04 Days Chiang Mai To Golden Triangle Trek

Meet your guide at your hotel in Chiang Mai at 08:30hrs. Depart by local pick up truck to Chiang Dao area. Stop at an elephant camp nestled in lush jungle surroundings. Watch elephants bathing and demonstrating their skills. After the show, experience bamboo rafting down the Ping River. Then drive on to a village to begin your hike through jungle and limestone peaks eventually reaching a Palong village where you spend the night at the Padang Lodge, a basic northern Thai style wooden house with separate rooms. You sleep on the floor on a Thai style mattress and under a mosquito net. Western style toilets and hot shower are in a separate sanitary block. Enjoy a succulent Thai dinner served at the lodge.

After breakfast, hike up a mountain for one hour to reach a small Karen settlement, where villagers look after elephants. From there, trek down to reach another village where your vehicle is waiting and proceed to the Chiangdao caves and Buddhist sanctuary for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, continue by car to Ban Thaton, a small town near the Burmese border, overlooking the Maekok River. Remainder of the day at leisure; if you still feel energetic, you may hike uphill to Wat Thaton Temple with a giant Buddha statue overlooking the valley.

Depart by van to Doi Maesalong, a scenic mountain road leading to remote villages, Akkha and Yao hilltribe village. Reach the Chinese refugee village of Santikiri on the summit. Continue down the valley to Chiangrai for lunch. Afternoon depart to a large Karen village, from where youl embark on elephant's back, riding up the mountain to a small hilltop Lahu village, where you spend the night with a local family. Dinner is prepared by your guide (basic accommodation).

Trek for one hour to a small waterfall and to a forestry office. Conitnue by van to Mae Sai, Thailand's northernmost point and an official Thai-Myanmar border crossing. Visit the bustling border market and optionally cross the border and visit the Burmese town of Thachilek (subject to border opening, border pass fees USD 5.- not included). After lunch in Mae Sai, continue to the 'Golden Triangle', where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. Van transfer back to Chiang Mai (3 hours drive) or drop off at a hotel in Chiangrai or Chiangrai Airport.