A road journey through the northern hills, self-drive or with a driver-guide.
A forest village above Chiang Mai, the tea terraces of Mae Salong, the Golden Triangle and the coffee ridges of Doi Chang. The route and the stays are designed. You choose who drives.
The first night is in a forest village, not the city. Then north to the tea hills of Mae Salong, two nights in Chiang Rai with the luggage left in the room, and two nights in Chiang Mai to finish.
The Route · Day by Day →
Day trips from Chiang Mai spend more hours in a van than in the hills. This journey moves through the north instead: a forest village, a night among the tea, and one room in Chiang Rai for two nights, so the long drives are done once. The route is planned: the White Temple at opening, Doi Chang without luggage, the last full day on a Sunday. The freedom is yours, including whether you drive, or a driver-guide does.
6 Nights · four places · one loop through the north
Design decisionNo city on the first day. You leave the airport and sleep in the forest; Chiang Mai comes at the end, when the driving is done.
Day 01
Into the hills
A morning flight, then east into the hills. Mae Kampong is an old tea village of wooden houses along a stream, several degrees cooler than the city.
Driving todayApprox. 1.5 hours
TonightWoo Ma Ca MooMae Kampong · Or similar
Design decisionThe longest drive comes on day two, while everyone is fresh. After that, the journey moves in short stages.
Day 02
Up to the tea
The longest drive of the journey, about four hours north, the last part on a winding road up to Mae Salong. The town was settled by Yunnanese families, and tea still grows in terraces down the slopes. Tonight you sleep inside the plantation.
Driving todayApprox. 4 hours
TonightWata KhiriMae Salong · Or similar
Design decisionTwo nights in one room. On the mountain day the luggage stays behind, and nobody packs in between.
Day 03
To the edge of three countries
Breakfast at the morning market, then north to the border. By the afternoon you are in Chiang Rai, in the room you keep for two nights.
Driving todayApprox. 3–3.5 hours
TonightKahavadi Chiang Rai, Curio Collection by HiltonOr similar
Day 04
Coffee country, travelling light
The luggage stays in the room. Up to Doi Chang, about an hour and a half on a steep road, to a café on a ridge above the coffee terraces, best early before the cloud lifts.
Driving todayApprox. 3 hours return
TonightKahavadi Chiang Rai, Curio Collection by HiltonOr similar
Design decisionThe city comes last. After five days in the hills, two nights where you can leave the car and walk.
Day 05
The White Temple at opening, then south
The White Temple when it opens, before the day-tour coaches, then south on Route 118. In Chiang Mai the car is parked for good.
Driving todayApprox. 3 hours
TonightCHINO @NIMMANChiang Mai · Or similar
Day 06
The old city, and the Sunday market
A slow day in the old city.
TonightCHINO @NIMMANChiang Mai · Or similar
Day 07
Home
A last morning in Nimman for coffee and the things you want to bring home.
Driving todayApprox. 15 minutes to the airport
Mae Kampong
An old tea village on a stream: wooden houses, a waterfall at the top of the lane, and the first cool evening of the journey.
Mae Salong · Mae Sai · Golden Triangle
A Yunnanese hill town among tea terraces, a morning market, and the point on the Mekong where three countries meet.
Chiang Rai · Doi Chang · the Blue Temple
Two nights in one room by the river, a day on the coffee ridges of Doi Chang without luggage, and the Blue Temple.
The White Temple · Nimman · the old city
The White Temple at opening, then two nights on foot: Nimman, the old city temples, a Lanna massage and the Sunday Walking Street.
1 / 6Why here: a quiet lodge by the stream, so the first night is in the hills, not in traffic.
1 / 4Why here: you sleep inside the tea plantation, and wake up to the terraces.
1 / 6Why two nights: the border day and the mountain day both start and end here, and the luggage stays in the room.
1 / 5Why here: the car can be parked for good. Cafés, One Nimman and the old city are a walk or a short ride away.
Mae Sai, the Golden Triangle, Doi Chang and the White and Blue Temples are day visits, not overnight stays.
For couples and friends who enjoy the road
For families travelling with parents, and anyone who would rather watch the hills
I have led groups in Chiang Mai and designed private journeys through the hills to the north. This route comes from that work: how long the drives really are, which mornings are worth getting up for, and where a second night changes the trip.
Every stay and every stop here is one I have chosen and put in order myself. If a road or a morning does not go to plan, I am the one who reworks it with you.
ZeL coordinates your journey from Kuala Lumpur and is your main point of contact.
Self-drive: the car is arranged for you, collected and returned at Chiang Mai Airport, with the road plan for each day prepared in advance. With a driver-guide: your driver-guide meets you at the airport and stays with you for the whole journey.
The massage, the tea tasting and the other experiences are run by local operators.
You have a direct WhatsApp contact with ZeL for coordination and support.
There is no tour leader on this journey. You travel as your own party.
Journeys That Matter.
The north is at its best from November to February: cool mornings, clear air and mist in the valleys at dawn.
Nights in Mae Kampong and Mae Salong can be cold. Bring a warm layer.
Six nights · four places
The rains are over and the hills are green. In Chiang Mai, the month of the Yi Peng lantern festival (see below).
The coolest and clearest weeks. Also the busiest, so the stays are booked early.
Still dry and pleasant, with warmer afternoons.
The published price applies to departures from November to February. From March the hills are often hazy from seasonal burning; other months are quoted individually.
The last full day in Chiang Mai falls on a Sunday, so the evening is the Sunday Walking Street.
If your dates cannot start on a Tuesday, the journey still works; the last evening becomes a different market.
The city can wait.
The first night is in a forest village an hour and a half from the airport, so the journey begins in the hills and the city is the reward at the end.
Long road early, short roads after.
The four hours north to Mae Salong is the longest stretch, and it comes on day two while everyone is fresh. After that, no drive is longer than about three hours.
Unpack once.
The border day and the Doi Chang day both start and end in Chiang Rai. Two nights in one room mean the mountain is climbed with an empty car, and nobody packs in between.
Arrive when it is quiet.
The White Temple at opening, before the coaches. Doi Chang early, before the cloud lifts. The last full day on a Sunday, for the Sunday Walking Street.
A seasonal add-on: one night added in Chiang Mai
Once a year, on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month, Chiang Mai sends its lanterns into the sky. On a November departure, one night can be added in Chiang Mai for a ticketed lantern release: a seat at the release ground, transport there and back, and the extra night at your hotel.
Added in Chiang Mai, at the end of the journey
A ticketed release ground, with transport there and back
It changes every year; your departure date follows it
Tickets are limited and the date moves each year, so ask early. The add-on is quoted with that year’s ticket price.
A car and driver-guide cost the same for two or for four, so the price per person is lower for a larger party.
| Party | Self-drive | With a driver-guide |
|---|---|---|
| 2 travellers | RM 5,900 | RM 7,900 |
| 4 travellers | RM 4,900 | RM 5,900 |
| Single room supplement | RM 3,500 | RM 3,500 |
| Other party sizes | Individual quotation | Individual quotation |
The price is set for two and for four. Any other party size is quoted individually. Tell us how many of you there are and when you would like to go.
Request a Quote →Prices per person, sharing a twin or double room, departing November to February. Single room supplement RM 3,500 per person. Not included: international flights, lunch and dinner, and the other items listed below.
Only breakfast is included, on purpose. We send you our own list of restaurants and cafés for every stop, and you decide each day where and when to eat. Some of the best food in the north is at a roadside kitchen or a morning market.
Not included. Choose your own airline, fare or cabin class.
Breakfast at every stay. For lunch and dinner we recommend restaurants and cafés, and you choose on the day.
Priced for two and for four, sharing a room. A room of your own is RM 3,500 per person. Any other party size is quoted individually.
On a self-drive, fuel and parking are paid locally. The rental carries zero-excess insurance.
November departures can add the lantern night, quoted with that year’s ticket price.
Room types and operating schedules are subject to final supplier confirmation.
Tell us your travel month, who is coming, and whether you would like to drive. We will come back with the full plan.
Enquire About This Journey →Thailand drives on the left, the same as Malaysia. For a self-drive, licence requirements are confirmed before booking.
The climbs to Mae Salong and Doi Chang are steep and winding. With a driver-guide, nobody in your party has to drive them.
The mountain roads are winding. Anyone who gets car sick should bring their usual remedy.
If your dates cannot start on a Tuesday, the journey still works; the last evening becomes a different market.
The date changes every year and tickets are limited. The add-on is quoted with that year’s ticket price.
The exact deposit amount and payment schedule will be stated in the formal quotation.
They will be stated clearly in the quotation before any payment is made.
This is a reference itinerary. The final arrangements may be adjusted to suit your actual departure date, flight schedule and local operating conditions.
Share your next journey with us. We would love to design a journey around you.
Tea terraces at first light, the edge of three countries, a coffee ridge above the cloud and a Sunday night in the old city. Tell us your month and who is coming.
Every enquiry is answered by the person who designs the journey.