Day 3 in Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai in 3 days
After Mae Salong, depart back down to the lowlands towards Mae Sai, the most northerly point of Thailand. On the way, a fun stop off is the Fish Cave Tham Pla. There are lots of fish and the main draw here are the roaming monkeys which you can see scaling the side of the cave and swinging from the trees. You can get up close to the monkeys and feed them. Pay attention to the signs though as these monkeys can get fierce if aggravated. A few kilometers north lies Mae Sai, a bustling border town where you can cross the Friendship Bridge over to Myanmar and visit the town of Tachileck.
After Mae Sai it's time to head back south on the main tourist track to the Golden Triangle: an infamous opium trading point in former times. The Mekhong converges here to form the meeting point of 3 countries: Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, which is probably where the name "Golden Triangle" comes from. However, another reason this name is given is due to how lucrative this area was in former times, being an infamous trading point for opium.
The Golden Triangle is very much a tourist affair with large tourist vans and tourists bustling to take their snaps. The opium museum does offer an interesting history and background to the area though.
After the Golden Triangle, head back to Chiang Mai via Chiang Saen, which was once an ancient capital of Thailand. It boasts the famous White Temple (Wat Rong Khun).
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The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai in 3 days
