When traveling to the North of Thailand you’ll definitely want to make time to spend a couple of days in Chiang Rai. It’s often overlooked and people tend to only visit Chiang Mai. Or they go on a quick day tour to visit one of the beautiful sights that Chiang Rai has to offer.
But Chiang Rai is one of those places in South East Asia that actually has so much more to offer than people think. The town itself is less crowded and touristy than its counterpart Chiang Mai. And honestly, the temples here are ten times more impressive and you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to an actual ethical elephant sanctuary!
In this blogpost I will tell you exactly how many days you should spend in Chiang Rai and which are the top things to do and see!
Plus, I will give you the perfect itinerary for when you’re travelling to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai.
How many days should you spend in Chiang Rai
How to get to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai
First things first, the easiest and cheapest way to get to Chiang Mai is by bus. The ride will take around 3,5 hours and drop you off at the main bus station in Chiang Rai.
The easiest way to book your bus is through 12goasia.com.
Average price: €6 -10, depending on which hour you leave.
Best time to leave: Take the bus in Chiang Mai around 8.15am so you still have time to rest up in the afternoon, then afterwards you can visit one of the main sights (but I’ll get back to that later in this post!)
Which places you have to visit in Chiang Rai
Wat Rong Khun – The White Temple
The majestical Wat Rong Khun is one of those temples in Thailand you just have to see at least once with your own eyes.
Wat Rong Khun is a privately owned art exhibit. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997.
Wat Rong Khun used to be a buddhist temple that by the end of the 20th century was in such a bad state that renovations were absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately funds weren’t present so Chalermchai Kositpipat decided to rebuild the entire temple and funded all of it himself.
When to go – Wat Rong Khun is the least crowded in the evening, right before closing time. Closing time is 5pm. The temple is only 15 minutes driving from the center of Chiang Rai. Aim to be there at 4pm to have enough time to explore the area.
Google Maps Location – Click here
Good to know – If you’re coming straight from the bus station and still have your luggage with you, they provide luggage storage at the temple.
Opening hours – 8am – 5pm
Entrance fee – THB50 for foreigners
What to wear – Please be respectful towards the Thai Culture and dress appropriately. This means long dress and cover your shoulders! Always show respect!
Click here to check out all of the best viewpoints from the White Temple
Wat Rong Seur Ten – The Blue Temple
The blue temple, Wat Rong Seu Ten, which means dancing tiger, is equally as beautiful as Wat Rong Khun. And you want to know what’s even better? It’s WAY less crowded! The temple was only completed in 2016 and is entirely decorated in gold and blue. Make sure to also go inside cause one of the most beautiful buddha statues I have ever seen is present here.
Another interesting fact is that the designer of this temple actually was a student of Kositpipat.
Google Maps Location – Click here
When to go – Visit Wat Rong Seur Ten in the morning on your second day.
What to wear – Always be respectful when visiting Thai temples! Cover your legs and shoulders and when entering take off your shoes. To show respect to Buddha make sure to not point your toes straight at his statue.
Opening hours – The temple is always open to visit
Entrance fee – none
Wat Huay Pla Kang
One temple that is often overlooked simply because it’s a little more outside of the city center. Wat Huay Pla Kang is the temple you have to visit during sunrise!
This temple is often called Chiang Rai’s Big Buddha, but this is a mistake since the statue that you see at the top is not Buddha. It’s a representation of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Guan Yin is a compassionate being who responds to people who cry out for help.
Along the staircases leading up to her you’ll find 3 gigantic dragon statues on each side.
Google Maps Location – Click here
Opening hours – All the time
Entrance fee – none, except if you want to go inside the statue. For that you have to pay THB40
Good to know – No public transportation goes here. You will have to go by Grab. The best thing you can do is ask the driver for a price to take you first to this temple, wait for you, take you to the blue temple and then drop you off at your hotel. This should in total be around THB350.
Elephant Valley Thailand
Visiting an elephant sanctuary is usually high on every tourist’s bucket list when visiting Thailand. You do, however, have to realise that a lot of places that are promoting themselves as ethical are in fact not ethical at all. They will showcase posters and flyers everywhere to say: “no riding, visit this ethical elephant sanctuary”. This is a big fat lie.
A true elephant sanctuary for one will not promote itself in abundance towards tourism. Cause the elephants come first, not the tourist.
In my search of finding an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Rai, I stumbled upon Elephant Valley Thailand. You want to know the best part? They are located only 10 minutes away from the White Temple!
Google Maps Location – Click here
Why are they ethical?
- There is no riding; except for the mahout, who will ride on the elephants bare back every morning for 1 hour.
Why? So the elephants get enough exercise as part of their rehabilitation process. Elephants that have been kept in captivity for a long time don’t have the habit of doing this. By doing so they are positively reinforcing this behaviour - There is no bathing. You can see the elephants bathe themselves in their pond from a safe distance and watch the mahouts rinse them off twice a day to keep their dry skin hydrated in the scorching heat.
- There is no posing with elephants. You won’t be able to get closer than within 100 meters for your own safety. An elephant that will stay still for you to pose next to him is an elephant that has been reinforced to show this behaviour and will never get a chance at returning to the wild.
- There is no petting or hugging an elephant.
- They are working towards a 3 phase program to rehabilitate the elephants. The end goal is to release the elephants back in the wild.
How can I visit them?
There are different options
- a half day tour
- an overnight stay
- multiple nights stay
- become a volunteer
Prices and more detailed information can be found here.
Observing the elephants at Elephant Valley Thailand from a safe distance
If you want to know more about why it is so important to do proper research before visiting an elephant sanctuary, click here.
Where to stay in Chiang Rai?
I stayed at the Nak Nakara Hotel and it was ideally located in the center of Chiang Rai. It has a beautiful swimming pool, includes breakfast and is only 10 minutes walking from the famous food market in Chiang Rai!
How many days do you need to spend in Chiang Rai?
Tiffani Anderson says
LOVE that you included an ethical elephant visit! So many people thing of an Asian trip and think of riding elephants and it drives us nuts! Thanks for sharing about the white temple – it is absolutely stunning!
Darcy says
Wat Huay Pla Kang is absolutely stunning. And thank you for the information about the elephant sanctuary! It’s so important that people really know what to look for so they can only give their money to those who truly care for and want to help the elephants.
Aditi Sharma says
I am still marveling at the incredible architecture of Wat Rong Khun temple. Your photographs are amazing. I really appreciate that you shared the details about the ethical elephant sanctuary – visiting the temples and this sanctuary would be something I’d love to incorporate in our itinerary when we visit Thailand. Thanks for this informative post.
Meri says
I’ve never come across Chiang Rai but I’m glad I read your post now! Looks absolutely stunning, especially the White Temple, but I reckon I’d have to see all three if I went. I absolutely adore elephants too, saw some at Minneriya in Sri Lanka and it was an unforgettable experience, so I better add Elephant Valley to the bucket list. Thanks for a lovely post, the photos especially are amazing.
Tania Muthusamy says
These temples look so beautiful, especially the white temple. And I love the Wat Huay Pla Kang with the 3 big dragons. Just stunning. I have to put Chiang Rai on my bucket list when I go to Thailand.
Tina says
As always, I looove your guides. The photography, editing and writing are all impeccable! Saving this for whenever I go to Thailand 🙂
Charlotte says
Thank you so much Tina! 🙂
Emma says
I’ve heard great things but unfortunately didn’t have time to add it to my itinerary last year and only got as far as Chiang Mai. It looks beautiful here and I’ll definitely make it a point to add to my next Thailand adventure