A sleepy crossroads town on the banks of the Mekong River, Chiang Saen was once the site of an important northern Thai kingdom. Scattered throughout the town today are the ruins of the 14th-century Chiang Saen kingdom – surviving architecture includes sev
Category: Thailand Destinations
Chiang Rai, the northernmost province in Thailand, is one of the country’s most rural areas. Half of its northern border, separating the province and nation from Laos, is formed by the Mekong River. Mountains form the other half, cleaving Myanmar from Tha
About 180km from Chiang Mai, the city northern Thais know as ‘Siang Hai’ has been marketed in tourist literature as ‘the gateway to the Golden Triangle’. Thais often tout Chiang Rai as a laid-back alternative to Chiang Mai. Things are on a smaller scale h
Chiang Mai Province straddles the most important historical crossroads of northern Southeast Asia, a fertile region of mountains, valleys and rivers where peoples from China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand have long traded goods and ideas in a fusion
At one time Chiang Khong was part of a small river-bank meuang (city-state) called Juon, founded in AD 701 by King Mahathai. Over the centuries Juon paid tribute to Chiang Rai, then Chiang Saen and finally Nan before being occupied by the Siamese in the 1
Traditional timber houses line the streets, old ladies sit nattering in their shadow and the Mekong drifts slowly by: if you had an image of a northern riverside town where nothing much happens and no one seems to care, Chiang Khan may just be it. Pretty
Best known for its cave complex, Chiang Dao is also a good base to explore the trekking and bird-watching opportunities of Doi Chiang Dao. The area surrounding Chiang Dao town is scenic and largely unspoiled. From the summit of Doi Chiang Dao (also called
Chanthaburi Province is a land of waterfalls, peppercorns, gemstones and tropical fruit. Bordered by Cambodia to the east and the Gulf of Thailand to the south, the region offers a diversity of landscapes and historical influences. Immerse yourself in the
The so-called ‘City of the Moon’ is proof that all that glitters is not gold. Here, gemstones do the sparkling, and if traders get the deal right, the glimmer infuses their pockets with healthy profits. Buyers from across Southeast Asia come to Chanthabur
Travelling through Chaiyaphum Province, you’re almost as likely to run into a tiger as a foreign tourist – and this is not a province with a lot of tigers. Despite its position at the heart of the country, it is a remote region and remains something of a