Thailand Family Holidays
Chiang Rai Doi Tung Blossom Festival, 1st – 16th February, (check for dates) Mae Fah Luang District, Chiang Rai. This is the perfect time for you to enjoy a wealth of colour and variety of species in bloom on the hills surrounding Doi Tung Royal Villa, as well as a tea exhibition and demonstrations at Doi Mae Salong.
Another way to find Buffalo Horn Hill (Wat Phra That Doi Khao Khwai) is to go Thanon Sanam Bin south to the
Food
Roughly halfway down the alley entering the Night Bazaar from the main road is 'Centrepoint', an open-air hawkers/restaurant surrounded by more stalls and with a stage for classical music and dance performances. On the main road there is a Lebanese restaurant serving Falafel, Tabouleh, Hummous and other middle-eastern delicacies. Da Vinci is an other good place on the main road serving nice charcoal pizzas an pastas. Homemade foie gras. Oasis is a very specialized and delicious vegetarian restaurant. Standing with your back toward the main stage at the 'Night Bazaar' you'll notice a high building on the lefthand side. At the corner of this street (which eventually leads you to the fruit and flower market), you'll find the restaurant downstairs. Situated behind the small eateries which still belong to the market. A 'must' for vegetarian people!
Chiang Ria
Chiang Rai is in Northern Thailand and the capital of Chiang Rai province, the northern most province of Thailand. The town is the main commercial centre serving the Golden Triangle border region of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. It is an excellent base for exploring the region it is about 780km’s from
Doi Tung Royal Villa - final residence of the Princess Mother (mother of the King of Thailand), located at kilometre 12 on highway 1149, to the west of highway 1. This magnificent villa was built on the mountain overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys in a unique mix of Swiss and Lanna architectural styles. Adjacent to the villa is a large beautiful flower-filled garden, and a memorial hall commemorating the Princess Mother. Wat Doi Tung. A very important temple for the Buddhists and with probably the most fantastic view of all temples in
Doi Tung Zooaka Doi Tung Wildlife Station is both a zoo and a wildlife preserve that is spread over 200 rai of land along highway no. 1149 it is heavily involved in the breeding of rare and endangered species.The station has gathered many species found wild in the Doi Tung area, these include deer, muliacus muntjak, hogdeer, bear, peacock, Siamese fireback pheasant and hornbill. Visitors can walk along shady trails and catch glimpses of these rare species Entrance free open 08.00 to 18.00
Wat Phra Kaeo this beautiful Buddhist temple on
Princess Mother Hall and Doi Mae Salong About 70 km northwest of Chiang Rai. A beautiful road from Mae Chan, sometimes quite steep. The view from the temple and Princess Mother Hall is fantastic. In Mae Salong there is a museum for KMT and you can learn what happened after they got kicked out of
Buffalo Horn Hill and Kun Korn Waterfall (Nam Tok Kun Korn) You can rent a car or take an organized trip to the temple on Buffalo Horn Hill to have a splendid overview over Chiang Rai by following the old road to Chiang Mai, called Thanon Ratchayotha.
The area is also a center for adventure holidays with many activities such as mountain biking, caving, climbing, bamboo river rafting, elephant rides, and many more you can book a couple of hours or several days participation in these and other adventure activities with local agents.
Wat Rong Kuhn also known as 'the white temple' It is quite a long drive on 'super-highway' A1, direction Chiang Mai, to find these beautiful grounds with a white temple. The building of the temple was started in 1998. The grounds are situated on the righthand side coming from Chiang Rai. It's rather easy to miss actually. Once you pass a big red coloured temple, you drove already to far and you should make a U-turn. The architect is artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. He is famous for his religious paintings,but I believe his mud-castle-like architecture stands out and is definitely worth a visit.
Shopping The best shopping in the area is for locally made crafts many from craftsmen who have specialized in the same items for generations. A must try is Chinese champagne.
Another area for shopping is Mae Sai county and at the Golden Triangle. Hundreds of shops and stalls at Mae Sai are situated densely together and extend right to the Thai-Myanmar border. Some popular items are silk and local clothes, silverware, jade, gems, woodcarvings, dried fruits, preserved food and hand-made souvenirs.
Night Bazaar - The bazaar is located between the bus station and
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Getting Around
Boat One of the more popular ways to travel to or from Chiang Mai is by boat along the
Long-tail boats can also be hired privately to some nearby destinations such as the
Bars
Reggie
Bo's Place on Thanon Phahon Yotin 100 m south of busstation. Here is one place where local farangs meet for a beer and for a nice meal. Sunset Phucheefah. A great sunset view. By Tuk Tuk
Accommodation Lots of hotels guest houses from the basic 400-600 to good hotel 1200- 1500 to top class such as the
Getting There
By Train Not recommended train goes to Chiang Mai then a bus to complete the journey.
By Air from