TIPS - HOW TO GET TO CHIANGMAI

You can travel by bus from Bangkok to Chiangmai which takes around 10-12 hours drive and it runs on daily basis. The so-called VIP bus is normally a 40-seater air-conditioned coach and the seats are mostly designed for the Thai or Asian people. If you are Europeans or Americans, your size is somewhat bigger than the average. It can be a tiresome if you sit in such a tiny chair for 10 hours.

Another way to travel by land more pleasantly is by TRAIN. There is a daily day train called Sprinter Train leaving Bangkok at 08:10 a.m. and arrive in Chiangmai at 18:50 p.m. Sprinter train offers more comfort with air-conditioning, larger reclining seats, toilet, and an attached bogy selling refreshments.

Since it is a day train, you can enjoy seeing beautiful scenery of Thailand’s countryside along the way. It is another way of relaxation.

Night train from Bangkok to Chiangmai and vice versa are also available everyday. For tourists we recommend 2nd class air-conditioned sleeping berth. It is very clean and comfortable with your own cushioned berth, pillow and blanket. For more privacy, you can get onto the 1st class with 2 persons sharing a compartment.

Lastly you can fly from Bangkok-Chiangmai by Thai Airways which operates almost hourly flight a day between Bangkok and Chiangmai. It takes only 1 hr 15 min. flying only.

Chiangmai is a famous touristic city known as ‘the Rose of the North’. It is about 700 km away from Bangkok and the city is full of charm and hospitality. People have their own cultures, costumes and they are very friendly. Its history evolves from Lanna Kingdom. In Chiangmai, you should not miss to visit Doi Suthep with the most revered temple and palace on its hilltop. From here, you can have an overall view of the city. It is also interesting if you could visit the Handicraft Village, another word we call Home Industries. People living in the village, though less educated, are very artistic. You can see girls making beautiful umbrella from paper with colorful hand-paint arts. Women are still weaving silk on handloom while men specialize in wood-carving and silverware making.

An exciting site of Chiangmai is the Elephant Camp where Big Elephants are reared and trained in helping human’s labor. You may experience riding on an elephant into the jungle if you like to. Bamboo rafting is also interesting. We call both types of tour Elephant Safari.

If you wish to have a closer touch with the ethnic hilltribe people, we recommend you to do the Trekking Tours. Here you spend some time with the villagers and even sleep and eat in their village. Normally the tour includes trek in the jungle, elephant riding and bamboo rafting. Most tours run for 1,2 to 3 nights and even more upon request. The only TIP is you should have good physical health.

From Chiangmai, you can make the side trip to ChiangRai and its world-famous Golden Triangle. You can stand at the Maesai Border where you can see the borders of Laos, Burma and Thailand meet. On the way you can visit the ethnic hilltribe villages.

Another interesting site from Chiangmai is Maehongson - ‘City in the Mountain Mist’. The atmosphere is like a hidden treasure. You can make an exotic boat trip along the beautiful Pai River and you should not miss to see the Giraffe Women of the Padong Hilltribe.