EM
Élodie M.France · November 2025
★★★★★
“One person in Bangkok from the first email to the last transfer. She had actually stayed in the hotel she recommended.”
Private tour
Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai Loop
The north without Bangkok: temples, mountain roads, tea hills and the Mekong, in a loop that starts and ends in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai Loop is a 6-day private trip with a car and guide, from $980 per person. It covers Doi Suthep, Doi Inthanon, the White Temple and the Golden Triangle without a single internal flight.
Duration6 days / 5 nights
From$980 pp
GroupPrivate · 2–6 travellers
StylePrivate tour
The north without Bangkok: temples, mountain roads, tea hills and the Mekong, in a loop that starts and ends in Chiang Mai.
Best for: A short northern trip with a car and a guide. The route runs Chiang Mai · Chiang Rai. Everything below is a starting point: hotels can be upgraded or simplified, days can be added, and any element can be removed.
The north is a driving region, and this trip is built around that. Six days with a private car and driver-guide means you can stop at the roadside waterfall, eat at the Shan noodle shop, and change the plan when the morning mist turns out to be better than expected. The loop runs Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon, Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle, then back down.
It is the trip we suggest to people who have been to Bangkok and want something calmer and greener. There is no beach, no shopping and no nightlife agenda — the days are mountains, temples and markets, and the evenings are night markets and small restaurants. The driving is never more than three hours in a day.
Day by day
Day01
Arrive Chiang Mai
Transfer, evening at the night market.
Day02
Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon
Early temple, then the mountain road south.
Day03
To Chiang Rai
Drive north through tea country, White Temple at dusk.
Day04
Golden Triangle
Mekong boat, Sop Ruak, return via Mae Sai.
Day05
Back to Chiang Mai
Blue Temple, then the long road south.
Day06
Depart
Transfer to Chiang Mai airport.
How the days are paced
Three hotels, no flights, and no driving day over three hours. Two mornings start at 6am for the mist and the alms-giving; the rest start at 8am.
What changes the price
$980 per person is based on private · 2–6 travellers sharing a room for 6 days, with mid-range four-star hotels as standard. Nothing is added locally: the entrance fees, boats and guiding are already in the number.
Deposit is 20% to confirm, balance 30 days before arrival. Free changes up to 45 days out.
What’s included
Included
- 5 nights
- Private vehicle and guide
- All entrance fees
- Mekong boat
- Airport transfers
Not included
- International flights
- Domestic flights
- Meals
- Tips
Good to know
From $980 per person, based on private · 2–6 travellers, 6 days and 5 nights. The quote includes the hotels, guiding and transport listed under “What’s included”; international flights and travel insurance are not included.
Yes. Every itinerary on this site is a starting point. Days can be added or removed, hotels upgraded or simplified, and the route reordered around your dates — we re-cost it as many times as you need before you commit.
Not included: international flights, domestic flights. Everything else listed under “What’s included” is in the quote, and we do not add local payments on arrival.
Three to six months ahead for the best hotels, and by September for travel over Christmas and New Year. Green-season trips can usually be arranged with six weeks’ notice.
Moderately. Route 118 has long curves rather than switchbacks — nothing like the Pai road. If you get car sick, we can fly you back instead.
Yes, two extra nights, but be aware the 762 curves on Route 1095 are a real constraint for anyone prone to motion sickness.
What you will see
Temple
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The golden chedi on the mountain above Chiang Mai, reached by 306 steps or a very short funicular.…
Chiang Mai · 1.5–2 hoursTHB 100
National park
Doi Inthanon National Park
Thailand's highest mountain, 2,565 metres, with cloud forest, two royal chedis and the Wachirathan waterfall.…
Chiang Mai · Full dayTHB 300 + vehicle
Temple
Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)
Chalermchai Kositpipat's white, mirror-studded temple outside Chiang Rai — part sacred site, part contemporary a…
Chiang Rai · 1.5 hoursTHB 200
Landmark
The Golden Triangle
Where the Mekong meets the Ruak and Thailand, Laos and Myanmar sit within sight of each other.…
Chiang Rai · Half dayBoat from THB 500
Temple
Wat Chedi Luang
A massive 15th-century ruined chedi in the middle of the old city, once home to the Emerald Buddha.…
Chiang Mai · 45 minutesTHB 40
Experiences on this trip
What travellers say about trips like this
JW
James W.United Kingdom · January 2026
★★★★★
“No hidden extras. The price we agreed in November was the price we paid, entrance fees and all. Rare enough to mention.”
LN
Lars N.Sweden · March 2026
★★★★★
“We asked for two nights with nothing planned. They understood immediately, which most agencies do not.”
Reviews are from travellers on comparable itineraries, not this exact departure. All 2,400 are on the reviews page.
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