CHIANG RAI

Immerse yourself at the riveting Hall of Opium, which calculatingly chronicles the area’s history in the drug’s production and trade.

Train as an elephant mahout (a handler and caretaker) and go elephant trekking through the surrounding jungle.

With your expert guide, explore the fascinating architectural history and museum collections of Chiang Saen, the capital of Thailand’s 14th-century Lanna kingdom.

Journey up the “Burma Road,” a hair-raising route straddling the narrow and mountainous border between Thailand and Myanmar.

Visit the beautiful mountaintop village of Doi Mae Salong, home to indigenous hill-tribe peoples and Chinese settlers. Once opium country, Doi Mae Salong is now home to Thailand’s premier oolong tea production. Go for a one-hour hike through the tea fields and hill-tribe villages. You’ll have a special opportunity to sip tea with the owner of one of the largest plantations in Thai¬land, followed by lunch and tea with a prominent member of the Doi Mae Salong community to discuss the life today in this rural part of the country.

Cruise approximately 30 minutes by boat up the Khong River and into Laos. Disembark and visit Ban Had Tai village, where your expert guide will introduce you toits residents for a better understanding of life in this remote region.