North off the beaten tracks

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Arrival in Chiang Rai (-,-,-)

Arrival at Chiang Rai airport with TBA flight (not included) and meeting with the driver for a 1 hour drive to reach the exotic valley where we find the Katiliya Mountain Resort & SPA in mountain suite rooms in an enchanting natural setting.

Free dinner at the resort.

Overnight stay in the Katiliya forest.

Day 2 - Doi Mae Salong, Tribe villages, Terrace Tea farms, Phu Chaisai, Chang Dao, Mae Tang (B,L,-)

Breakfast in hotel meeting with local guide and check out.

Departure to the Burmese border, between the remote mountains of the North and along a route outside the most frequent tourist routes. The first stop of the day will be the Doi Mae Salong mountain terrace tea cultivations, immersed in extremely suggestive landscapes and lying along the slopes with wonderful panoramic views of the Thai and Burmese mountains.

From the tribal villages of these mountains come the "peoples of the mountain", which we will know in the main village during the visit of the picturesque market. In this area we also find a large Chinese community excellently integrated with the local ethnic groups of the various villages, which has helped to create this small Babel lost in the most remote mountains of Northern Thailand.

End of visits and lunch in a magical and enchanted place, the Phu Chaisai Mountain Resort. Continue on to Chang Dao, a mountain area inhabited by numerous nomadic and semi-nomadic ethnic groups from Burma, Yunnan and Tibet. Near the town of Mae Taeng we will penetrate the valley to enter after about 10km in a lush and spectacular mountainous area crossed by the homonymous river Mae Tang. Accommodation in hotel Sibsan Resort & SPA * * * * + Boutique in superior garden view rooms.

The charming boutique resort is immersed in the greenery of untouched nature and set in a splendid position along the Mae Tang river.

Dinner at the resort (not included).

Overnight in the Sibsan forest.

Day 3 - Optional bamboo rafting, Wat Bandesali Si Mueang Kaen, Baan Suan Mae Rim, Mong Nong Hoi and Doi Mon Cham (B,L,-)

Breakfast at the hotel and early morning free to take advantage of the resort's inviting facilities or simply to relax in this place full of charm and atmosphere. Optionally it will be possible to carry out the fun experience of "bamboo rafting": on small rafts obtained from the union of slender bamboo trunks you will descend the Mae Teng river, sliding gently on its calm and clear waters.

Check out and continue south. Visit the spectacular Wat Bandensali Si Mueang Kaen, or Wat Ban Den, an amazing temple complex set on the top of a small hill and inserted in a fairy-tale and surreal context that will give us many emotions. A truly mystical and highly spiritual place. Lunch at the characteristic Baan Suan Mae Rim restaurant which offers the most typical cuisine of Northern Thailand, frequented by locals and completely outside the tourist routes.

Dinner at the resort (not included).

Overnight in Chiang Mai at the Kireethara Boutique Resort Deluxe room accommodation.

Day 4 - Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, Palaad Tawan Ron, Chiang Mai Historical center and Wat Phra Sing, Cart tour: Wiang Kum Kam (B,L,-)

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for a visit to the city of Chiang Mai, the "Rose of the North".

We will go up the hills that dominate the city to reach 1060 meters of altitude, where we find the splendid Wat Prathat Doi Suthep. The temple, with its majestic and suggestive golden pagoda, is the real symbol of the city, fascinatingly set on the top of the mountain in a landscape of great atmosphere. It is possible to reach the summit either by means of the comfortable elevators or by taking the more than 300 steps of the ancient staircase.

At the end of the lunch visits, surrounded by nature at the Palaad Tawan Ron restaurant, in a panoramic position overlooking the city of Chiang Mai. The stream that flows a few meters from the restaurant creates scenic waterfalls that creep into the tropical vegetation. Very suggestive setting and exquisite Thai and regional cuisine. After lunch we will reach the historic center.

The temples and the most important buildings of the city remain within the once high and mighty perimeter walls with a square plan, now in ruins, which delimited the city center. We will visit the wonderful Wat Phra Sing, two buildings with original and characteristic carved wooden structure, decorated and embellished with gold inserts. Adjacent is the funerary bell pagoda of King Mengrai and the ancient library of monks.

Afterwards you will make an excursion in a horse-drawn carriage to discover the ruins of the temples of the ancient city of Wiang Kum Kam, among the quiet country roads in the sleepy rural province of Chiang Mai, where time seems to have stopped.

End of visits and transfer to Chiang Mai airport to coincide with TBA flight (NOT INCLUDED).

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