Illustration.
From Tha Phae Gate or the Night Bazaar at 7:00 AM · 12.5 hours
Chiang Rai Day Tour from Chiang Mai
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's coach day drives north from Chiang Mai to the Mae Kachan hot spring, a Karen long-neck village and the three temples outside Chiang Rai, then three hours back the same evening.
Pick your tour
Which Chiang Rai Day Tour?
A Chiang Rai day tour from Chiang Mai is a 12- to 13-hour day by coach or van: four hours north with two stops on the way, the temples outside Chiang Rai in the afternoon, and three hours back in the evening. The one to book first is MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai White, Blue and Red Temples and Karen Tribe, from US$29 on promotion, usually US$49 a person (checked November 2026). It leaves Chiang Mai at 7:00 AM for the Mae Kachan hot spring, a Karen long-neck village and then the three temples round Chiang Rai. Temple tickets come only with the tickets option; lunch and the village entry are paid on the day.
Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai White, Blue and Red Temples and Karen Tribe
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA: the hot spring, a long-neck village and three temples in 12.5 hours from Tha Phae Gate or the Night Bazaar. Choose with or without temple tickets.
Check dates →Chiang Mai: Lalitta Cafe and White, Blue, Red Temples Tour
CHIANG MAI DAY TRIP: hotel pickup, the three temples, Lalitta Cafe and a Thai lunch, entrance fees in the price. Back in Chiang Mai around 8 PM.
See the tour →From Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Temples and Golden Triangle Tour
Chiang Mai Footsteps Travel: two temples, the Black House museum, a hill-tribe village and a long-tail boat at the Golden Triangle. Back around 10 PM.
See the tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Not sure the day is worth that much driving? How long the drive to Chiang Rai takes breaks the hours down, and the comparison below puts four days side by side.
- 4.8 / 5 9393+ Reviews
- 172 km by road From Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai to Wat Rong Khun, the first temple of the day
- 3 to 4 hours Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai by Greenbus on Highway 118, each way (the bus company, checked November 2026)
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What You See on the Way
A roadside hot spring, a hill-tribe village, two modern temples in white and in blue, and a nine-tier pagoda on a hill outside Chiang Rai.
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA by Ask Discovery's own highlights, inclusions and notes, as listed on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Highlights
- Enjoy a relaxing stop at the Mae Kachan Hot Springs to rest and recharge
- Discover the White Temple, a contemporary masterpiece of Buddhist architecture
- Visit the Blue Temple, a modern artistic style blending traditional Buddhist
- Explore the Hauyplakang Temple, famous for its impressive nine-tiered pagoda
What's Included
- Round trip from Chiang Mai
- Transportation by air-conditioned vehicle
- Tour guide
- White Temple entrance fee (if option selected)
- Blue temple entrance fee (if option selected)
- Hauyplakang Temple entrance fee (if option selected)
- Mandatory insurance
- Audio guide available in multiple languages
- Luggage transport as an add-on booking (290 THB)
Good to know: For multi-language options: Only English-speaking guide. Audio guides in 41 languages are available via QR code; please bring your own earphones · Entrance fees are included only if option selected. Please bring cash for payment on-site if you did not book a Tickets Included option · Keep in mind that there is a lot of traffic in Chiang Mai, for meeting point options leave with enough time to arrive on time for departure · Respect the local customs and dress modestly at temples · Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. Once the tour has started, it is not possible to join the group at any point along the route · Those who miss the tour due to lateness are not entitled to a refund or rescheduling, as per the established start-time policy · Luggage is permitted only on the Big Bus Tour and must be added during booking. A fee of 290 THB applies · Travel insurance does not include luggage · Not suitable for: People with mobility impairments · Not Included: Earphones, Lunch, Long Neck Village entrance fee (300 THB), Luggage transport
Out at Seven, Back After Dark
Two meeting points in Chiang Mai, four hours of driving and two stops before the White Temple, three temples in the afternoon, and a three-hour drive home.
A 7:00 AM Start in Chiang Mai
Meet the coach at the Burger King by Tha Phae Gate or the McDonald's at the Night Bazaar, 15 minutes early: once the day has started nobody can join it on the way. No suitcases or backpacks on board.
Hot Spring and Village on the Way
An hour and a half to the Mae Kachan hot spring (a stop to stretch, not to swim), then 15 minutes on to the Karen long-neck village, whose 300-baht entry is paid separately.
Three Temples Round Chiang Rai
Two and a quarter hours on to the White Temple, then half an hour to the Blue Temple and a quarter of an hour more to Huay Pla Kang. Lunch is optional and paid by you.
Three Hours Back
The coach drives back to Chiang Mai and drops off at four points. The option we read lasts 12.5 hours; the tour runs 12 to 13.5 hours depending on the option.
Photo Gallery
Hot Spring, Village and Temples
The stops between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai: the steam of Mae Kachan, white spires south of the city, a blue hall north of it and a pagoda on a hill.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's coach day from two meeting points in Chiang Mai: the Mae Kachan hot spring, a Karen long-neck village and three temples round Chiang Rai, back the same evening. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Plan the Day Out of Chiang Mai
Planning a Day Trip to Chiang Rai
The cool season, how long the drive takes, one day or a night, the Golden Triangle, a private car and what each price buys.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Tour prices on GetYourGuide and Viator are in US dollars; temple and village fees are paid in Thai baht (THB).
Four Chiang Rai Day Tours from Chiang Mai Side by Side
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's coach day, CHIANG MAI DAY TRIP's van with lunch, Chiang Mai Footsteps Travel's Golden Triangle day and LOCAL CNX. TOURS 99's van with Lalitta Cafe: where each starts, how long it lasts, the stops, what the price covers and when you are home. GetYourGuide prices with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Coach day, three temples | Van of 12, lunch in | With the Golden Triangle | Van with Lalitta Cafe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$29 per person (US$34.06 a person without temple tickets, US$41.15 with them, on 26 November 2026, 20 January and 24 March 2027; checked November 2026) | From US$56 per person (US$55.99 a person without the long-neck village, US$64.43 with it, on 26 November 2026 and 20 January 2027; checked November 2026) | From US$71 per person (US$71.07 a person on 26 November 2026; checked November 2026) | From US$30 per group up to 1 (US$46.92 a person for the cheapest option on 26 November 2026; checked November 2026) |
| Where It Starts | Burger King at Tha Phae Gate or McDonald's at the Night Bazaar, 7:00 AM | Hotel pickup, or Wat Phra Singh or Maya Mall, 7:00 to 7:45 AM | Hotel pickup, or Baan Meesuk in the old town, 7:00 AM | Old city and Burger King 7:00 to 7:30 AM, Nimman 7:30 to 8:00 AM, on the pickup options |
| Length | 12.5 hours on the option we read | 13 hours, back around 8 PM | Back around 10 PM | 12 hours to a day, back around 8 to 9 PM |
| The Stops | Mae Kachan hot spring, a Karen long-neck village, the White Temple, the Blue Temple, Huay Pla Kang | Past the hot spring, Wat Rong Khun, lunch, Wat Rong Suea Ten, Huay Pla Kang, Lalitta Cafe | Hot spring, Wat Rong Khun, lunch, Wat Rong Suea Ten, Baan Dam, a Karen village, the Golden Triangle by long-tail boat | Hot spring, Wat Rong Khun, Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Red Temple on three-temple options, Lalitta Cafe |
| In the Price | Coach, English-speaking guide, insurance; temple tickets only on the tickets option; lunch and the village (300 baht) not included | Hotel pickup or meeting point, van, English-speaking guide, Thai lunch, entrance fees; the village on its own option | Hotel pickup, guide, all admission fees, the boat, lunch, water | Depends on the option: pickup, fees, lunch and the village are each an option; the Red Temple lift (80 baht) is always extra |
| Group | A coach; no suitcases or backpacks | Up to 12 | Up to 12 | Up to 12, a van of 9 to 12 seats |
| Best For | The three temples at the lowest price, paying the fees in cash | A smaller group with lunch and the fees sorted | The temples and the far north in one long day | Choosing exactly what is included, option by option |
| Check dates | See the tour | See the tour | See the tour |
More Ways to Go
Other Days to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai
The Golden Triangle with a Mekong boat, private cars and minivans, a two-day trip with a night in Chiang Rai, on GetYourGuide and Viator.
GOLDEN TRIANGLE, OR END IN CHIANG RAIChiang Mai: Chiang Rai Temples, Golden Triangle & Boat Tour
Trips Chiang Mai's 15-hour day from hotels within 5 km of the Three Kings Monument: a hot spring, Wat Rong Khun, a buffet lunch, Baan Dam, Wat Rong Suea Ten and a 30-minute long-tail boat at the Golden Triangle. The Karen village on one option only; options to end in Chiang Rai instead of riding back.
BUILD YOUR OWN OPTIONChiangmai to Chiang Rai: 3 Temples, Hot Springs& Lalita Cafe
LOCAL CNX. TOURS 99's van day for 10 to 12, from 7:00 AM: the Mae Kachan hot spring, the White and Blue Temples, the Red Temple on the three-temple options and Lalitta Cafe. Options with or without hotel pickup, entrance fees, lunch and the long-neck village; the lift at the Red Temple is 80 baht on every booking.
PRIVATE CAR AND DRIVERFrom Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Private Highlights (Full Day)
Chiang Mai Private Tour's 10-hour private car and driver from a Chiang Mai hotel: a stop at the Mae Kachan hot spring, then the White Temple, Baan Dam, Lalitta Cafe, the Blue Temple and Huay Pla Kang, on a plan you can change, and a free drop-off in Chiang Rai City. Entrance fees, meals and a tour guide are not included.
TWO DAYS, HOTEL INCLUDED2-Day Best of Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai Private Package
Chiang Mai Local Tours' private two-day trip from Chiang Mai: the White Temple, Baan Dam and the town on day one with a hotel night, the Golden Triangle and a boat trip on day two. Admission, two lunches, a dinner and breakfast included; at least two adults, a single room 1,000 baht more.
PRIVATE, WITH A GUIDEFrom Chiang Mai: Customize Your Own Private Chiang Rai Tour
TripGuru Thailand's private 12 hours from your Chiang Mai hotel, an English-speaking driver and a local guide in the car, to three or four Chiang Rai sights you list at checkout. Entry fees and food are not included.
MINIVAN FOR A GROUPChiang Mai Minivan Service with an English-Speaking Driver
CHIANGMAI SIAM TRAVEL's private minivan with an English-speaking driver, nine passenger seats and one beside the driver, priced for the vehicle: 10 hours round Chiang Mai or 13 hours to Chiang Rai and back. Entrance fees and meals not included; overtime 300 baht an hour.
Chiang Rai day tours
The Road North, the Stops and What You Pay
How far Chiang Rai is, how the day is spent, which ticket option to choose, and the tours that change the group, add the Golden Triangle or give you your own car.
How far Chiang Rai is
From Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai’s old city to Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, is 172 km by road; a route planner puts it at about 2 hours 45 minutes with no stops and no traffic. Greenbus, which runs the scheduled coaches on Highway 118, says its buses take 3 to 4 hours each way (checked November 2026). A tour does the same road, adds a hot spring and a village on the way out, and comes back the same night. That is why every day tour here lasts 12 hours or more.
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s day, stop by stop
The coach leaves at 7:00 AM from the Burger King by Tha Phae Gate or the McDonald’s at the Night Bazaar. Arrive 15 minutes early: nobody can join once the day has started, and latecomers get no refund.
An hour and a half out of Chiang Mai is the Mae Kachan hot spring, a break by the steaming pools where swimming is not allowed. Fifteen minutes further is a Karen long-neck village. Its 300-baht entry is not in the price, and the stop is part of the day whether you go in or not: one reviewer in November waited 50 minutes in the car park.
Then comes the longest leg, 2 hours 15 minutes, to Wat Rong Khun. Lunch is an optional stop in Chiang Rai, paid by you. In the afternoon come the Blue Temple and then Huay Pla Kang, where a nine-tier pagoda and a large statue of Guan Yin stand. The drive home takes about three hours, to four drop-off points in Chiang Mai.
The guide speaks English, and an audio guide in 41 languages plays from a QR code if you bring your own earphones. Suitcases and backpacks are not allowed on the coach, and the day is not suited to anyone with limited mobility.
Check dates for the Chiang Rai day tour
With or without temple tickets
The booking box showed From US$29.32 on 10 November 2026, a price none of the options cost on the dates we read. On 26 November 2026, 20 January and 24 March 2027 the day cost US$34.06 a person without temple tickets and US$41.15 with them (checked November 2026). From 1 January 2026 the White Temple asks 200 baht of each foreign visitor, as the temple announced and Khaosod English reported in November 2025, so the cheaper option means paying that at the gate in cash.
A third option picks you up at your hotel in central Chiang Mai and does not drive you back: US$46.23 a person on 20 January and 24 March 2027, with tickets, and not on sale on 26 November. Chiang Rai day tour price sets every option of every tour side by side.
Smaller vans, longer days, your own car
CHIANG MAI DAY TRIP's van day takes at most 12 people, collects from your hotel and includes a Thai lunch, the entrance fees and a stop at Lalitta Cafe, from US$56 on promotion, usually US$60 (checked November 2026). It gets back to Chiang Mai around 8 PM.
For the far north, Chiang Mai Footsteps Travel drives on past Chiang Rai to the Golden Triangle for a long-tail boat on the Mekong and returns around 10 PM; the Golden Triangle day compares it with the other days that go that far. With a car and driver to yourselves, Chiang Mai Private Tour's private day stops where you choose; see a private day tour. Staying the night in Chiang Rai instead is covered in day tour or overnight.
Going between November and February
These are the cool, dry months in the north. In Chiang Rai the 30-year average low is 14.7 C in December and 13.8 C in January, with about two rainy days a month (Thai Meteorological Department). A 7:00 AM start in a cooled coach calls for a layer. Chiang Rai in the cool season has the month-by-month figures and the haze that comes later in the dry season.
What reviewers mention
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s day has 9,393 reviews on GetYourGuide at an average of 4.8. We read the 350 most recent, dated 24 October to 10 November 2026: 306 give five stars and 10 give three or fewer. The complaints are about the length of the day and the guide talking for long stretches on the coach microphone. One reviewer on 8 November counted about six hours on the bus between a 7:00 AM pickup and a 7:30 PM return. Two, on 2 and 6 November, mention road works on the way.
Before you book
- The start. MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s day meets at Tha Phae Gate or the Night Bazaar at 7:00 AM; leave time for the morning traffic in Chiang Mai.
- Cash. Bring baht for the White Temple (200 baht, unless you booked tickets), the village (300 baht) and lunch.
- Flights. The day is not recommended on a day you fly.
- Cancelling. Every GetYourGuide tour here can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before.
Chiang Rai and Back in One Day
MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's 12.5-hour coach day from Chiang Mai: the Mae Kachan hot spring, a Karen long-neck village and the three temples outside Chiang Rai, with an English-speaking guide. Starting from US$29 per person (US$34.06 a person without temple tickets, US$41.15 with them, on 26 November 2026, 20 January and 24 March 2027; checked November 2026) on promotion, usually US$49, checked November 2026.
Check datesMore from Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Tours with Open Dates
Day trips north, temples and countryside days with live availability. Pickup, what is included and the cancellation terms show before you book.
Chiang Rai Day Tour from Chiang Mai: Questions
Which tour, how long the drive is, the price, temple tickets, lunch, the long-neck village, the Golden Triangle, staying the night and the best months.
For the three temples at the lowest price, MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's Chiang Rai White, Blue and Red Temples and Karen Tribe, from US$29 a person (checked November 2026): a 12.5-hour coach day from Tha Phae Gate or the Night Bazaar with the Mae Kachan hot spring, a long-neck village and the three temples round Chiang Rai. For a van of 12 with lunch and the fees in the price, CHIANG MAI DAY TRIP's Lalitta Cafe and White, Blue, Red Temples Tour is from US$56.
About three hours each way. Tha Phae Gate to Wat Rong Khun is 172 km by road, and Greenbus gives its coaches 3 to 4 hours (checked November 2026). With the stops, a day tour lasts 12 to 13 hours, or about 15 if it goes on to the Golden Triangle. See how long the drive takes.
From US$34.06 a person on the dates we read, for MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's day without temple tickets, and US$41.15 with them (26 November 2026, 20 January and 24 March 2027; checked November 2026). Days with lunch and fees included cost about US$56 to US$64, and those that add the Golden Triangle US$68 to US$72. See Chiang Rai day tour price.
Only if you would rather not carry cash. On MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's day the tickets option cost US$7.09 more on the dates we read. The White Temple's fee for foreign visitors is 200 baht from 1 January 2026, the temple announced, and reviewers on 31 October and 4 November 2026 found it the only temple that charged them.
Not on MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's day, where lunch is an optional stop you pay for. It is included on CHIANG MAI DAY TRIP's day (a Thai lunch with a vegetarian option) and on both Golden Triangle days.
No, but the stop is part of the day. On MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA's day the entry, 300 baht, is not in the price; one reviewer in November 2026 waited 50 minutes in the car park while others went in. CHIANG MAI DAY TRIP's day sells options with and without it.
Yes, at the cost of a 10 PM return. Chiang Mai Footsteps Travel's day, from US$71 (checked November 2026), adds Baan Dam, a Karen village and a long-tail boat on the Mekong, with all admissions included. See the Golden Triangle day tour.
Yes. MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA sells a one-way option without the drive back (US$46.23 on 20 January and 24 March 2027), Trips Chiang Mai's Golden Triangle day can end in Chiang Rai, and a private car can drop you at your hotel there. See day tour or overnight.
November to January. The rains are over, average highs in Chiang Rai stay under 30 C and the haze of February and March has not started (Thai Meteorological Department averages). See Chiang Rai in the cool season.
Still have questions? Email us at info@chiangraidaytourfromchiangmai.com