A Private Day Tour to Chiang Rai
A private car from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai and back: what a driver-only day, a car with a guide and a minivan for a group each include, what one person and two people pay, and the fees left out.
A private day to Chiang Rai means a car and driver from your Chiang Mai hotel, a plan you can change, and the price of a whole vehicle split between however many of you there are. For two to four people it is worth it; alone it costs about four times a coach seat. The one to start with is Chiang Mai Private Tour’s From Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Private Highlights (Full Day), from US$75 a person (checked November 2026): 10 hours with the White Temple, Baan Dam, the Blue Temple, Huay Pla Kang and Lalitta Cafe, with hotel pickup and a free drop-off in Chiang Rai City if you stay there.
On 20 January 2027 one adult alone paid US$149.62 for the day; the listed from-price is the figure a person when two travel together (checked November 2026). Entrance fees and meals are extra.
What “private” buys on this route
The road does not change: 172 km from Tha Phae Gate to Wat Rong Khun, about three hours each way. What changes is everything else. You leave when you choose, stop for coffee or photos when you want, spend longer at the temple you like, and skip the stops that come with a coach day, such as the long-neck village. You can also end the day in Chiang Rai with your bags, which most coach days make harder.
The thing to check is who is in the car with you. Some private days give you a driver who speaks some English; others add a guide who explains the temples. That difference is most of the price gap below.
Three ways to have the car to yourselves
| From Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Private Highlights (Full Day) (Chiang Mai Private Tour) | From Chiang Mai: Customize Your Own Private Chiang Rai Tour (TripGuru Thailand) | Chiang Mai Minivan Service with an English-Speaking Driver (CHIANGMAI SIAM TRAVEL LTD.,PART.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who comes | A private car with a driver, English-speaking host | A private car, an English-speaking driver and a local guide | A minivan with an English-speaking driver |
| Length | 10 hours | 12 hours | 13 hours on the Chiang Rai option |
| Where | White Temple, Baan Dam, Lalitta Cafe, Blue Temple, Huay Pla Kang, with a hot spring stop; changeable | Three or four sights you list at checkout | Your choice of stops |
| Left out | Entrance fees, meals, a tour guide, travel insurance | Entry fees, food | Entrance fees, meals; overtime 300 baht an hour |
| End in Chiang Rai | Free drop-off in Chiang Rai City, luggage included | Not stated | Free drop-off in central Chiang Rai |
| What we read | One adult US$149.62 on 20 January 2027 | One adult US$320.19 on 20 January 2027 | US$254.35 for the vehicle on 20 January 2027 |
| From | US$75 | US$159 | US$172 |
GetYourGuide prices, checked November 2026. The first two are priced a person, so a couple pays less each than one adult alone; the minivan is priced for the vehicle, which seats nine passengers and one more beside the driver.
Check dates for the private day
Who each one suits
Two or three of you, no guide needed: Chiang Mai Private Tour’s day. The driver does the road and you read up on the temples yourselves. It is also the one marked wheelchair accessible.
Anyone who wants the temples explained: TripGuru Thailand’s day adds a private local guide to the car and lets you pick the sights, at a higher price. You list three or four preferred sights at checkout and the guide builds the day round them.
A family or group of up to ten: CHIANGMAI SIAM TRAVEL’s minivan is priced for the whole vehicle, so the cost a head falls fast as the group grows. Bring a passport or a photo of one: there are sometimes police checkpoints on the route. It has no guide.
Fees you pay on the day
None of the three includes entrance fees. Wat Rong Khun’s fee for foreign visitors is 200 baht from 1 January 2026 (the temple’s announcement, reported by Khaosod English); bring cash for that and for any other stop on your list. Lunch is on you too.
Book whichever fits your group:
From Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Private Highlights (Full Day)
Chiang Mai Private Tour: 10 hours with the White Temple, Baan Dam, the Blue Temple, Huay Pla Kang and Lalitta Cafe, free drop-off in Chiang Rai. Fees and meals extra.
Check dates →From Chiang Mai: Customize Your Own Private Chiang Rai Tour
TripGuru Thailand: a car, an English-speaking driver and a local guide for 12 hours, to three or four sights you choose. Entry fees and food extra.
See the tour →Chiang Mai Minivan Service with an English-Speaking Driver
CHIANGMAI SIAM TRAVEL: a nine-seat minivan with an English-speaking driver, priced for the vehicle, 13 hours on the Chiang Rai option. No guide.
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.
For a group day instead, the Chiang Rai day tour price lists what a seat on each coach and van costs, and how long the drive takes is the same whichever you choose.
More 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.
Your Own Car to Chiang Rai and Back
Chiang Mai Private Tour's 10-hour day: a private car and driver from your Chiang Mai hotel to the Chiang Rai temples, Baan Dam and Lalitta Cafe, with a free drop-off in Chiang Rai if you stay.
Check dates