From Chiang Rai: Hill Tribes & Golden Triangle Full-Day Tour
Chiang Rai, Thailand
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Experience the stunning scenery and fascinating hill tribes of Thailand’s Golden Triangle during this full-day private excursion. Enjoy an up-close encounter with the residents of Akha, Lisu, and Yao hill tribe villages and stop at the northern-most point on the Thai-Myanmar border.
- Explore the Mae Salong and Mae Sai areas during a full-day trip from Chiang Rai
- Interact with Akha, Yao, and Lisu hill tribe villagers
- Enjoy the stunning view of the Mekong Valley from Doi Mae Salong
- Travel to the northern-most point along the Thai border with Myanmar
- Great way to experience the rugged scenery and culture of Thailand's far north
- Private guide ensures personalized service and attention
What's Included
- A full day private tour with a professional English-speaking guide.
- Transportation by private vehicle with professional driver.
- All applicable taxes and service charges
- Lunch at a local restaurant is included (food only)
- All entrance and donation fees for visits as mentioned in the description
- Tours, inclusions of any kind and other services that are not outlined in the tour description
- Personal expenses such as meals, drinks, tips and gratuities, shopping, portage fees and optional tours, unless otherwise stated
- Hotel accommodation in the destination of commencement.
- Any airline tickets, visa fees, additional transportation cost from and to the general meeting point
- Transfers To/from any airport or resorts located outside the general pick-up and drop-off locations
- Travel insurance coverage for customers (highly recommendable)
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We pick up from booked downtown hotel in Chiang Rai
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
Get picked up in the morning from your hotel in a private vehicle. You’ll continue up into the hill country outside Chiang Rai, arriving at your first stop in the Lisu hill tribe village of Ban Mae Kaotom.
After interacting with the villagers and learning about the daily rhythms of hill tribe life, continue to the village of Mae Chan, where you can learn about the Akha and Yao tribes that also populate the area. Then take a short break before proceeding to Doi Mae Salong, a mountain overlook near the Thai-Myanmar border that offers stunning scenery and a view of the Mekong Valley down below.
As you continue your excursion, you’ll enjoy a lunch at Mae Salong Villa before heading to the northern-most site along the Thai-Myanmar. After lunch you will stop at Tham Pla, otherwise known as Fish Cave. Watch as monkeys roam and the surrounding area as you get the opportunity to feed the fish. Shop for souvenirs at the impressive Mei Sai market, a paradise for gem collectors, and then begin your trip back to Chiang Rai.
After interacting with the villagers and learning about the daily rhythms of hill tribe life, continue to the village of Mae Chan, where you can learn about the Akha and Yao tribes that also populate the area. Then take a short break before proceeding to Doi Mae Salong, a mountain overlook near the Thai-Myanmar border that offers stunning scenery and a view of the Mekong Valley down below.
As you continue your excursion, you’ll enjoy a lunch at Mae Salong Villa before heading to the northern-most site along the Thai-Myanmar. After lunch you will stop at Tham Pla, otherwise known as Fish Cave. Watch as monkeys roam and the surrounding area as you get the opportunity to feed the fish. Shop for souvenirs at the impressive Mei Sai market, a paradise for gem collectors, and then begin your trip back to Chiang Rai.
1
Doi Mae Salong
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Mae Sai Market
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Wat Hiranyawat
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infants must sit on laps
- This tour is operated on full private basis with English-speaking guide. Other languages are on request / subject to availability and supplementary charges may apply
- Transfers are only operated within the downtown Chiang Rai areas and restricted to main hotels only. Regions outside the central business district such as Fang, Thaton, Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong, Mae Sai, any surrounding mountain resort outside the Chiang Rai city borders and Chiang Rai International Airport are excluded and supplementary charges apply.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This excursion includes obstacles of various kinds that may not make this excursion suitable for wheelchair users. The obstacles comprise of unpaved roads, small boats and cruise embarkation and disembarkation and insufficient facilities to provide a comfortable sightseeing tour.
- Guests are advised that some walking is required during this excursion; we always ensure that we take the most comfortable ways from the entrance of the sight to the sight itself.
- We always will make efforts to confirm the exact pick-up time upon reservation. For any operational issues in which are not able to confirm the exact pick-up time in advance, we reserve the right to inform you the day before the departure of the tour.
- Please note pickup and drop-off services may not be confirmed for customers staying at private residences, apartment complexes, or other non-registered tourism accommodations. Customers may be asked to meet at a nearby hotel for pick-up and drop off.
- Sand and water have a destructive effect on electronic equipment. It the customer’s own responsibility to ensure that any camera, mobile telephone or other device is properly wrapped and protected against these elements. We cannot be held responsible in any way for negligence and/or not following suggestions for any damage related to this.
- Please ensure that you bring sunglasses, a hat /cap and sunblock with a high SPF factor when traveling with us on this tour – even when it is cloudy, the sunrays still have an immense power.
- We reserve the right to make necessary changes to the excursion in case of unfavourable weather conditions or situations where we are forced to make alterations to guarantee the safety of our guests.
- It is the responsibility of the customer to provide us with the correct hotel information, should pick-up and drop-off services be included in the package. Any changes in accommodation outside 24 hours will be handled accordingly: changes within 24 hours may be on request.
- During this full-day tour, due to time constraints, it is not possible to include a trip into Thakhilek, Myanmar.
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.3
based on 4 reviews
Eugene_C, Sep 2024
Mae (Tour Guide) and Golf (Driver) were there to pick us up early from our accommodation. She asked what we would like to do during the trip and recommended a few sites for us to visit. They stop the mini bus at local attractions (e.g., rice paddy fields) for us to view whats is it like.
Mae explained a lot of the history and culture of Chiang Rai and its tourist attraction though it is not included in the the tour as one of the places that they will bring us go.
Apart from that, we were brought to a local food place where they served awesome papaya salad (som tum pla ra) and mae taught us how to eat with our hands like the locals!!
The chicken wings, sausages, and kanom is so damn good!
Thank you to Mae and Golf!!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hello Eugene!
Mae and Golf will be thrilled! That som tum pla ra eaten with your hands is the kind of moment you never forget! They have the knack for turning a classic visit into a personalized adventure.
Those impromptu rice paddy stops, that's real travel!
Thanks for choosing Asian Trails!
Geeta_T, Jan 2023
Yai was a great guide for our group of 3 ladies.
The village experience with hill tribes including longnecks was unforgettable. Superb vistas and sweeping valleys and mountains.
We also really enjoyed Tea tasting and the interesting visit to Thailand’s northern boarder with Myanmar.
Kynda C, May 2016
The guide showed up late, didn't have an itinerary, barely spoke English and was from a town 3 hours a away so was pushing to finish early. They didn't know lunch was included so had to call their office. Don't take this tour!!
felicitas_r, Nov 2025
It is not worth the high price q costs. The tribes we've seen were 4 Akha ladies who sold us trinkets harassing us. At the next stop two stalls with clothes and two ladies who changed their clothes as we arrived.Best of the day the temple with the bamboo buddha and food on top of the mountain. We didn't even go to the fish cave to see the monkeys xq being aggressive did not recommend it our guide, and step to get along although we paid x it. Summarizing a tour scam. I don't recommend it at all.
Auto-translated
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your comment.
We would like to clarify that the Fish Cave and the monkey area have not been part of this tour since October 2025, following our partner’s safety recommendations. This change was implemented immediately on Viator and Tripadvisor, and the updated tour description was officially communicated by Viator.
Following an investigation with the Viator team, it was confirmed that the reseller website through which the excursion you purchased did not update the content accordingly, which unfortunately led to confusion. This discrepancy was therefore the responsibility of the reseller platform.
Regarding the hill tribe visits, these take place in real villages, and there is no obligation whatsoever to purchase any items. As with many cultural visits of this nature worldwide, local residents may offer handicrafts to visitors, which is a long-established and voluntary practice and part of the experience.
All other elements of the itinerary were delivered as described, including the private guide, private vehicle, meals, and scheduled visits. While we understand that expectations can differ, describing this excursion as a “scam” does not accurately reflect the service provided.
Asian Trails Team
From $118.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
From Chiang Rai: Hill Tribes & Golden Triangle Full-Day Tour
4
8 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$118.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
Attractions in Chiang Rai, Thailand
- Mae Kachan Hot Spring (Mae Ka Chan) Tours & Tickets
- Mae Kok River Tours & Tickets
- Wat Rong Seur Ten (Blue Temple) Tours & Tickets
- Chiang Saen Tours & Tickets
- Wat Thaton Tours & Tickets
- Hall of Opium Museum Tours & Tickets
- Golden Triangle Tours & Tickets
- Choui Fong Tea Plantation Tours & Tickets
- Doi Mae Salong Tours & Tickets
- White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Chiang Rai, Thailand