Chiang Saen Guest House: Stay by the Mighty Mekong River

If you ever go up to Chiang Saen, the northern most province of Thailand, you have got to stay by the Mekong river. The river is such a huge influence here that everything happens around the river. But, also keep in mind that the town is broadly made up of 2 streets one running parallel to the river and one that runs perpendicular to it. During my 2 night and 3 day stay here, I stayed at the Chiang Saen Guest House and this review of mine is based on that experience.

1) Chiang Saen Guest House is a house that has been turned into a guest house. It’s best quality is that it is opposite the mighty Mekong river and overlooks the Laos border.

2) The night markets and food stalls come up every night by the river and hence a couple of steps from your room and you are in the food markets.

3) The place has decent large size rooms suiting all kinds of budgets. The rooms come in fan/AC mode, have free wi-fi and have attached bathrooms with hot shower.

4) The reception is fairly limited in terms of arranging tours, but they can dish out some good advice. The place doesn’t have restaurants too.

5) The bus station, the temples and ruins of the city, the main town market and the supermarket stores are all in close vicinity and a short walk away.

If you are one who likes to sit by the Mekong river in the shade and watch the slow world pass by, then you will like this place. This place is ideal for all kinds of travelers. I like the guest house, but most of its mojo comes from the Mekong river running parallel to it.

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The Famous Golden Triangle: Opium, Gory Past, the 3 Countries and the mighty Mekong

There are many special things about the Golden Triangle and that is why it is famous. First, it is the place where the borders of Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Thailand coincide. Second, it is the place where the Ruak river from Myanmar joins the mighty Mekong river. And third and most importantly, this is the place which used to be capital for opium trade in South East Asia.


The place that exists today as the Golden triangle was a small unknown river side village, but today runs as a busy tourist location, thanks to the immense popularity of the golden triangle. The village is Ban Sop Ruak and is located at about 10 kilometers from Chiang Saen, the nearest large town.


People visit this place to see the place where the 3 country borders meet, visit the hall of opium and understand its troubled past and/or visit an island in Laos that technically doesn’t need a visa to enter and most tourists go here for shopping. Most of the tourists visit the Golden triangle as part of a day tour from either Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai, but it is better if you explore this place from Chiang Saen as it will allow you to explore this place in leisure.


Personally, the joining of the 3 countries didn’t appeal to me much, but I liked the views of the mighty Mekong from Wat Phra That Phu Khao and the time I spent understanding about Opium and its impact on history and medicine at the Hall of Opium. Back in the early days, people used to grow opium for medicine, before the East India Company started buying it from here and exporting to China.


And since growing opium was lucrative, all the hill tribes started growing it. It took a lot of effort from King Bhumibol’s mother and the king himself to educate the people and give them an option of an alternate livelihood in terms of cash crops, fruits and vegetables. However, this is on the Thailand side. Opium production still takes place in Myanmar (Burma) as the government still has not taken strict steps against it.


Since this place is visited by a lot of tourists, lots of shops sell a variety of stuff and this includes gift items, curios, food and more. A huge Buddha statue resides right by the Mekong river. The Golden triangle is sure touristy, but it has a lot of history and gory days behind it. The experience is so much better if you understand this history.

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Chiang Saen: Land of the Golden Triangle

Broadly speaking, there are 2 main streets in the town of Chiang Saen, one of the more northern provinces of Thailand. One street runs parallel to the Mekong and the other that runs perpendicular and hosts the bus station, key temples and the market. But, don’t let its size fool you as this is the Land of the Golden triangle.


There are many things about this place that you will like. The place is very quiet even during the busiest part of the day (I am sitting by the road of this town and writing this post). The mighty Mekong river has a huge influence to the landscape and the living here. Just sitting near it feels heavenly. The place used to exist as a large city in its heydays and then was an important military post for Thailand. It saw the Burmese army ransacking it many times and after a lot of wars, the entire city was burnt down and people moved elsewhere. Then, a century back, people from Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampong were asked to re-settle in this town and make it the town that it is today.


From Chiang Saen, if you look beyond the Mekong, you see the country of Laos, there are immigration checkpoints everywhere. If you wish, you can enter Laos by simply taking a 2 minute boat ride. For the Thailand government, it is an important base for import and export of goods from China and over the Mekong. For the tourists, it is the Golden triangle. For the locals, it is a sum total of all of the above. For me, it is one of my more favorite places in Thailand.

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Chiang Saen Lake: A Scenic place where you can see winter birds

A lot of tourists visit Chiang Saen as part of their day tour from Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai to visit the Golden triangle. But, if you are planning in Chiang Saen, do not miss the opportunity to explore the very calm and serene Chiang Saen Lake that is located about 5 kilometers from the town.


The lake is pretty large and its underground vegetable matter and fish variety attracts a lot of migratory birds from the north. When I was there yesterday, I saw storks, ducks, teals, plovers, water-hens and more. There are not too many birds like some of the birding sanctuaries, but enough to pique your attention.


It is also a great place for capturing sunset from the lake’s level. On certain days, you might be the only person watching the sunset at this lake. When I was there yesterday, I just had 2 local photographers giving me company. If you feel like solitude, this is a place you have to visit if you are in the golden triangle belt of Thailand.

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