CHEAPEST THAILAND TRIP || 7 day Itinerary - Cost (2022)
Right now, I'm in India. My Thailand trip has come to an end. This time, I explored North Thailand. You may recollect, if you're not new to this channel, my last trip was about exploring a southern island of Thailand, Ko Pha-ngan.
We all know that for Indian tourists, Bangkok, Phuket, Pataya, are the most popular destinations in Thailand. On this trip, I wanted to explore something beyond this. And this time, the North of Thailand was on my bucket list. On this trip, I visited Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces.
Both are equally beautiful, with lots of greenery, amazing mountains, all very close to nature's lap. The hospitality and the culture of the locals were quite different. -Hi. -Do you speak Hindi? Yes, I do.
A little bit. -Do you speak Hindi as well? -Not much, just a little. People here have such smiling faces! Thank you. (Khap khun krap mak mak)
-Yeah, khap khun .. mak mak. -Right. I'm trying to learn the language. On this trip, I stayed with local people, I also stayed in temples. I put up in hostels. I explored the places on a rental bike. Based on the experiences of my trip, I have tried to prepare a 7-day itinerary for all of you.
If you wish to make the same trip, if you wish to explore Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai from a different perspective, you may follow this 7-day itinerary which will help you plan your trip wisely. And the most important aspect are the expenses involved in the trip. I have divided the expenses into two main groups. Budget travelers can make this trip in even less than 10,000 rupees. The other estimate is for those who can afford a bit more It's for those who can afford to rent a car for the entire trip.
For those who can afford to take a private room in hotels The approximate expenses for them works out to 30,000 rupees. I'm going to explain the 7-day tour program for both groups. How I traveled from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. How was my experience! In today's video, I'll be sharing all that in brief. I want to share something at the onset of the video.
The expenses which I explained, 10,000 and 30,000 for two different sets of travelers does not include some special expenses, and some of them are as follows. The cost of a 'Thailand Visa'. The to and fro flight fare from India to Thailand. And, the biggest additional expense currently is... the Test & Go package in SHA Extra Plus hotels. These costs have not been included.
The reason is that the cost depends upon the type of visa you take. There are 3 types of visas. There is a detailed video on this topic on the Tourist Helpline channel.
You can watch it over there. The cost varies from visa to visa. Then, we have the flight fares. India is now fully open to international flights with effect from 27th March 2022. All airlines would resume flights as it was before March, 2020. Perhaps in sale seasons, you may be lucky enough to find tickets cheap.
What's important to note is nowadays, availing the Test & Go package is mandatory. Gradually all these mandatory bindings would be lifted off. Perhaps, when you travel, these bindings might not exist at all. And so, I have excluded such costs. Let's start the video from Bangkok. Let's say, you have arrived in Bangkok.
From Bangkok, you can opt to visit Chiang Mai, either by train, bus, or flight. If you're a budget traveler, let me tell you, the train fare is 231 Baht. I'll list the expenses incurred in Thai Baht.
The cost of 1 Thai Baht in Indian Rupees today is ₨ 2.25 or 2.30 approx. You may also avail flights which are generally cheap these days. Early booking is always better. Though I booked just 2-3 days earlier, still, I got it at a cheaper price. That's because there are numerous flights between Chiang Mai and Bangkok. You can get the flight ticket in less than 700 Thai Baht.
After reaching Chiang Mai, what you'd need is - accommodation. Affordable hostels are available in Chiang Mai. Budget travelers can book them for as low as 73 Baht Let's now come to the food part. A budget traveler can very easily manage a 3 square meal in about 100 Thai Baht. This is from my own experience. A one-time meal would normally cost 30 Baht.
I could get it in just 30 Baht at a restaurant there. I'm talking about vegetarian meals. If you buy food from '7 Eleven' or any other supermarket, it would be cheaper That's when you fetch groceries and cook in the hostel. For eg you can buy oats, bread, eggs, milk, etc. In Thailand, you can easily manage a 3 square meal in about 100 Baht. If you can afford some luxury, if you can spend some more money, you can very well manage within 180-200 Baht for all your three meals.
Again, that's when you wish to have restaurant food for all your meals. I had Pad Thai (Thai style Fried Noodles), I also tried Mango Sticky Rice. I also tried different vegetarian dishes. You can see those in detail in this series. As I kept proceeding, I discovered something new every day. The place where I had food, the place where I stayed, the cost of a rental bike, its condition, the place from where one can rent it, all the nitty-gritty is explained in this video series.
The videos from 'Tourist Helpline' channel are also included in this playlist. These videos are very helpful and contains information like, how to obtain a Thai visa, how to book SHA Extra Plus Hotels, etc, etc. You can get all such information from the playlist.
Let's start Day 2 in Chiang Mai. First of all, you can explore the old city area of Chiang Mai. There's an old city there. Chiang Mai is the biggest city in Northern Thailand. It's also the ancient capital of Thailand.
It's an old city with old culture, surrounded by walls on all sides, just like Purani Delhi (Old Delhi) of India. Chiang Mai is basically a walled city. The city houses a few very famous temples, which includes Wat Phra Singh, and Wat Chedi Luang.
These are very famous Buddhist temples. Not to mention, the entire Chiang Mai city is surrounded by so many temples. The temples have been constructed in Buddhist style. You are sure to find temples at every nook and corner of the city. But you'll find these two temples within the vicinity of the old city.
After your day's start from here, you can move ahead to Doi Suthep. This is a temple perched on a mountain top. After that, you may proceed to Doi Kham. The specialty of this temple is the 'Ardhanarishvara' This is a form of the Hindu deity, Shiva, combined with his consort, Parvati. There was an idol of Ganesh Ji. (Hindu god) And also the idols of other Hindu gods and goddesses.
The style of worship was similar to that followed in Hinduism. It's just like how we worship in India. Don't miss the taste of the street foods. I also tried some of them. Saturdays and Sundays are market days. Markets are flooded with tourists on these days. If you happen to be there on Saturdays or Sundays, do try to get that experience.
You may buy some souvenirs as well. I bought some kurtas from the market. Thai styled dresses are available at very reasonable prices. The price ranges from 150 Baht and can go further as per your budget. Oh, I forgot to mention an important tip. You can rent a bike to explore the city.
You can even rent a car, depending upon your budget. The bike rent is approximately 200 Baht per day. This rent is for a period of 24 hours.
Say, you rent a bike at 12 noon, then, for 200 Baht, the bike is yours till 12 noon of the next day. The same rule applies to cars also. The car rent is about 700 Baht for 24 hours. Car rental services are available at many places, like, airports, city agencies, or online travel agencies like kayak.com. Hiring cars for a longer duration would reduce your rental cost per day. The 720 Baht I'm talking about, is the cost on a per-day basis.
This cost will reduce if you hire for a longer period. You're all set to proceed to Doi Inthanon on the 3rd day of your journey. This mountain is the highest peak in Thailand. The round-trip starting from Chiang Mai... I started my trip in the morning and returned in the evening. It's up to you to travel by rented bike or car.
I was accompanied by a gentleman whom I met and became friendly with. While it's hot and humid in Chiang Mai, the weather is cool and pleasant in Doi Inthanon, because it's the highest point. The area is surrounded by jungles and lush greenery. You can enjoy trekking there. You can enjoy hiking or enjoy the day on your own.
By the time you'd return from Doi Inthanon, it would be late evening. Now, let's talk about the expenses. 200 Baht for renting the bike. About 700 Baht for renting the car.
The petrol cost for traveling 250 km, covering Chiang Mai-Doi Inthanon round trip, would be about 250 Baht in bike. And in a car, the cost would be about 670 Baht, if the car gives you an average of 15 kilometers per liter. Coming back to Chiang Mai, you'd get the hostel for about 73 Baht.
Hotel rooms are also easily available for about 1300 Baht or even less. Day 4 was a very lovely day for me. On this trip, I wanted to experience something new, which is generally not done by foreigners when they visit Thailand. I wanted to explore Mae Kampong. Mae Kampong is an offbeat destination, especially for foreigners.
Thai tourists prefer going there, but, foreigners don't. An amazingly beautiful place. A round trip from Chiang Mai to Mae Kampong would be around 120 kilometers. A complete wooden village, with so many wooden houses, constructed on the lush green mountain slopes. A display of superb architecture.
I had an amazing stay there. The people were so polite and hospitable. If you're a budget traveler, I would like to share a piece of advice.
After enjoying a bike ride to Mae Kampong after visiting the mountains and the woods after enjoying the local food at restaurants. what you can do is... Come back to Chiang Mai in the evening One of the reasons being non-availability of hostels in Mae Kampong.
It's a bit difficult to find budget accommodation there. If you can afford a little bit of luxury, or semi-luxury, or can spend some more to stay overnight, I would recommend you to go for homestays. This is what I did when I visited Mae Kampong. The average cost of homestays is about 800-1000 Baht per day. Comfort-wise, homestays are okay.
The cost includes a two-time meal also. I opted for vegetarian food over there. My stay there was with a very good family. Not to mention, the landscapes are so amazing. This round trip distance is about 110 kilometers. The petrol cost for traveling 110 kilometers...
I have worked out the average mileage of a bike and that is 40 kilometers. Though, bikes like Honda Cliq, with 110-125 cc power, and bikes likewise, generally, run an average of 50-60 kilometers per liter. That means, I am giving a higher estimate of the cost. You can definitely cover this trip in about 10,000 rupees or even less.
So, talking of expenses, let's assume it's 110 Baht in a bike. The petrol cost for cars giving an average of 15 kilometers per liter, would generally come to 295 Baht for the round trip. After day 4, after completing the Mae Kampong trip, you would have finally returned to Chiang Rrr... Mai. I get confused because of their similar names Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are the two vast provinces here. Both are equally historical. Anyways, you are in Chiang Mai to start day 5.
You can spend day 5 for local sightseeing. Chiang Mai is a very big city. after that take a local bus in the evening to Chiang Rai The travel time is about 3-4 hours and the cost is 180 Baht. Tickets can be booked online or you can even do a spot purchase. Tickets can also be booked in 7-Eleven shops, that's what I did. Please watch the series for more details.
You can cross Mae Kampong and go further in your rental bike or car. Now, let's talk about the petrol cost. The distance to Chiang Rai is about 230 kilometers, if you're traveling from Mae Kampong. So, the cost of petrol would be roughly, 230 Baht in a bike, and a car would cost you about 613 Baht. I am at Chiang Rai bus station. The time right now is 5:30 p.m. The bus departed at 2 p.m from Chiang Mai
After about 3 and a 1/2 hours, the bus dropped me at the Chiang Rai bus stop. Let me brief you, if you're a budget traveler, please bear in mind that the hostels in Chiang Rai are not as cheap as Chiang Mai. I have already mentioned that in Chiang Mai, hostels are available at just 73 Baht per day. In Chiang Rai, the hostel cost me 119 baht. After reaching Chiang Mai on day 5, you can visit the clock tower area in the evening. and explore the city on your own Chiang Rai is a small city as compared to Chiang Mai.
It's the northernmost province, and tourist footfalls are comparatively less. Your day 6 is full of amazing surprises for you. Apart from local sightseeing in Chiang Rai, you are about to see something amazing.
White, blue, and black, are the three spectacular temples here. The black one, you can say, is like a museum. Some people don't like to visit because it's a museum.
Let me share a very important tip. You can avail a free city tour over there. What is this free ride? How to avail it? The details can be seen in my upcoming videos of this series. Thank you. Apart from the free city tour, you can rent a bike or a car.
The cost for a bike and car rental is the same. I wanted to explore village life, and so I rented a bike for 200 Baht. I set off to explore the Golden Triangle.
Golden Triangle is basically a place from where, you can see Laos, Myanmar and Thailand of course, that's where you are right now. The wonder of the Golden Triangle is, the meeting of these 3 countries. After visiting the Golden Triangle, I moved ahead to Mae Sai. Mae Sai is a border check post area. Mae Sai is the northernmost district of Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand. The town of Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar.
I spent some time there and explored. You can also do so on your bike or car. My next destination was Mae Salong. Again, that's an off-beat location. Domestic tourism is popular there, but hardly any foreigners prefer going there.
The tea gardens, the mountains, everything here is so beautiful. And the best part is, the people there are amazingly nice. One can feel that superb hospitality.
I stayed out in a temple, because I wanted to do something offbeat. I was accompanied by a dear friend. You can see that in my coming videos. You may opt to stay in hostels and hotels.
Hostels are generally not available in the Mae Salong area. Hotels are of course available, and the cost would be about 270 Baht. For 270 Baht, you can put up a one-night stay in Mae Salong. Hostels are not available over here.
For a budget traveler, a 3 square meal can be easily available for 100 Baht. On a higher side, 180 or 200 Baht would give you a better experience. Rest all are your additional expenses and that has no limits.
Let's talk about the petrol cost. Let's say you start early morning from Chiang Rai. After visiting the 3 temples en-route and after exploring Golden Triangle, you proceed to Mae Sai and Mae Salong.
The day-long journey covers a distance of about 180 kilometers. The petrol cost would be about 180 Baht in the bike. A car would cost you about 480 Baht. Finally, it's day 7. This is supposed to be your last day as per my itinerary.
This is the day when you'll leave for Chiang Rai from Mae Salong. And now, from Chiang Rai, it's time to travel back to Bangkok. It's an early morning start in a rental bike or car, from Mae Salong to Chiang Rai. The travel distance is about 55 kilometers.
And the traveling time is about one to one and a half hours. The petrol cost would be about 55 Baht in the bike, and about 150 Baht in the car. After reaching Chiang Rai, I opted for a night bus.
That's how I reached Bangkok. The bus fare from Chiang Rai to Bangkok cost me about 689 Baht. You can opt to travel by air also. The lowest fare these days, what I can see right now, is 690 Baht.
So, with an extra of just 1 Baht, 2.5 rupees, you can travel by air. although, such a budget Air travel do have luggage restrictions. whereas buses don't charge extra for your luggage The cost of an overnight stay in a hostel or a hotel can be adjusted in the overnight bus journey. These are AC buses and quite comfortable also.
Just like the Volvo coaches we have in India. Reaching Bangkok is the end of your Thailand trip. You are now free to do what you want to.
You can travel back to India by flight, by walk or by whatever means. Those expenses are totally on you. So, this video was all about... What all did I see? How you can make it in less than 10,000? If you want a bit more luxury, that's possible at the cost of about 30 to 35 thousand. That's enough for 2 people also. Stay connected. The series has begun!
2022-04-05 22:59
