Luxury holidays in Chiang Rai
Founded as the capital of the ancient Lanna kingdom, Chiang Rai exudes the timeworn air of having seen it all before – and after a few hours there, you might too. The city is easy to take in by foot; pop to see its ornate, tiered-roofed temples, dip into the tightly woven wet market with its piles of chilli-hued fresh produce and chew on a northern sausage as you barter at the compact but lively night market. By far the most compelling thing about the city is its proximity to the verdant mountains of the North and infamous Golden Triangle. Drive for just over an hour and you will feel a world away from life as you know it; the misty hills, densely packed jungle and glittering waterways around Chiang Saen are where you will truly experience the region’s wilderness and diverse indigenous culture. Visit local hill communities, trek through the undergrowth and sip coffee fresh from the plantation; fall in love with an elephant and travel by long-tail boat to neighbouring Myanmar and Laos. A few days in this enchanting region will bestow memories for life.
When to go
By far the best time to visit is the cool season between November and late February when you can expect aqua blue skies, warm sunny days and cool evenings – temperatures have been known to drop as low as 2°C at night. Late March and April are extremely hot and dry, so it’s challenging to do anything active. Rainy season runs from May to October, but the earlier months are fine for travelling – there’ll be rain, but it’s unlikely to be prohibitive. September and October tend to be the wettest and there is often flooding in the region.