Explore the Golden Triangle and visit Myanmar

Mae Sai, the border town

Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in Chiang Rai for your Explore the Golden Triangle and visit Myanmar Tour. This trip is private, so we are very flexible. First, we will drive to the Thailand-Myanmar border, about 60kms north of Chiang Rai. Our destination is Mae Sai, the border town on the Thai side. You will visit Tachilek in Myanmar on a day pass. We will walk across the border. You will immediately notice the difference. In Myanmar, many men wear traditional longyis. It is a sarong-like tube of fabric worn by both men and women. Please note the signs that all are in the Burmese language, a beautiful alphabet. Mae Sai is one of the most lively border crossings in the region. Thousands of Thai, Burmese and people of other nationalities cross this border every day.

The Shwedagon Pagoda of Tachilek

By local tuk-tuk, we will explore Tachilek. The local tuk-tuk is a motorcycle with sidecar, and it’s a necessary means of public transportation. It’s an ideal way to explore this exciting border town. You will visit the Temple of the Enrobed Elephant as well as the Mahamyatmuni Temple, which is an excellent example of typical Burmese temple architecture. We will continue to Tachilek’s own Shwedagon Pagoda, a smaller copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. After this, we will enjoy an authentic Burmese lunch in a local restaurant. The Burmese Kitchen is decidedly different from the Thai kitchen. After lunch, there will be time to visit the exciting border market, a favourite destination for Thai day-trippers.

The notorious Golden Triangle

Return to Thailand. Continue to the Golden Triangle, the place where the borders of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar meet. Visit the Hall of Opium*, an excellent museum that tells the history of the use of opium, poppy cultivation and the opium trade in the Golden Triangle. In the past, this area was a battleground of drug lords and various armed groups. Return to your hotel in Chiang Rai later this afternoon. It is the end of your Golden Triangle Myanmar Tour.

*Please note: the Hall of Opium is closed on Monday.