Author's Temple
White Temple
The White Temple of Chiang Rai, the work in progress of the painter Chalermchai Kositpipat: the bridge of hands, the ubosot of plaster and mirrors, the murals with pop icons and the golden toilet building.
Chiang Rai, Thailand
Chiang Rai Audio Guide
Walk Chiang Rai with 28 audio stops narrated by experts. From Chalermchai Kositpipat's White Temple to Thawan Duchanee's Black House and the Mekong confluence, every place explains how an old Lanna city became the workshop of its artists.
- ~6h of audio
- 6 routes · 28 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English
Coming soon
- 6Landmarks
- 28Audios
- ~6hOf narration
6 audio guides in Chiang Rai
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Contemporary temple
Blue Temple
The Blue Temple of Chiang Rai, finished in 2016 by Sala Nok: a sky-blue and gold vihara, sharp-fanged nagas, a 6.5-metre pearl-white Buddha and a relic stupa.
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Art museum
Black House
Thawan Duchanee's estate-museum on the outskirts of Chiang Rai: some 40 black timber pavilions, the Mahawihan hall, tables with horn chairs, the triangular Tri Phum house and an elephant skeleton.
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Discovery of the Emerald Buddha
Wat Phra Kaew
The temple in central Chiang Rai where the Emerald Buddha appeared in 1434: the gilded octagonal chedi, the great bronze Buddha Phra Chao Lan Thong and the jade Phra Yok that arrived in 1991.
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Three-country border
Golden Triangle
Three-border viewpoint at Sop Ruak, Chiang Rai: the confluence of the Ruak and the Mekong, the 15-metre gilded Buddha on its boat, the chedi of Doi Pu Khao and the Hall of Opium.
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Contemporary Buddhist temple
Wat Huay Pla Kang
A Buddhist temple raised since 2005 north of Chiang Rai: the 69-metre white Guanyin with a chamber in its head, the nine-storey chedi and the white ubosot, sustaining an orphanage and a hospital.
Chiang Rai Audio Guide
What to see in Chiang Rai with the EarGuide audio guide
A saying circulates in Thailand that sums up Chiang Rai in two painters: “Chalerm sawan, Thawan narok”, Chalermchai the heaven, Thawan the hell. South of the city, the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun, is the work that Chalermchai Kositpipat has been rebuilding at his own expense since 1997 in plaster and mirrors, with a bridge of begging hands and a hell of pop icons painted inside. To the north, the Black House gathers some forty blackened timber pavilions that Thawan Duchanee raised between 1975 and 2014, with tables of buffalo horn and an elephant skeleton. Beside the Kok River, the Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, is the sky-blue and gold vihara of Sala Nok, Chalermchai's disciple, finished in 2016. In the centre, Wat Phra Kaew keeps the chedi where the Emerald Buddha now guarded in Bangkok appeared in 1434, and Wat Huay Pla Kang, raised since 2005 on the ruins of an abandoned monastery, lifts a white Guanyin 69 metres tall with a lift to its head. And in the Chiang Saen district, at Sop Ruak, the Golden Triangle looks out over the confluence of the Ruak and the Mekong, the old opium crossroads where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos face one another.
With the EarGuide Chiang Rai audio guide, every place reveals its history through professional narration prepared by guides who know the city and the history of northern Thailand inside out. Unlike a free walking tour or a conventional guided visit, you set the pace, the order and the stops. No groups, no timetables, no internet connection.
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No internet needed
Download the routes before you head out and explore without using data.
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Smart geolocation
The narration starts by itself when you reach the point of interest.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Chiang Rai audio guide
How much does the Chiang Rai audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Chiang Rai audio guide includes 6 independent routes with about six hours of professional narration spread across 6 sites and 28 audio stops, and it is found inside the app itself.
Do I need an internet connection to use the audio guide?
No. EarGuide works entirely offline. Download the routes over WiFi before you set out and you can use the audio guide with no connection and no data use throughout your tour of Chiang Rai. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Chiang Rai audio guide available in?
The Chiang Rai audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with professional narration prepared by guides and experts in the history of Chiang Rai and of northern Thailand.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 6 independent routes with about six hours of narration in total, from 40 to 90 minutes per route. They are designed to be spread over two or three days: you can do them separately or string together the ones that lie close, such as Wat Phra Kaew and the Blue Temple, in a single outing.
Is the audio guide better than a free walking tour or a guided visit?
They are different experiences. The EarGuide audio guide lets you explore Chiang Rai without timetables or groups, pause and resume whenever you like, and replay any explanation as often as you need. It suits independent travellers, families and anyone who prefers to understand the city at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of Thailand.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Chiang Rai audio guide covers 6 main sites: the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten), the Black House (Baan Dam Museum), Wat Phra Kaew, the Golden Triangle and Wat Huay Pla Kang, with stops that range from the White Temple's bridge of hands to the chedi where the Emerald Buddha appeared and the Mekong confluence.
Can I do it all on foot?
No: the sites are spread around the surroundings of the city. Wat Phra Kaew, in the centre, is about 2 km in a straight line from the Blue Temple, and Wat Huay Pla Kang about 5 km. The White Temple lies some 12 km to the south and the Black House some 10 km to the north, so it is best to get there by car, taxi or motorbike. The Golden Triangle, in the Chiang Saen district, is more than 50 km away in a straight line: it is a half-day excursion.
Can I use a purchase in the other EarGuide apps or on another phone?
Yes. Purchases belong to your EarGuide account, not to one app or one phone. A city unlocked in the EarGuide app is also unlocked in that city's own app, and the other way round, on both iPhone and Android. Just sign in with the same account on the other device. The store's “restore purchases” button only covers the app the purchase was made in, so signing in is what carries it across.
Download the Chiang Rai audio guide free
The Chiang Rai audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the city at your own pace.
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