Cultural & Scenic Adventure

Welcome to Thailand! Upon arrival, you will be greeted at Bangkok’s airport by our guide holding a sign with your name on it. The guide will accompany you to board a well-prepared private car with chauffeur for a comfortable ride to the hotel in the city center.

Accommodation: Movenpick Bangkok Sukhumvit 15

Our first destination today will be the Wat Pho, which houses the largest reclining Buddha in the world. We’ll get there early to attend the monks’ morning chanting ritual which begins at 9:00 am. Next, the guide will lead you to visit a must-see of Thailand, the Grand Palace. You will be amazed by the array of resplendent palaces and temples, especially the Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the national treasure of Emerald Buddha. Afterwards, we will arrange a riverside restaurant, Supatra River House, for you to enjoy a delicious Thai lunch.

★ Special Arrangement: Bangkok Walking Tour
In the afternoon, the guide will take you on an old town walking tour starting from the Bangkok Chinatown Square. We’ll stroll along the Yaowarat Road full of novel shops, drop by an antique teahouse to sip a cup of tea, and then head down Trok Leng Moi Eia to Talad Kao for an interesting local market. After that, visit a Taoist temple, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (Wat Leng Noei Yi), and end the walk.

Here, our driver will transfer you to the Ratchawong Pier for a cruise along the Khlong Bangkok Noi, during which you could enjoy the views along the banks and learn about the waterfront life of the Thai locals. The boat will take you to the final stop, the Wat Arun, where the guide will lead you to visit the temple’s imposing stupa to end the day.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Movenpick Bangkok Sukhumvit 15

In the morning, our guide and the driver will meet you at the hotel lobby, and we’ll drive to Ayutthaya. Upon arrival, we’ll first explore a series of ancient temples and ruins in the Ayutthaya Historical Park, a World Heritage site. Next, we’ll stop at the Muslim quarter and taste the popular snack of candy floss roti. If time permits, the guide will show you around some workshops to admire the traditional skills of the local handicrafts. Visit a local market and have lunch.

In the afternoon, we’ll arrange a long-tail boat to take you to the Bang Pa-In Palace, an ornate 17th-century palace that was once the summer residence of the Thai Kings. After visiting the palace by the Chao Phraya River, we’ll continue to explore the Wat Niwet Thammaprawat on an island in the river. It’s hard not to be captivated by the towering Gothic Revival architecture of this Buddhist temple. Finally, we will drive 2 hours to Uthai Thani and spend the night in a local hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Uthai River Lake

After breakfast, we will head up the mountain to visit the Wat Sangkat Rattana Khiri, for the magnificent bird’s eye view of Uthai Thani. Next, we’ll proceed to the Wat Chantaram (Wat Tha Sung) to see the dazzling Crystal and Golden Halls. Today’s lunch will be served on a distinctive rice barge while slowly cruising down the Sakae Krang River. After lunch, we’ll take a 2.5-hour ride by private car to Phitsanulok, and then visit the Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, the biggest temple in the city. Afterwards, we’ll continue our road trip to Sukhothai and stay overnight.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Sukhothai Heritage

After breakfast, our guide will first accompany you to the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, where you could learn about the centuries-old Sukhothai Kingdom through a variety of artworks and artifacts on display. Later, we’ll come to the highlight of the day, Sukhothai Historical Park, one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage sites. Follow the guide to see the ancient city walls and moats, as well as the ruins of famous temples such as the Wat Mahathat, Wat Si Sawai, Wat Sa Si, and Wat Trapang Thong, which offer a glimpse into the amazingly powerful empire of ancient Siam. In the late afternoon, we will return to the hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Sukhothai Heritage

After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive 1 hour northward to the Si Satchanalai Historical Park on the Yom River. Like the Sukhothai Historical Park, it has preserved temples and ruins from the 13th to 15th centuries AD, while many of the sites have not been restored and remain pristine. You can enjoy a quiet time at the park as there would be very few visitors. After lunch, our guide will take you to visit the weaving village at Ban Hat Siao. The original inhabitants of this village are the Thai Puan people, who had migrated from Laos for many years. Later, we will drive about 3.5 hours to Chiang Mai, known as the ‘Rose of the North’, to continue our 12-day Thailand tour. Upon arrival, check in to the hotel where we will be staying for three nights.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: The Rim

We will first travel to a farmhouse in Mae Rim on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. After a leisurely walk, the guide will lead you to board a long-tail boat and enjoy a 30-minute cruise along the Mae Ping River, during which you could see the traditional wooden houses on the banks. After disembarking, follow the guide to walk 10 minutes to the Waroros Market to see northern Thai locals shopping for food, vegetables and groceries.

★ What makes our service superior:
1. We have arranged a trishaw ride for you to experience the most traditional local means of transportation. The enthusiastic trishaw driver will take you past the ancient City Walls and through the city’s paths to the Wat Phra Singh, where you’ll take a guided tour.
2. For lunch, a local specialty, Khao Soy, will be prepared for you.

In the afternoon, let’s continue exploring the ancient Chiang Mai. After visiting the Wat Suan Dok and the historic Wat Jed Yot, the guide will accompany you on a local Songtaew car up a rugged dirt road to the Chang Khien Coffee Research Project, where you can sample a cup of local Arabica coffee. Next, we’ll head to the White Hmong Village of Chang Khien, where the 800 residents still wear their traditional hill tribe clothes and practice a culture that dates back 500 years. Finally, we’ll reach the hilltop Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of Chiang Mai’s most important temples, with a commanding position and the best panoramic view of the old city.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: The Rim

In the morning, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and start a journey to the Elephant Nature Park. Drive towards the hilly and forested area, we’ll reach the park in the scenic Mae Taeng Valley. A volunteer from the park will greet you and lead you and other participants of the Elephant Care Program to walk around the park, which offers a sanctuary for Thailand’s mistreated elephants since more than 20 years ago. After being taught about the rescue work and treatment of elephants, their habits and the threats to their natural habitat, we will get up close and personal with these gentle giant creatures. You could prepare food for the elephants, feed them, and even take a mud bath with them in the river if you like! At the end of the day, bid farewell to the elephants and be escorted back to the hotel in Chiang Mai.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: The Rim

After breakfast, take your luggage and check out. Today, our guide will accompany you to continue our in-depth exploration of northern Thailand. The driver will take us to Pai in the private car for about three hours. On the way, we’ll stop at the Mae Malai Market, a lively local market that sells everything from ingredients, food, clothes to toys. After a short rest, continue our car ride to Pai. As we approach, we’ll pass the Pai Memorial Bridge, where the guide will take you off for a stroll, and then pass through the Pai Canyon to reach the final destination of the day. Although the road is winding and far away, the remote mountain town of Pai will brighten your eyes the moment you see it, and give you the joy of inner peace. After checking into the hotel, you can take a short break and then spend the evenfall walking around.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Reverie Siam

After breakfast, you will enjoy the most scenic drive in Thailand, from Pai to Mae Hong Son. After around 1 hour, we will arrive at the Nam Lod Cave, a historic natural cave full of stalactites and columns. We have arranged an exciting activity for you to take a bamboo raft into the cave, during which you may encounter wildlife and unknown surprises. After lunch time, we’ll drive 1.5 hours to Mae Hong Son. Upon arrival, we will visit the Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, a temple that blends Thai and Shan architectural styles and is famous for its two large white stupas. Standing atop the Kong Mu Hill, it affords spectacular views of the whole valley where Mae Hong Son is nestled. We’ll watch the sunset here before transferring to the local hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Fern Resort

In the morning, our guide and the driver will take you to the longest bamboo bridge in Thailand, the Sutongpe Bridge, which leads to the Shan Buddha Statue on the top of the hill. Next, we’ll transfer to a hidden Chinese village - Moo Ban Rak Thai (Mae Aw), where you can see the perfect blend of Thai and Chinese culture. The people there lead a happy, contented, industrious and secluded life, making it like a utopia.

In the afternoon, the guide will lead you to visit the famous Ban Huai Suea Thao, a village of the Long Neck Tribe. You’ll see the local women and girls wearing bronze coils around their necks. Some wear so many coils that weigh more than 20 kilograms! The coils make their necks look so long that yours may be just half as long as theirs. If you don’t believe that, you can try comparing with them.

► Tip: In order to protect the special ethnic culture of the legendary long neck village and care for the women in this area, you can buy some textiles or souvenirs made by the local women according to your needs.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Fern Resort

Hope you’ve enjoyed your Thailand holiday! After breakfast, our guide and the driver will escort you in a 6-hour private transfer to the Chiang Mai Airport, where your flight to Bangkok will depart from. After arriving in Bangkok, you can transfer to your flight home or to your next destination, but be aware of which airport your next flight leaves from, as Bangkok has two airports – Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Mueang International Airport. Wish you a pleasant trip!

Meals Included: Breakfast

► If you need to extend your stay in Bangkok, or would like to travel to any other destinations, please contact us for customized travel solutions.