Chiang Rai: White Temple + Blue Temple + Red Temple + Lalita Cafe + Long Neck

This is the fullest of our Chiang Rai day trips. It adds a stop at a Long Neck Karen village to the three colour temples and Lalita Cafe. You travel by air-conditioned car or minivan with an English-speaking guide, and lunch is included.

After the early drive north and a break at the hot spring, the first stop is the Long Neck village, where you walk through the settlement and meet Kayan women who wear the brass neck coils the group is known for. There are craft and weaving stalls where you can buy from the makers. The visit lasts around half an hour. You then continue to the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun, for about an hour among its mirrored white buildings, followed by a Thai lunch. In the afternoon you see the Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, with its deep blue halls and large white Buddha, and Wat Huay Pla Kang, the Red Temple, where a lift inside the giant Guan Yin statue takes you up for the view over Chiang Rai. The last stop is Lalita Cafe, a garden cafe a short drive from the temples, laid out like a small forest with waterfalls, ponds and flower beds threaded with walkways. It is a relaxed place to end the day with a drink and a lot of photos.

Pickup is early, usually between 7:00 and 7:30 am from hotels in Chiang Mai city, and the drive to Chiang Rai takes around three hours each way with a short break at the Mae Kachan hot spring on the way up. You are back in Chiang Mai in the evening. Cover your shoulders and knees at the temples and wear shoes that are easy to slip off. Drinks and cake at Lalita Cafe are paid on the spot.