| Vol 4 | November 2008 | •  in 2005 only 51% of hilltribe children were enrolled in primary school, as opposed to the national enrollment average of 87%   •  Akha people believe that a spirit lives in their heads, so they wear hats to stop it from escaping.   •  Find out more about The Mirror Foundation   •  Learn from the hilltribes   •  Read about the Thai Citizenship Project   •  Mirror has introduced a new waste management system designed to increase recycling, reduce garbage, improve the environment, and make a profit...   •  Visit the Virtual Hilltribe Museum   •  in 1998 only 19% of the total primary school hilltribe students continued on to secondary school  
Transportation options to Chiang Rai

!Homepage

Articles

Contacts

Donations

Editorial

Forum

Linked Sites

Media Files

Newsfile

Profiles

Projects

Thai Language

Trekking Tours

Volunteer Info

Transportation options to Chiang Rai

By Air
Chiang Rai has an airport which receives domestic flights from Bangkok and Chiang Mai. International flights are also available from surrounding countries (Go to individual airline websites for more information). Please note that Bangkok has two airports flying to Chiang Rai - Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang.

Airline Websites
Air Asia: http://www.airasia.com/
Nok Air: http://www.nokair.com/NokConnext/aspx/Welcome.aspx
Thai Airways: http://www.thaiair.com/
One-Two-Go: http://www.fly12go.com/en/main.shtml

SGA (Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai): http://www.sga.co.th/en-GB/index.html

Domestic airplane duration: 1hour 20min from Bangkok
Taxi to the city: approximately 200baht.

By Rail
There is no direct train to Chiang Rai. You have to take a train to Chiang Mai (11 hrs from Bangkok) or Lampang (9 hrs), and then take a bus to Chiang Rai (2 hrs from Lampang and 3.5 hrs from Chiang Mai). Sleeper trains are available and cheap.
http://www.railway.co.th/english/index.asp

By Bus
Coaches run direct from Bangkok, or you can take the train to Chiang Mai and then connect to Chiang Rai by bus.

Overnight: The coach ride from Bangkok to Chiang Rai is probably best made overnight so passengers can sleep prior to an early morning arrival. There are both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned bus services from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Mochit 2 Bus Terminal) on Kamphaengphet 2 Road. The journey takes approximately 11 hours.

Daily: Chiang Rai is 182 kilometers north of Chiang Mai. Buses leave daily from Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal to Chiang Rai, with some buses continuing to Mae Sai and Chiang Saen. It takes about 3 and a half hours from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. Prices vary depending on the type of bus.

By Boat
The capital may also be reached from Tha Thon in Chiang Mai province by a scenic 4-6 hour (depending on climatic conditions, such as rain, and other factors such as high waters and fast currents) long-tail boat ride along the Mae Kok River.

Other information

We strongly recommend that you have travel insurance before you arrive, because we do not bear the responsibility of sickness or accidents.
We can issue a certification of volunteering/internship when you finish your time with us.

Starting Program / Arriving at Mirror Foundation on a Weekend
Although the IVHQ programs are set to start on the 1st and 15th of each month, please be aware that when those dates fall on a Saturday or Sunday, we’d prefer you to start with us on the following Monday.

This does not affect the length of your stay, as any days you miss out at the start, you can add on at the end. So for example, if you start a 2 week program on Monday 3rd of July, then please finish on Monday 17th of July.

Why?
Because often weekends are the time when other volunteers and staff are either away on home stays or having a well deserved break. There is no food cooked in the kitchen on most Saturdays and Sundays and not many people around to take care of you and make you feel welcome. Plus, I really would like to give the staff the weekend off if I can.

So, please arrange to arrive on Monday (or Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri if they happen to be the 1st or 15th). Monday morning would be great, but if your flight is arriving in the afternoon or night that is OK also.

Accommodation in town.
If you decide to arrive a little before your program starts and want some suggestions on where to stay in town, here they are. This is not an exhaustive list. There are many places available. These are just some clean and well priced and well placed ones that I quickly choose out:

Orchids Guest House, 1012/3 Jedyod Rd, Chiang Rai. Tel/Fax (+66)(0)53 718 361. www.orchidsguesthouse.com, orchidsguesthouse@yahoo.com. Rooms 450 Baht. Hot showers, Cable TV, A/C, free internet, free coffee/tea. This is a popular place, so if you book this on the internet or by fax, please also ring them within 24 hours of your arrival to confirm or they may give the room away. (Perhaps during your stop in Bangkok)

Jansom House, 897/2 Jedyod Rd, Wiang Muang, Chiang Rai. Tel (+66)(0)53 714 552. Fax (+66)(0)53 714 779. http://jansomhouse.blogspot.com/, jansomhouse@hotmail.com. Rooms 450 Baht. Hot showers, A/C, cable TV, Fridge, free breakfast.

Yoosook Hotel. 952/13 Ruamjitthawai Rd, Chiang Rai. Tel (+66)(0)53 711 913 or 711 946 or 756 559, Fax (+66)(0)53 712 376, Rooms 300 Baht(bungalows) – 400 Baht. A/C, Cable TV, Fridge, hot water shower, internet and WiFi available.

Maneeinn Hotel. www.maneeinn.com, maneeinn@hotmail.com. Tel (+66)(0)89 700 2611 or (+66)(0)53 756 666. A/C, Hot shower, Fridge, Cable TV, Wireless ADSL internet. Rooms 350 Baht. This one is a bit away from the night bazaar, which seems to be the main place tourists hang around.

Another great place to look for accommodation is http://www.travelfish.org/accommodation/thailand/northern_thailand/chiang_rai/chiang_rai/all

Please send us your transport details in advance so we can organise collection.
Due to the limited amount of vehicles at our disposal, and the difficulty of arranging meetings at the bus station, we ask that if you arrive by bus, please make your own way to mirror using a blue taxi parked next to the bus station (Cost should be no higher than 250 baht).
Please remember that Mirror cannot pick up volunteers at the weekend.
We can pick you up at Chiang Rai airport from 9am to 8pm (If you arrive later, please organise your own accommodation in town for the night).
We suggest volunteers arrive in Chiang Rai at the weekend, so we can pick up on Monday morning (Many of the Mirror staff go home at the weekend for a well-earned rest).
Also, if you have any concerns or questions about your travel, we can give you some advice (e-mail themirrorfoundation@gmail.com)

We will send a confirmation mail to you, after we process your application form.

Mirror Telephone Numbers

  • 053-737-412 (office)
  • 053-737-413 (office)
  • 053-737-425 (office)
  • 053-737-616 (office)
(Thailand IDD: +66)

 
website built by Thellie ©2007