Chiang Rai

It takes over three hours by car from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, so I hesitated to go, but the tour provided long-distance driving and took us to three facilities: white, black, and blue. The white castle in particular stood out beautifully against the blue sky, and I thought it was worth the trip.

Our tour guide and driver were very responsible. Although the Black Temple isn't actually a temple, our whole family thought it was the most fun place. They even gave us a free hour of Thai massage on the way back, making it a very worthwhile trip.

The most classic itinerary in Chiang Mai! Includes pick-up and drop-off from your city hotel (even if you're not staying in the Old City), stops at Long Neck Village (entrance fee included), a foot bath at the hot springs (including 3 hot spring eggs per person), White Temple (entrance fee included), a buffet lunch at the bar (delicious!), Blue Temple (including ice cream), and the Black House (including peeled pineapple)! It's incredibly good value! The guide is a local who speaks Mandarin, and having a Chinese-speaking guide to introduce the attractions is a great bonus! I was initially worried about the fast-paced driving from the negative reviews, and while it is indeed fast, it's still much better than the crazy drivers on Taipei buses. The only downside is that the stops at each station can't be too long 😢. If you want to spend a whole day taking photos, it's best to allocate a full day to Chiang Rai or stay there for three days and two nights. The entire team was incredibly professional. Since the tour guide could only be contacted via WeChat, international mobile phone, and domestic mobile phone, I was worried about not being able to reach them before departure. Fortunately, I was able to get a response whenever I left a message on KKDay. Even after the trip ended, when I left some belongings on the bus, I was able to get a quick reply the next day when I left a message on KKDay… The driver also helped return the lost items after his trip! This whole process was incredibly touching and reassuring, suggesting a very cohesive and reliable team behind the scenes! 5-star recommendation!

Our driver, Mr. Theerasak, was very flexible and made the day trip comfortable. Both the driver and the car were great.

I'm very grateful to the driver for his thoughtful commentary on the sights along the way and for always being punctual at the right time and place each month. It was a very pleasant trip, and I'm very thankful.