Golden Triangle Loop from Chiang Mai: Our Route, Map and GPX (798 km by Scooter)

Paul and his girlfriend at the Golden Triangle arch in Sop Ruak, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet

The Golden Triangle Loop is a scooter or motorbike loop from Chiang Mai through Chiang Rai, Chiang Khong, the Golden Triangle at Sop Ruak, Mae Salong, Fang and Chiang Dao: about 800 km, which we rode in five riding days in September 2023. Our GPX is 798 km including the last 72 km on road 107 from Chiang Dao back to Chiang Mai. We skipped that last stretch, because from Chiang Dao we rode on to Pai and the Mae Hong Son Loop. What made this loop for us was not one big sight but the road itself: coffee with a view, temples in every colour, roadside fuel pumps and a lot of rice fields.

Distance	798 km in six stages (five ridden by us, plus 72 km on road 107 to close the loop)
Our days	10-15 September 2023, two scooters, rainy season
Highest point	1,147 m on the road near Mae Salong
Climbing	about 5,600 m in total; day 4 is the hilliest with about 2,600 m
Overnight stops	Chiang Rai, Chiang Khong, Ban Pa Kwao, Fang, Chiang Dao (2 nights)
Scooters	2 scooters for 10 days: 6,400 baht (2023)

Golden Triangle Loop map and GPX

The GPX has one track per day and the stops from this article as waypoints. It works in Organic Maps, OsmAnd, Komoot or on a Garmin; the KML opens in Google My Maps. The route is rebuilt on the roads from our own location points and photo stops in 2023, so it shows where we went, not every turn we made.

Download GPX (798 km)Open in Google Maps

For Google My Maps: download the KML.

Day 1 crosses the hills between Doi Saket and Chiang Rai; day 4 through Mae Salong is the hilly one

The Golden Triangle Loop route, day by day

Day	Route and where we slept	Km
1	Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai Hotel in Chiang Rai, 645 baht	252
2	Chiang Rai – Chiang Khong Guesthouse in Chiang Khong, 600 baht	143
3	Chiang Khong – Golden Triangle – Ban Pa Kwao The Green Season Resort, 876 baht	122
4	Ban Pa Kwao – Mae Salong – Fang Simple hotel in Fang, 377 baht	134
5	Fang – Chiang Dao The View Chiang Dao, 2 nights, 2,291 baht	75
6	Chiang Dao – Chiang Mai on road 107 We rode on to Pai instead	72

Room prices are what we paid for two people in September 2023, low season. Hotels, cafes and restaurants are as we found them then: check that they are still open before you go.

Day 1: Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai (252 km)

Our first coffee stop came early, on road 118 near Doi Saket, because it started to rain. A small roadside place with a view over the hills: you sit there with a hot coffee and wait. That set the tone for the whole loop. You do not only enjoy the places you ride to, you enjoy the ride, because you see so much on the way.

A coffee and a tea on a roadside terrace with a view of green hills near Doi Saket — Our first coffee stop, waiting for the rain to pass

Before Chiang Rai we stopped at Singha Park for the golden lion statue, then rode to Baan Dam, the Black House. It looks like a dark wooden temple, but it feels more like a museum, full of strange objects from older times. We paid 180 baht for the two of us, including water.

Golden lion statue on a green hill at Singha Park near Chiang Rai — The golden lion at Singha Park

Dark wooden hall at Baan Dam Museum (the Black House) in Chiang Rai — Baan Dam: more museum than temple

The Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, was just as impressive: detailed inside and outside. It is a new temple, finished in 2016.

Blue statues in front of the Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, in Chiang Rai — The Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten

It was a Sunday, so in the evening we walked the Sunday Walking Street, with the gate of Wat Chetuphon at the end of the stalls. Street food everywhere. My favourites are the coconut pancakes: one kind is a bit sweeter, the other has sweet potato. From the barbecue we also had the skewers with chilli, and it is fun to watch how the traditional dishes are cooked. On the way back we passed the golden clock tower in the middle of the roundabout, with a beautiful scooter and sidecar parked in front.

Coconut pancakes on banana leaves at the Sunday Walking Street in Chiang Rai — Coconut pancakes: the sweet ones and the sweet potato ones

Sunday Walking Street in Chiang Rai at dusk with the gate of Wat Chetuphon behind the stalls — Sunday Walking Street, with Wat Chetuphon at the end

Orange scooter with sidecar in front of the golden clock tower in Chiang Rai at night — The clock tower in the middle of the roundabout

Day 2: Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong (143 km)

We started at the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun at 8 in the morning: white and detailed, with water in front and a few small restaurants near the entrance. Stand in front of it for a photo and you see how big it is. Entrance was 200 baht for the two of us in 2023; since January 2026 it is 200 baht per person. Next to it are a few other buildings, including a golden one.

Paul and his girlfriend in front of the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun, showing its size — The White Temple: stand in front of it to see how big it is

Before leaving Chiang Rai we saw the white Guan Yin statue of Wat Huay Pla Kang from the road and had to go there. Look at the people on the stairs in the photo: that is how big it is. Then east to Chiang Khong, on the Mekong right at the border with Laos, where we cooled down in the pool of our guesthouse with a beer after the ride.

Huge white Guan Yin statue and stairs at Wat Huay Pla Kang in Chiang Rai — Wat Huay Pla Kang: look at the people on the stairs

Paul in the pool of a guesthouse in Chiang Khong on the Lao border — A swim after the ride in Chiang Khong

Day 3: Chiang Khong to the Golden Triangle (122 km)

One of the nicest things on the way are the small roadside fuel pumps. You fill up your scooter and you help a local family at the same time.

Filling up a scooter at a small roadside fuel pump near Chiang Khong — Fuel from a roadside pump

At Sop Ruak you stand at the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. You look out over the Mekong, where the Ruak river flows into it.

View over the Mekong river at Sop Ruak with Laos on the other bank — The Mekong at the Golden Triangle

In the village we visited the House of Opium, the small museum (100 baht for two). I am not much of a museum person, but it is interesting to see how people in this area lived, and the impact opium had on Asia and on Europe. Do not confuse it with the much larger Hall of Opium, about a kilometre up the road.

Display of an opium smoker with pipes at the House of Opium museum in Sop Ruak — House of Opium, the small museum in the village

On a quiet road through the rice fields we found a bird nest that had fallen out of a tree. I picked it up: you can see how finely it is woven. It looks like the nest of a weaver bird. A bit further on, two Asian openbills, storks with a gap in their bill, were looking for snails in the rice.

Hand holding a woven weaver bird nest in front of rice fields — A weaver bird nest that had fallen from a tree

Two Asian openbill storks in a green rice field — Asian openbills looking for snails in the rice

We slept at The Green Season Resort: a little house with a roof terrace that looks over the rice fields towards the mountains. Dinner was at MoCafe: pork strips, a Japanese curry chicken and a pizza. You are in Thailand, but you do not have to eat Thai food every day.

Rooftop terrace of The Green Season Resort looking over rice fields — The rooftop at The Green Season Resort

Day 4: Mae Salong to Fang (134 km)

This is what the roads in northern Thailand look like: winding, mostly good asphalt, and views all the way. The hilliest day of the loop, up to 1,147 m on the road near Mae Salong.

Scooter rider on a narrow winding road through the green hills of Mae Fa Luang — Winding, mostly good roads

Brunch was at Daddy’s Coffee, at a table with a view far into the hills, and then we rode through the tea fields of Mae Salong. Mae Salong was settled in 1961 by Kuomintang soldiers who came from Burma, and it is still known for its oolong tea.

Coffee and rice on a table with a view of the hills at Daddy's Coffee — Brunch with a view at Daddy's Coffee

Tea plantations on the hills near Mae Salong — Tea fields on the way to Mae Salong

In Mae Salong we found the best fuel station of the trip: you fill up from someone’s living room. Further on came the pink temple, Wat Hat Chumphu. You have the White Temple, the Blue Temple, the black Baan Dam, a pink one… and in Chiang Mai there is also a silver one.

Paul and his girlfriend in helmets at a fuel pump inside a living room in Mae Salong — Filling up from the living room in Mae Salong

Pink temple Wat Hat Chumphu near Mae Ai — Wat Hat Chumphu, the pink temple near Mae Ai

In Fang we had khao soi, my favourite dish, for lunch (110 baht for two). In the evening we were not in the mood for Thai food and ate burgers at BistroFang CNX, run by a German owner. We slept in a simple hotel in Fang: concrete look, a very comfortable bed, clean, with a fridge, a TV and a good shower.

Two bowls of khao soi curry noodle soup in Fang — Khao soi in Fang

Day 5: Fang to Chiang Dao (75 km)

The roads are not always perfect. Sometimes you weave between the puddles, but nothing serious: just take it slow and enjoy the surroundings. We had a second khao soi, with a mango shake and a watermelon shake, at Khao Soi Pa Yen.

Scooter riding around puddles on a damaged road near Chiang Dao — Not every road is perfect

In Chiang Dao we stayed two nights at The View, a hotel with a pool downstairs and a rooftop with a view of Doi Chiang Dao. The “moon” in the photo is a lamp on the rooftop, so the picture is a bit misleading, but it is a great place to sit in the evening.

Paul and his girlfriend in the pool of The View hotel in Chiang Dao — The pool at The View in Chiang Dao

Doi Chiang Dao at dusk seen from the rooftop of The View with a moon-shaped lamp — Rooftop view of Doi Chiang Dao (the "moon" is a lamp)

A day off in Chiang Dao

Breakfast was between the rice fields at Khampanna Cafe, over a bamboo walkway: a fried egg, coffee and a morning bowl with yoghurt and fruit. Then we rode the Giant Trees Alley: a winding road with huge, thick trees on both sides.

Paul on a bamboo walkway through green rice fields to Khampanna cafe in Chiang Dao — The bamboo walkway to breakfast at Khampanna

Paul and his girlfriend on Giant Trees Alley, a road lined with tall trees in Chiang Dao — Giant Trees Alley in Chiang Dao

Lunch was among the ducks: golden pastry cups with a Thai filling, a pad thai wrapped in egg and fried ice cream with a crispy crust, each plate nicely made up. Dinner was a ribeye with salad and wedges at Jerns Chiang Dao. Even in the countryside you can eat very well. Recommended. We were also curious about one of the cannabis farms that opened after Thailand took cannabis off the narcotics list in 2022: we asked if we could look around, bought a cola at the front and rode on. In June 2025 the rules became much stricter again (medical use with a prescription only), so do not count on this.

Golden pastry cups with a Thai filling on a white plate in Chiang Dao — Golden cups with a Thai filling, lunch among the ducks

Ribeye steak with potato wedges at Jerns in Chiang Dao — Steak and wedges at Jerns Chiang Dao

Day 6: back to Chiang Mai, or on to Pai

From Chiang Dao it is 72 km back to Chiang Mai on road 107, a main road. We did not ride it this time: we went on to Pai and rode the Mae Hong Son Loop. Our advice for that next step: do not take the back roads from Chiang Dao to Pai like we did (dirt roads, small bridges and landslides). Ride back towards Chiang Mai and take the main road to Pai.

What the Golden Triangle Loop cost us

For two people and two scooters, September 2023 (low season):

Scooters: 6,400 baht for two scooters for 10 days, about 320 baht per scooter per day.
Rooms: 377 to 1,146 baht per night for two.
Fuel: about 200 baht per day for two scooters.
Entrances: Baan Dam 180 baht with water, White Temple 200 baht, House of Opium 100 baht (all for two).
SIM card: on day 4 we bought a local SIM with unlimited data for 30 days for 320 baht.
Food: a khao soi lunch for two was 110 baht; a ribeye dinner at Jerns 1,000 baht.

Tips for the Golden Triangle Loop

Take your time. The coffee stops and small detours are the best part. 150 km a day with stops is plenty.
Rainy season. We rode in September: some rain, puddles and green rice fields. In Chiang Mai, before we left, we bought a rain jacket and a rain cover for the backpack.
Fuel. Petrol stations are easy to find, and in the villages there are small pumps and bottles at the roadside.
Combine it. From Chiang Dao you can go on to Pai and the Mae Hong Son Loop instead of riding back to Chiang Mai.
Do the Samoeng Loop first if you have not ridden in the mountains around Chiang Mai: a good one-day test.

More motorbike loops and northern Thailand

FAQ

How long is the Golden Triangle Loop?

Our route from Chiang Mai is 798 km: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chiang Khong, Sop Ruak, Mae Salong, Fang, Chiang Dao and back on road 107. If you have less time, you can leave out Chiang Khong and ride from Chiang Rai straight to the Golden Triangle.

How many days do you need for the Golden Triangle Loop?

We rode it in five riding days plus a rest day in Chiang Dao. With six to seven days you have time for the temples, coffee stops and a slow day.

Is there a Golden Triangle Loop map?

Yes: the GPX and KML above have one track per day and all our stops. Open the KML in Google My Maps or the GPX in Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Komoot.

Can you ride the Golden Triangle Loop on a scooter?

Yes. We rode it on two rented scooters. The main roads are mostly good asphalt; on the back roads you meet potholes and puddles, especially in the rainy season.

Golden Triangle Loop or Mae Hong Son Loop?

The Golden Triangle Loop is about temples, the Mekong and the tea hills of Mae Salong, with fewer steep mountain roads. The Mae Hong Son Loop through Pai is longer, with many more curves and climbs. We combined them by riding on from Chiang Dao to Pai.

Route, stops and prices: our own trip of 10-15 September 2023 (location points, photos and our own cost sheet). Heights: Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (© DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA), checked against SRTM and ASTER; the top of 1,147 m is on the road near Mae Salong (the village itself lies around 1,134 m). Checked 28 October 2026.

Tags: Chiang Mai, Doi Chiang Dao

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