Chiang Rai province

Places to go in Chiang Rai province
Chiang Rai
Chiang Khong
Chiang Saen
Mae Salong
Mai Sai
Phu Chee Fah
Wiang Pa Pao

Thailand's northernmost province is predominantly mountainous and has a bit of a wild west feel, bordered to the north by Burma and Laos and forming the centre of the notorious Golden Triangle region which is famed for its opium and heroin production. These days the drugs trade has shifted into methamphetamines, with some five percent of Thailand's 63 million people thought to be users. Although Thai society has been badly affected, there does not seem to have been any commensurate increase in rates of crime affecting travellers.

Founded in 1262 by King Mangrai, Chiang Rai was at one stage the capital of the Lanna kingdom and spent a period in Burmese hands before coming back to the Thai fold in 1786.

The province boasts a huge assortment of things to do, and you could easily spend a couple of weeks exploring it to its fullest. Chiang Rai is a fine alternative to Chiang Mai, being smaller and quieter -- even though it has grown tremendously in popularity over the past few years. Trekking here has exploded, but the feel is still a little more remote than Chiang Mai.

Be warned: The mountains of Chiang Rai have been badly deforested, partly due to a high density of hilltribe villages but more due to intensive logging practices employed over the last few decades. During the dry season the burning off of paddy fields can produce an awful haze that can play havoc with the allergy-prone.