Wat Rong Suea Ten, known as the Blue Temple, commands attention with its striking sapphire and gold tones, a bold statement in Chiang Rai’s spiritual landscape. Finished in 2005, it rises on the site of a long-abandoned shrine, quietly reclaiming a space rich in history. Local artist Phuttha Kabkaew envisioned a temple that honours the elegance of traditional Buddhist art while pushing it into a contemporary realm, creating a design that feels both rooted in heritage and unmi

Long ago, the land where Wat MingMuang now stands was a vast, fertile swamp, alive with dense reeds and winding waterways. Hidden within this wild sanctuary, majestic elephants roamed freely, revered as sacred symbols of power, wisdom and royalty. Amid this untamed beauty, the temple’s foundations were laid, a place where human devotion met the quiet majesty of nature, shrouded in the whispers of centuries past.

Radiant in white and adorned with shimmering mirrors, the White Temple embodies the journey toward spiritual purity and enlightenment. Its gleaming surfaces symbolise Buddha’s divine wisdom, while the mirrored mosaics reflect the light of truth that dispels ignorance. Conceived as a visual meditation on the path to nirvana, Wat Rong Khun invites reflection on the struggle between temptation and purity that lies at the heart of the human experience.

Tucked away in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai, Wat Phra Kaew is a temple steeped in legend, royal heritage and spiritual significance. Once called Wat Pa Yeah or the "Bamboo Forest Temple," it was renamed after its association with the famed Emerald Buddha, now enshrined in Bangkok. Established as a royal temple during the Lanna Kingdom in the late 14th century, it stands as one of Chiang Rai’s oldest religious sites still in operation today.

The House of Opium is a quietly haunting exhibition tucked near the Myanmar border in the sleepy town of Sop Ruak. Since opening, it has served as a solemn guardian of fragile relics and fading memories, preserving antique opium artifacts while recounting the sorrowful story of a trade that scarred generations. The museum casts a sombre light on the human cost of the Golden Triangle’s illicit opium trade, revealing a world of addiction and shattered lives that history too oft

Historical records for this humble temple are scarce, yet local tradition claims it predates the very founding of Chiang Rai, giving it an age of over 800 years. Its origins likely trace back to the early Lanna Kingdom, possibly during the reign of King Mengrai or shortly after. Though modest in scale, Wat Mung Muang has quietly observed the unfolding tides of northern Thailand’s history, standing as a silent guardian of the region’s political and cultural transformations.

The Golden Triangle snakes along the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, a land as beautiful as it is brutal. The Mekong River twists like a silver serpent through shadowed valleys, past isolated villages whose fields once fed a global hunger for heroin. This rugged, turbulent region earned its infamous name from centuries of opium fueled violence and despair. More than a crossroads, the Golden Triangle is a nexus of greed, pain and heartbreak.