Is there an entrance fee at Choui Fong Tea Plantation?

No. Entry to Choui Fong is free and it opens daily from 08:30 to 17:30. You pay only for what you order at the cafe and for tea you buy to take home.

What is the best time of day to visit the Chiang Rai tea terraces?

Before 10:00 or between 15:00 and 16:00. Early morning gives an empty cafe deck and workers picking on the slopes, late afternoon gives long shadows across the terraces. Midday has flat light and the busiest cafe.

Entry to Singha Park is free. It is 13 km from Chiang Rai city and open 09:00 to 18:00. The farm tour tram costs 50 to 150 THB if you want it.

Chiang Rai Tea Plantation Route — Choui Fong & Singha Park (DIY Guide)

Q: How far is Choui Fong from Chiang Rai?

About 40 km north of Chiang Rai city, roughly 50 minutes by car. The final stretch narrows and climbs but is paved throughout.

Q: Can I get to Choui Fong by public transport?

No. There is no bus or songthaew service to the tea plantation. You need a car, a motorbike, a private driver, or a seat on a tour heading that way.

Route overview

Distance: ≈ 80 km round trip · Time: half to full day · Best transport: rental car or private driver. Roads are easy and flat except the last stretch to the tea fields.

Local honesty: there's no join tour built around this combination — and that's fine, because it's an easy self-drive day. If you don't drive, a half-day taxi charter works well.

09:00 — Choui Fong Tea Plantation
Morning light on the terraces

45–60 minutes north of the city. Walk the rows, take the photos, then matcha latte and the famous green-tea cake at the cliff-edge café. 1.5–2 hours.
11:30 — Country lunch on the way back
Roadside northern Thai food

The Mae Chan–Chiang Rai road has good local noodle and gai yang (grilled chicken) stops — half the price of tourist restaurants.
13:00 — Singha Park
Bikes, giraffes, tea fields part two

Southwest of the city. Free entry; rent a bike or take the farm tram (~50–150 THB). Lake views, zip line if you're feeling brave, good café. 2–3 unhurried hours.
16:30 — Sunset coffee
End at a viewpoint café

The hills west of Singha Park hide several cafés with rice-field views — a soft landing for the day.

Best ways to do this route

Option	Cost	Our take
Motorbike	~300 THB + fuel	OK for confident riders — flat roads, but 80 km in the sun
Rental car	~1,700–2,500 THB (rental + fuel)	The sweet spot for this route
Private driver	~2,000–2,500 THB/car	Easiest, good for families

Typical price ranges — please double-check locally.

Only want Choui Fong and short on days? It's included in the 1-day classic loop along with the temples and Golden Triangle.

Choui Fong without the drive

The tea hills are already on our day tour — ฿1,200 per person

Choui Fong sits about 50 minutes north of town, on roads that narrow near the top. Our small-group day tour stops there in the afternoon, when the light across the terraces is at its best — alongside the White and Blue Temples, the Black House and the Golden Triangle.

See the day tour — ฿1,200 Own car and driverJTTT Travel — TAT Licence 21/01119 · 5.0 from 156 Google reviews

Choui Fong, honestly

Choui Fong sits about 40 km north of Chiang Rai, roughly 50 minutes on roads that narrow and climb near the top. It is free to enter and open 08:30–17:30 daily. What you pay for is coffee, cake and tea to take home — which is the whole business model and nobody pretends otherwise.

The famous view is from the wooden deck of the hilltop café, looking down over terraces that run away in green stripes. It is as good as the photographs, with one caveat: by late morning in high season the deck is full and you queue for a table with a view.

Go before 10:00 and you get the deck, the light and the workers still picking on the slopes.
Go at 15:00–16:00 and you get long shadows across the terraces, which photograph better than midday.
Midday is the one to avoid — flat light, full café, hot walk.

The tea is the point. Buy it here rather than at the airport: the same oolong costs a fraction of the duty-free price, and they vacuum-seal it for you.

The other tea stop nobody mentions

101 Tea Plantation sits on the same stretch of road, is also free, opens 08:00–17:00, and has a fraction of the visitors. The terraces are smaller and the café is simpler, but on a busy Saturday it is the better hour.

Further up, Doi Mae Salong is a Yunnanese-Chinese village at 1,200 m where tea tastings are usually free if you buy something. It is another 40 minutes past Choui Fong and turns a half day into a full one — worth it if tea is genuinely why you came, not worth it if you are just after the view.

Stop	Distance from city	Fee	Hours
Choui Fong Tea Plantation	40 km · ~50 min	Free	08:30–17:30
101 Tea Plantation	~45 km	Free	08:00–17:00
Singha Park	13 km · ~20 min	Free entry; farm tram 50–150 THB	09:00–18:00
Doi Mae Salong	~65 km · ~1h30	Free	Village — always open

How to actually get there

This is the honest problem with the tea route: there is no public transport to Choui Fong. None. It is not a case of it being slow or awkward — the service does not exist.

Self-drive is the natural fit for this route. A rental car is 900–2,000 THB a day and the roads are good until the last few kilometres, which are narrow but paved.
A private driver at 2,000–2,800 THB for the car makes sense for three or four people who want to linger.
A join tour stops at Choui Fong in the afternoon as part of the wider loop — the cheapest way to see it if you are one or two people.
Motorbike works for confident riders; the climb is fine, the descent in the late afternoon with tired brakes is the part to think about.

Whichever you choose, this pairs naturally with the Golden Triangle to the north-east, since both lie in the same direction from the city. See getting around Chiang Rai for costs.

Tea route FAQ

Is there an entrance fee at Choui Fong?

No, entry is free. You pay only for what you order at the café and for tea you take home. It is open 08:30 to 17:30 every day.

How far is Choui Fong from Chiang Rai?

About 40 km north, roughly 50 minutes by car. The last stretch narrows and climbs but is paved throughout.

Can I get to Choui Fong by public transport?

No. There is no bus or songthaew service to the plantation. You need a car, a motorbike, a driver, or a seat on a tour going that way.

What is the best time of day to visit the tea terraces?

Before 10:00 or between 15:00 and 16:00. Early gives you an empty deck and pickers on the slopes; late afternoon gives long shadows across the terraces. Midday is flat light and a full café.

Is Singha Park worth adding?

Yes, and it is free to enter. It is only 13 km from the city, so it works as the afternoon half of this route or as a standalone morning. The farm tram is 50–150 THB if you want it.

Is Doi Mae Salong worth the extra drive?

If tea is genuinely why you came, yes — it is a Yunnanese village at 1,200 m with free tastings and a completely different feel. If you mainly wanted the terrace photograph, Choui Fong already gave it to you.

Tea Plantation & Countryside Route

Route overview

Morning light on the terraces

Roadside northern Thai food

Bikes, giraffes, tea fields part two

End at a viewpoint café