Category: Places to go in Chiang rai

wat rong khun or the white temple of chiang rai thailand

White Temple Chiang Rai Thailand

Posted on by Ms. Elle

The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is Chiang Rai’s most iconic temple. This temple is on the top of “must visit places” list of tourists visiting Thailand. A holiday to Chiang Rai is not complete without a visit to this unusual temple. It is located 60 หมู่ที่ 1 Phahonyothin Rd, Pa O Don Chai, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57000.

Now is definitely the time to go. Thailand has lifted all travel restrictions related to COVID-19. And there are loads of air fare promos most notably from Thai Smile Airways.

Going into the area is free but entering the White Temple grounds is not. It’s quite a large place with several , equally interesting architectural designs. It also has some quite interesting activities to do within the temple if you are up to it. For people bringing their DSLRs or mirror less cams it would pay to bring your ultra wide lens along with your portrait lens as the structures are big and beautiful but there’s not much room to back up to if you have a narrow field of view.

For those who would like to try their luck on a wishing well this place has it. The wishing well that they have is quite challenging as you have to shoot the coin in an under water pot. Make sure you have extra coins with you and good luck.

White Temple Chiang Rai Thailand
Wishing Well

They also have steel sheets cut into small decorative shapes where you can write your plans or hopes and dreams and hang it on a wishing tree. The decorative metal sheets are not free (20 THB each) so just think of it as some sort of donation to the temple every time you buy one.

White Temple Chiang Rai Thailand
wishing tree

As mentioned earlier entering the white temple grounds is not free. The white temple used to be enclosed by a fence but recently it was replaced with canal that separates its ground from the parking lot and adjacent infrastructures. At the gates you will be greeted by employees-in-charge and pay the entrance fee, 100 THB for foreigners and 50 THB for locals. All the other structures around the huge ground are all free of charge.

Photography and video taking are allowed only on the surrounding ground and on the bridge leading to the temple but these are not allowed inside the temple. Also, visitors are asked to take off their shoes before going inside the temple. If you wish to only take photos and videos of the magnificent architecture, you can and exit at the left side of the temple.

The white temple is one of Thailand’s iconic architectures, as it absolutely different from the rest of Thai temples. Its white color symbolizes the purity of Buddha, and its intricate details, elaborate embellishments, and gold trimming give the temple grace and elegance.

White Temple Chiang Rai Thailand
Wat Rong Khun or best known as the White Temple

The Golden Temple is a great new addition to the array of unique architecture in this place. It is located at the east wing of the area. By its name, the entire temple is painted in gold, and it houses various artworks, illustrations, and symbols.

White Temple Chiang Rai Thailand
The Golden Temple

Have you been to the White Temple?

How was the experience?

MORE HERE

unusual Thailand temple

Chiang Rai’s Disney-esque Temple: Wat Huay Sai Khao

Posted on by Ms. Elle

Wat Huay Sai Khao, definitely one of the unusual temples of Chiang Rai, but less popular than its better-known counterparts The White Temple, Blue Temple, and Wat Huay Pla Kang. This was suggested to us by Garage hotel, where we stayed during our visit. It is 20 kilometers or so south of the White Temple. So on our way home, we stopped by and marvelled at how colorful and different it is.

It has a Disneyland and Saint Basil’s Cathedral vibes. When inside, the mixtures of so many different styles and sizes of multi-colored stupas and shrines towering around will give you a feeling of being in a totally different place. There are several viewing points which are publicly accessible. The above photo was taken on the second level of one of the shrines. And the one below was taken on the third level with a beautiful view of the temple structures and the lush green mountain from afar.

Wat Huay Sai Khao is at Highway 1 Phan District, and if you are coming from the south, this would be a great stop as it is on the west side of the road. This and The White temple would be a great morning itinerary. However if you missed this coming in, it would also be an awesome last stop on your way out of Chiang Rai.

Tell us on the comment if this something you would be interested in.

Hey Lovelies! For More of Budget Travel in Thailand check these out

singha park chiang rai

Singha Park Chiang Rai: A Must Visit

Posted on by Ms. Elle

Boon Rawd Farm, famously known as Singha Park, sits a few kilometers away from the center of Chiang Rai. It is less than 10-minute drive from the White Temple. Singha Park Chiang Rai is one of the visited attractions in the city. Aside from it’s vastness and beauty, going in and exploring the place is free of admission.

Singha Park/ Boon Rawd Farm/  บุญรอดฟาร์ม.

It is a vast open land with so many beautiful attractions.  A giant effigy of a Lion (Singha in Thai) greets visitors at the entrance with numerous variety of colorful flowers prettily landscaped behind. There’s a designated place for parking. Cars are allowed during low seasons. There are however two means of going around the park,  biking and by trams. There are different types of bikes for rent -mountain bikes, grandma’s bike,  and double bikes at 120 baht an hour.  Trams are scheduled at regular intervals and it cost 1.67 USD (50 THB) per child and 3.34 USD (100 THB) for adult. This takes tourists around the park and stops at the park’s destinations.

Telephone: 091 576 0374

Opens: 9.00 am to 5:00 pm from Saturday to Sunday

Attractions in Singha Park

  1. Flower Park. Different species of beautiful, colorful flowers are displayed here for at least a week or two and mostly during the first two weeks of January. The flowers were totally breathtaking.  The park is quite big that a couple of hours, which was the only time we had, is definitely not enough to leisurely roam around. And I suggest that you fully charge your mobile phones and cameras before coming,  The place is so amazing you can’t stop clicking.  I would certainly go back as I have not really fully enjoyed the place due to lack of time. I’d also make it sure that I have the appropriate camera. The photos I’ve taken of the flowers and the place are not great due to again lack of time and limited battery life.  In fact there were several attractions I haven’t photographed.  
  2. Swan Lake. Next stop is the swan lake. From the name itself this huge lake has plenty of white swan, and giant coy fish. Children could feed them through bamboo tubes that piped the sides of the lake. And just recently (as of November 2019) at the opposite side of swan lake is a large effigy of a rat made from hay.
  3. Tea Plantation follows. Here, you’ll see vast field of tea plants, such a pleasant sight of well-contoured greens. There’s a tiny station around here that sells tea powder. They also got customs and baskets tourists could use to take photos with.
  4. Zoo. Watusi cattle and short-legged horses are the main attractions in this part of the park.
  5. Strawberry farm. During the winter season that is from December to February, strawberry is aplenty. They are big and sweet in this part of Thailand.
  6. Mushroom and Herbs. As of 2019, they have develop a certain variety of mushroom (please see video). They also have variety of herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, and many more.
  7. Zipline. Oh yes, I guess one of the highlights! We Zipline for the First Time, Made the More-Than-24 Hour Car Drive Worthwhile! This is the last stop of the tour. This place has a very nice restaurant that opens until the night. They also sell their own-made ice cream, the Boon Rawd Ice Cream. The zipline has a separate fee of 10 USD (300 THB). Aside from the zipline, they also offer other activities like wall climbing, biking, and survival trail.

Here’s a short video clip of the rock climbing activity in SIngha Park.

There you go folks. Hope you’ll have a great time there.

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kids ziplining at singha park chiang rai thailand

Zipline for the First Time. Made the More-Than-24 Hour Car Drive Worthwhile!

Posted on by Ms. Elle

Zipline for the first time, and it is the most exhilarating outdoor activity we have done to date. Zip-line consists of a pulley attached to an inclined steel metal cable secured on a slope. The person is attached to a free moving pulley and moves through the cable aided by gravity from point A to point B. In this case, point A is from an 8-storey tall building stretched to point B on the ground across a vast field of Singha Park. Yep, we did it. Zipline for the first time, and it made the more-than-24-hour car drive to Chaing Rai so worthwhile!

Chaing Rai is the northern most city of Thailand, just a few kilometers away from Myanmar in the west and Laos in the east. It is home to the famous Singha Park where this awesome Zipline activity is found, and where the annual Winter Balloon Festival is held.

How’s the experience?

Well, we geared up and took the elevator up. We watched the structures below get smaller and smaller. Anticipation is building up. This is our first time. We’ve arrived, 8-storey above ground. Cool breeze brushed our blushed skin, waiting for our turn. Hooks checked and put in placed, we positioned and got ready to go. Gates opened and with our hearts in our throats down we went. That moment when your feet leaves the platform and into the open seems like forever stuck in a few seconds. That moment you realize “HOLY MOLLY I’M HANGING HERE” and that there’s no going back. And so without any choice, you decide to let go and give the loudest scream of your life. We screamed at the top of our lungs, laughed, screamed, laughed, and screamed some more without reservation. We landed on the opposite side a bit shaky but safe, intact, and SO thrilled and exhilarated! What an experience! We’d like to do it again. And so we did.

We’re looking forward to our next zipline activity. It was awesome and something worth trying!

two kids geared up to zipline for the first time
Singha Park Chiang Rai Thailand

The takeaway for us from this zipline for the first time experience.

  • We thought it’s way too scary for us because of the height. But realized that we’re stronger and bolder than we thought we were.
  • It was a feat to try something out of our comfort zone, and actually loved it.
  • It is great to invest on giving our children experiences they could treasure forever.
  • For us as parents, to give our children a bit of a slack and let go of the worries, the “what ifs”, and just let them have fun.

Have you tried zipline before? How was your experience?

Please let us know by sharing it on the comment section down below or on Youtube. Thanks.

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