• The unspoiled beauty and mystical charm of the Golden Triangle.
• Once-in-a-lifetime experience for guests who yearn for memorable adventure in Thailand’s formidable jungle.
• The intact culture of hill tribes in an area almost untouched by tourism or urbanisation.
The Whole Story
Overlooking the Ruak River of Burma, the mountains of Laos and the jungle of northern Thailand, the Four Seasons Tented Camp in the famous Golden Triangle of Thailand is an inspired travel experience that combines the luxury of a bygone era with the thrill of interacting with Thailand’s treasured national symbols (elephants).
Situated in the mountainous Chiang Rai province of northern Thailand, where the country borders Burma to the north and Laos to the east, this area is home to some of the most surreally beautiful mountain scenery in Asia, as well as being the home of some of Thailand’s oldest civilisations. At an average of 600m altitude, it is an area of rich coffee and tea plantations, intact verdant jungle and colourful hill tribes famed for their craft in jewellery, silverware and textiles.
Fifteen tents spaced at a discreet enough distance to ensure privacy are kitted out with hand-hammered copper bath tubs, massive outdoor decks and a luxurious interior that includes a separate living room area. Trekking with elephants is the order of the day, and guests return to a camp that recalls the spirit and style of 19th century expeditions.
Burma Bar, an open air thatched-roof lounge within site of the Elephant Camp and overlooking the Ruak River, is decorated with antique trekking and navigation equipment, maps, books, tribal antiques and overstuffed leather couches. It is a Ralph Lauren moment in the heart of the Golden Triangle’s formidable jungle, and it is a perfect venue to enjoy a spectacular sunset.
Dining is an important and integral part of the Chiang Rai tented camp experience. Guests share dining in locations that vary from day to day. Breakfast is served at Nong Yao – the camp’s restaurant – but lunch may be a picnic in the jungle and dinner could be an open air barbecue by a camp fire at Elephant Camp. Nong Yao restaurant is a thatched- roof, open air pavilion by the river with Thai, Laotian, Burmese and Western cuisine. With hurricane lamps, suede chairs and an open fire pit, the ambience is rustic and rugged, but the detail such as white linen, elegant porcelain and glassware and silver cutlery, is refined.
Set amidst the bamboo forests the spa at Four Seasons Tented Camp is all about rejuvenating and healing. The salas for treatment feature double treatment rooms, and the design is like the rest of the camp, rustic and natural.
The Rooms
Each guest is accommodated in a luxurious tent of 581 sq ft (54 sqm), fitted out in a rustic safari style with materials such as hardwoods, bamboo and leather. They are complete with open plan bathroom that includes a hand-hammered copper bath big enough for two.