Sample route · Thailand

Northern Thailand: mountains, tea and lanterns

  • 23 days
  • From age 0
  • Road trip by hire car

From Bangkok to the mountains of the north. After Chiang Mai and Pai you drive the Mae Hong Son loop in a hire car: past caves, tea plantations, the lake with the lanterns and Thailand's highest mountain. You finish at an eco-lodge and spend a night with a family in the jungle. With short driving days, so it stays relaxed with a little one too.

Plan this trip your wayGo to the day plan →
Wooden rafts with red lanterns on the lake at Ban Rak Thai

The route at a glance

Bangkok 3 nightsChiang Mai 3 nightsPai 3 nightsSoppong 1 nightBan Rak Thai 1 nightMae Hong Son 2 nightsKhun Yuam 1 nightMae Chaem 1 nightDoi Inthanon 2 nightsChai Lai Orchid 1 nightHomestay 1 nightChiang Mai 1 nightBangkok 1 night
Day plan

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Flight to Bangkok

    Overnight flight from Amsterdam.

  2. Baby in a carrier looking at the neon signs of Chinatown in Bangkok
    Days 2 to 4

    Bangkok

    3 nights
    • A longtail boat ride through the canals
    • Wat Pho and Wat Arun, early in the morning
    • Street food in Chinatown
  3. Green Lanna lantern among the palms
    Days 5 to 7

    Chiang Mai

    3 nightsFlight or night train
    • The temples of the old town
    • Doi Suthep, the temple on the mountain
    • A cooking class or the Sunday night market
    • This is where you pick up the hire car with a baby seat
  4. Days 8 to 10

    Pai

    3 nights± 3 hours' drive
    • Sunset at Pai Canyon
    • The bamboo bridge across the rice fields
    • Hot springs and the night market
  5. Day 11

    Soppong

    1 night± 1 hour's drive
    • Tham Lod cave, with a raft across the underground river
    • A quiet mountain village on the loop
  6. Little houses among the tea plantations on a hillside
    Day 12

    Ban Rak Thai

    1 night± 2 hours' drive
    • The lanterns on the lake in the evening
    • Walking among the tea plantations
    • Tea tasting and food from the Yunnan kitchen
  7. Bowl of noodle soup overlooking forested mountains in Mae Hong Son
    Days 13 and 14

    Mae Hong Son

    2 nights± 1 hour's drive
    • Wat Chong Kham by the lake
    • The Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge over the rice fields
    • Noodles with a mountain view
  8. Day 15

    Khun Yuam

    1 night± 1.5 hours' drive
    • A quiet mountain town
    • In November and December: hills full of yellow flowers at Doi Mae U Kho
  9. Day 16

    Mae Chaem

    1 night± 2 hours' drive
    • Rice fields and traditional weaving villages
  10. Days 17 and 18

    Doi Inthanon

    2 nights± 1 hour's drive
    • On Thailand's highest mountain
    • The two pagodas and their flower gardens
    • Waterfalls such as Wachirathan
    • The morning market of the hill villages
  11. An elephant reaches its trunk towards Janieke on the bamboo terrace at Chai Lai Orchid
    Rattan chair on a bamboo terrace overlooking the jungle
    Day 19

    Chai Lai Orchid

    1 night± 1.5 hours' drive

    Stay: Chai Lai Orchid

    • An eco-lodge by the river, surrounded by nature
  12. Janieke walking a jungle path between tall trees and ferns
    Green rice terraces against a forested hill
    Two green butterflies with turquoise patches on the forest floor
    Day 20

    Jungle trek and homestay

    1 night
    • Hiking through the jungle with a local guide
    • Staying with a family in a hill village
  13. Day 21

    Back to Chiang Mai

    1 night± 1 hour's drive
    • Returning the hire car
    • A last evening at the market
  14. Day 22

    Back to Bangkok

    1 night

    A quiet last night before the flight.

  15. Day 23

    Flight home

    From Bangkok back to Amsterdam.

Photo album

How this trip feels

Bridge full of colourful lanterns at sunset
Janieke sitting on a rock in front of a rushing jungle waterfall
Red torch ginger flower in the garden
Janieke at the Chailai Jungle Stay sign, with rice terraces behind
Bamboo hut with a thatched roof in the morning sun
Green lantern on a bridge over the river at sunset

Dreaming of Northern Thailand?

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