: ''This article is about the focal point of the Golden Triangle at the intersection of the three countries; for the wider Thai region, see Chiang Rai (province).''
The '''Golden Triangle''' (??????????????? ''Saam Liam Thong Kham'') is in Chiang Rai province, in the far north of Thailand. The English name comes from the meeting of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand here, but to the locals it's '''Sop Ruak''', since this is where the Mekong meets the Ruak River.
Understand
Historically the Golden Triangle has been an area well-known for the growing of opium, and the name comes from a US State Department memo on the practice. These days, though, the place lives on the cultivation of tourists, and this is undoubtedly '''the largest tourist trap''' in northern Thailand.
The landscape is hilly, divided by the Ruak River that flows into the Mekong (''Mae Khong'') River. These rivers form a natural boundary between the three countries Laos (to the east of the Mekong), Myanmar (to the north of the Ruak), and Thailand (to the west of the Mae Khong).
Get in
Most people seem to come here on guided bus tours. For independent travelers, blue songthaews run through the Golden Triangle from Mae Sai (45 min, 30 baht) to Chiang Saen (15 min, 20 baht) and back again every 20 minutes or so until the late afternoon.
Get around
Boats can be hired to view scenery around the golden triangle from Sop Ruak along the Mekong River to Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong which takes around 40 minutes and one and a half hours respectively.
See
The center of the action is the Thai riverside near the point where the rivers meet, which — in the dry season, when the Mekong runs low — is even marked by a handy sandbar. This in itself is pretty anticlimactic, so a series of increasingly bizarre attractions have been erected by the riverside to make up for it: there's a giant golden Buddha on a ship, elephant statues where you can clamber to pose atop a palanquin (in exchange for a donation, of course), elaborate shrines to the royal family, half a dozen signs stating that yes, this really ''is'' the Golden Triangle and, inevitably, river cruise touts, souvenir shops and Western-style cafes.
'''Phra That Doi Pu Khao''' (????????????????) is located on the hill just before the Golden Triangle and believed to have been built by a king of Wiang Hirannakhon Ngoen Yang in mid-8th century. Remains of antiquities are in the Viharn with crumbled Chedis.
Hall of Opium, Golden Triangle Park. ??????????????????????????. oo 1, Ban Sop Ruak, Tambon Wiang. round 2 km north of center, on the way to Mae Sai. 66-53784444-6. ttp://www.goldentrianglepark.org/swf/. ue-Sun 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. 00/200 baht foreigner/Thai. One of the best museums in all Thailand and almost certainly the most interesting place to visit in the Golden Triangle, the Hall of Opium exhibits the history of opium around the world and in the area, the process of production, the effects of opium smoking and campaigns to eradicate and substitute the crop. There's even a tiny opium plantation inside! The Hall describes itself as "edutainment", and indeed this is something of an opium theme park, with the latest in snazzy multimedia exhibits and lots of subtle hectoring about the evils of addiction. To their credit, though, they don't whitewash Thailand's own history at all and even the CIA's exploits are covered in detail. Popular with tour groups and school children. Run by the royal Doi Tung Foundation, with profits going to charity.
House of Opium. 12 Moo.1, Ban Sop Ruak, Tambon Wiang. ttp://www.houseofopium.com/. AM-7 PM. 0 baht. A genuine privately run museum, unrelated to and much smaller and more serious in tone than the Hall. Lots of opium paraphernalia and information on the production process from beginning to end.
Do
Take a '''photo''' at the gate marking the Golden Triangle.
Go on a '''boat ride''' across to a small island named '''Don Sao''', belonging to Laos. No visa for Laos is required to make this trip. This is popular among tourists, and many small boats offer this service. Technically you are in Laos when on the island and can thus claim to have visited the country, although you are not allowed to enter into the rest of Laos from there without a visa.
Eat
There are a strip of scruffy bamboo shack eateries as you come in from the north, and then a chain of largely identical-looking cafes and restaurants along the riverside promenade.
Sriwan. pposite Imperial Hotel. 00 baht. Clean, friendly and tasty restaurant on the riverbank, offering a wide menu of all the usual Thai and Western favorites. Noodle and rice dishes start from 40 baht, try the ''kuay teow'' noodles with chicken.
Drink
Sleep
A sprawl of guesthouses and hotels has popped up on the Thai side of the river. However, better accommodations can be found in Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong and Chiang Rai, and most visitors choose to day-trip.
Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa. ?????? ??????? ????? ???. 29 Moo 1, T. Wiang. km past the Golden Triangle, opposite the Hall of Opuim. 66-53784084. ttp://goldentriangle.anantara.com/. 400. 200. ee Website. A multi-award winning Resort and Spa with it's own elephant camp and rescue charity working to bring elephants from the streets of Bangkok in a safe and sustainable manner.
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle. our Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle. ocation so secret that you need to make a booking to be bought in.. 66-53910200. ttp://www.fourseasons.com/goldentriangle/. ee website. Voted the number one hotel in the world by Conde Naste Traveller, an all inclusive experience with elephant activities and guided tours, also taking part in the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation's recue programmes (www.helpingelephants.org).
Stay safe
Get out
Exit through the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sai
South to the historical city of Chiang Saen.
Southeast to Laos via Chiang Khong.
By bus, rental car or taxi to Chiang Rai.