Opium tours of the Golden Triangle from Chiang Mai
The Golden Triangle boasts impressive temples
The Golden Triangle was at one time the focal point of a major Southeast Asian opium producing district. The heart of the district is the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers, which also demarcates the borders between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Thailand is on the south side of the river confluence.
The Thai district is known as Sop Ruak to local residents and was given its unusual nickname by US drug enforcement officers. Nowadays, there are no fields of opium poppies on Thailand’s side of the common border, although Myanmar allegedly still produces the narcotic, but there are a number of interesting sites and activities that provide insights into the history of opium production here.
The Golden Triangle is around 220kms from central Chiang Mai and just 10kms north up the River Mekong from historic Chiang Saen. As people leave Chiang Saen they are provided with panoramic views of one of the mightiest rivers in the world. Tourists approaching the Golden Triangle will catch glimpses of the latest incarnation of the Golden Triangle Arch.
For Asian visitors it seems to be compulsory for them to have their photograph taken at the arch, while its attendant elephant and mermaid statues stand guard. Most Western tourists use the arch as a frame for photographs of the vast expanse of Mekong and the verdant hills of Laos on the opposite bank of the river. More on Chiang Mai attractions.
Other interesting structures along the Mekong riverside include a giant model of a ship with Buddha statue on board, various elephant statues and religious shrines. Souvenir shops selling opium scales, pipes, T-shirts and other diverse mementos line both sides of the street. There are also a number of cafés and restaurants which serve meals and beverages including freshly-brewed coffee made from locally grown beans.
The fields of opium poppies have all gone
The Hall of Opium is north of the Triangle itself and has been rated as one of Thailand’s most interesting museums. Exhibits, photographs and artefacts in the museum depict the history of poppy and opium production in the region, the various attempts to eradicate the trade and the effects of long-term opium smoking.
The Doi Tung Foundation operates the Hall of Opium and proceeds from admission fees are donated to charity. The museum opens from 08:30 to 16:30 every day except Monday.
The House of Opium is a smaller museum just south of the hilltop Imperial Golden Triangle Resort hotel. This is a privately run facility and does not have the interactive exhibits on display in Hall of Opium, yet still has an extensive collection of opium paraphernalia and historical notes. This facility is open from 07:00 to 19:00 every day.
A good vantage point for views over the Golden Triangle and Laos can be had by climbing up the hill that the ruins of Phra That Doi Pu Khao are located on. The temple’s crumbling brick chedis are believed to have been constructed in the eighth century. The more modern prayer hall of the temple has a number of excavated relics displayed in it.
Visitors can take a trip across to the Lao island of Don Sao. Longtail boats depart from various points on the Mekong below the Golden Triangle. The boats first head upstream for a look at Myanmar before coming back down and depositing visitors at the landing stage for Don Sao. More on trekking in the Golden Triangle.
For a small fee visitors can land on the island. No passport is required as the island has no immigration post and it is not possible to cross to mainland Laos without swimming. A number of bamboo shacks on the island house shops selling colourful Lao sarongs, herbal liquors, French coffee, Beer Laos and postcards which can be posted with a Laos stamp on them.
People wishing to visit this unique location can start their opium trips to the Golden Triangle from Chiang Mai, or travel there from Chiang Rai or Maesai. For those with limited time a trip to the Golden Triangle is doable on a one-day outing from Chiang Mai, but requires an early start and late finish. Many Chiang Mai travel agencies offered a combined Chiang Rai-Golden Triangle excursion.
People not on such limited time constraints can take a longer tour or travel to the Golden Triangle by public bus or rented car or motorcycle. There are several accommodation options at the Golden Triangle and these include the Imperial Golden Triangle, the Anantara Golden Triangle and the Four Seasons Tent Camp, but most people stay in Chiang Saen, Mae Sai or Chiang Rai.
The ubiquitous Thai songtaew (a pickup truck with a covered back that serves as a shared taxi) and buses link the three latter locations with the Golden Triangle. For people with their own rented vehicles, English signposts indicate routes. Drivers need to take care near built-up areas as the signs are not always in the most prominent positions.
Visitors with an interest in visiting the areas where the actual opium poppies were once cultivated can join trekking tours in both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The trekking tours last for somewhere between two and four days and offer hikes through the Golden Triangle countryside, with overnight stays in traditional hilltribe villages, a short elephant ride and river trip on a bamboo raft.
