Top 05 Reasons to Visit Chiang Rai – Fascinating Aspects of a Thai Province

The Golden Triangle makes an ideal day trip from your boutique hotel in Chiang Rai. Once a famous opium-production region in the world, the Golden Triangle covers an area of approximately 195,000 kilometres. It is spread over three countries including Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. It can be easily accessed from Chiang Rai, Thailand, and it is an extremely picturesque region that you simply must visit during your holiday in this country. With tributaries of the Mekong River, riverbanks fringed with massive sculptures and shining Buddha statues, the phenomenal scenery of this area will make you utterly breathless. Perhaps the most remarkable of its attractions is the Hall of Opium, which introduces its visitors to the history of opium around the world. You can also visit a small opium plantation and learn also gain insight into its production process when you visit this place.

Doi Tung is a mountain in Chiang Rai Province in Thailand. Located just a few miles away from the Thai-Myanmar border, this mountain towers 1400 metres above its surroundings and offers breathtaking views of Thailand and Burma from its summit. Tourists are mainly attracted to the magnificent temple found atop this island called Wat Phra That Doi Tung. This mountain is also home to the Doi Tung Royal Villa, which has been the former residence of the Princess Mother Somdei Phra Srinagarindra. A visit to this place would offer you spectacular vistas of a botanical garden, which boasts of beautifully manicured gardens with flowers of every colour you could think of.

Chiang Rai's Night Bazaar is the lesser-known counterpart of the famous Chiang Mai Night Market. Located close to properties such as Hotel Sooknirund, this night bazaar emanates an air of authenticity than the version in Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai's Night Bazaar is more associated with the culture of the region which is evident from the many products available here including local handicrafts made by the hill-tribes living in the region. You may also find several food stalls here offering traditional Thai cuisine to the visitors. If you walk over to the downtown area, you'd also come across some bars, ice-cream parlours, and even movie theatres.

A unique temple that looks out-of-this-world, Wat Rong Khun is reason enough for you to visit Chiang Rai. The snowy-white façade will make you question if you're awake or dreaming. More popular as the White Temple among tourists, it is a privately-owned art exhibit that makes for wonderful photographs. A beautiful coming together of Lanna and Thai-modern architectural styles, this building has tiny fragments of mirrored shards on it which makes it dazzle in the sunlight.

About a two-hour drive away from Chiang Rai lies a vantage point that offers exquisite views of ethereal nature. Although Phu Chi Fa refers to a mountainous area in the region, it's popularly used to identify a massive cliff that overlooks the surrounding area. Many tourists flock to this area each year in the hope of witnessing these hypnotising views.