trip, that extra day and a half goes almost entirely toward depth in the north rather than added rest time, which is the main reason to pick this version over the shorter one.
As with our shorter Chiang Mai trip, it is worth being direct about the geography: Chiang Mai sits on the Ping River, part of the Chao Phraya basin, and has no connection to the Mekong. This route gets closer to making up for that than the four-day version does, with a speedboat hop across to Laos on day three and a full day around the Golden Triangle and Chiang Saen, both genuinely on the river. If that taste of the Mekong leaves you wanting the real thing, our [Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle guide](thailand/chiang-rai-and-the-golden-triangle) covers the area properly, or you can continue north into Laos itself on the [slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang](laos/tours/7d6n-slow-boat-huay-xai-to-luang-prabang).
Trip highlights
- An ethical, no-riding elephant sanctuary outside Chiang Mai
- Silk-weaving and handicraft workshops in Sankampang
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on its hilltop above the city
- The Golden Triangle viewpoint and a short boat hop across the river to Don Sao, on the Lao side
- Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, in Chiang Rai
- A half-day round of Bangkok temples and city sights, including the Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit
Your day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Land in Chiang Mai
Locals call Chiang Mai the Rose of the North, an old nickname for a city that moves at a distinctly slower pace than the capital, its old town built around a moat and temple-dense lanes rather than high-rises. Once you have checked in, the busy Night Bazaar is yours to browse for the evening.
Day 2: Elephant Sanctuary, Sankampang and Doi Suthep
The stop once billed here as an elephant camp with rides on offer has changed. We now visit an ethical, no-riding sanctuary near Mae Sa instead, where the morning is spent helping prepare food, walking with the herd and watching them bathe and forage at a distance the elephants set themselves, not one set by a mahout on their back. We do not book or arrange elephant riding anywhere in Thailand, on this trip or any other.
After lunch, the road detours through Sankampang for its silk-weaving and handicraft workshops, where the whole process is demonstrated start to finish, before climbing roughly 45 minutes to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the city’s best-known religious landmarks.
Day 3: North to the Golden Triangle and Chiang Saen
The drive north reaches Sop Ruak by early afternoon, the viewpoint from which Thailand, Laos and Myanmar can all be seen converging at a bend in the river. From here a private boat crosses the river to Don Sao, on the Lao side, in about half an hour; this is a genuine international crossing, so have your actual passport ready, since a photocopy will not be accepted.
The route continues on to old Chiang Saen, a former river port with brick temple ruins from its trading centuries. Note that the more usual land crossing into Laos runs a little further on, at Chiang Khong, over the Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge to Huay Xai; that crossing is not part of this day, but it is the one our longer Laos and Mekong trips use.
Day 4: Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, Then Back to Chiang Mai
The morning is given to Wat Rong Khun, built almost entirely in white and inlaid glass, its carved detail rewarding a slow walk rather than a quick photo stop. Chiang Rai’s other well-known temple, the blue-and-gold Wat Rong Suea Ten, sits a short distance away and is not part of the standard programme here; ask us to add it if a second temple appeals. The afternoon returns you to Chiang Mai.
Day 5: Fly to Bangkok for a City and Temple Tour
A short domestic flight lands you in Bangkok, and the afternoon brings a loop through several of the capital’s landmark temples.
Wat Traimit is one of the stops, housing a Buddha figure cast entirely in solid gold, reputedly the biggest example of its kind anywhere, standing near the edge of Chinatown, a few minutes on foot from Hualamphong station.
Day 6: Fly Out from Bangkok
Breakfast and checkout leave a window for last-minute shopping before heading to Bangkok’s airport to fly out. Since this route already runs north to south, ending in the capital rather than the north, extending onward from here works better toward the Mekong than toward the coast: ask us about linking on to Laos or Cambodia rather than a beach stop, since our current lineup is built around the river rather than the islands.
What’s included
- Hotels in the class you choose, twin or double occupancy, with breakfast each morning, or an equivalent property if the one named is full.
- All meals written into the day-by-day programme below.
- A private air-conditioned vehicle for every transfer and excursion in the programme.
- An English-speaking local guide at each stop on the route.
- Every boat trip, river crossing and cruise named in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees for the sites listed in the programme.
- Drinking water in the vehicle and on boat days.
- Government tax and service charge.
Not included
- International and domestic flights, and rail tickets.
- Visas, and any fee collected at a border post.
- Travel insurance.
- Meals and drinks that are not written into the programme.
- Personal spending such as laundry, phone calls, minibar, souvenirs and watersports.
- Early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades.
- Anything added on the day at your request outside the printed programme.
- Gratuities for your guide and driver.
- Costs arising from weather, flooding, road closures or other events beyond our control.
- Bank transfer charges.
Booking this trip
- Days
- 6 days / 5 nights
Sending this does not charge you. We hold the space and confirm within 24 hours.
For visas, payment terms and what to expect on arrival, see [Thailand travel information](thailand/travel-information).
Let us know when you would like to travel, how many people are in your group and which hotel grade you prefer; we will check dates and come back with a written quote by email.