A completely different travel experience awaits visitors to Thailand's mountainous North where the climate is more temperate , magical morning mists are commonplace and winter evenings are quite chilly.

Chiang Mai, the former capital of the ancient Lanna Kingdom, is the region's principal city and is less than an hour's flight north of Bangkok (or overnight on a sleeper train). The city's distinctive eligious architecture , food dialect , festivals ( such as Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year celebrated each April ) , traditions, handicrafts, setting and customs make it quite different from anywhere else.

Visitors can savour Chiang Mai's historical past by taking a pedicab through ancient city streets to visit temples dating from the late 1200s; its mmediate environ by visiting the Doi Suthep mountain , setting for a royal winter palace , and a magnificent temple from where an exhilarating view of the Chaing Mai valley may be enjoyed ; its topography by elephant treks that visit jungle waterfalls and exotic hilltribe villages; and its fertile present by agro - tours that transport visitors to hillsides where, in orchards and plantations , everything apples to asparagus is cultivated in great abundance.

Chiang Rai, north of Chiang Mai , lies in the heart of the fabled Golden Triangle , the mountainous region where the borders of Thailand , Laos and Myanmar (Burma) converge. The area is populated by exotic hilltribes who live at altitudes above 3,000 feet.

Mae Hong Son, to the west, is completely isolated by mountains and has several Burmese -style temples of note. Mae Hong Son is principal center for elephant treks , river-raft and visits to hilltribe villages.

Sukhothai, site of the first independent Thai Kingdom, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and straddles the area where the northern and central region meet. Ruins dating from the late 13th century are dominated by massive stone Buddhas. Sukhothai is the favourite setting for the Loi Krathong (Festival of Lights) celebrated each November.