Day : 1
Arrive Bangkok (3 Nights)
Number of Days : 1
Welcome to Bangkok. Transfer to your centrally located riverside hotel and relax before meeting your Travel Director and fellow guests for a Welcome Reception drink with local appetisers.Welcome Reception
Day : 2
Bangkok Sightseeing
Number of Days : 1
For the early risers, start your day with a visit to Lumpini Park to join the locals and learn the basic principles of T'ai Chi, a Cultural Insight. Alternatively, enjoy a leisurely start to the day before joining your fellow travellers on your City Tour, starting with a visit to Bangkok's most well-known fruit and flower market, Pak Klong Talad. Next visit the Grand Palace, which served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th to the mid 20th century. The most famous building in the palace grounds is Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. Afterwards visit Wat Pho, Bangkok's oldest temple, which features the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. Wat Pho is also famous for Thailand's first University, and is a centre for traditional Thai massage. Enjoy a Thai massage, a Cultural Insight, in the grounds of the temple. Later cross the river to visit Wat Arun with its impressive ceramic covered pagoda. Have some free time this evening to relax or take part in an Optional Experience. Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Day : 3
Bangkok
Number of Days : 1
Today learn the secrets of traditional Thai recipes in a cooking class with a Local Specialist located in a charming Thai style house with wooden décor and furnishings. Before the start of the class visit a local market to buy fresh ingredients. Discover the exotic fruits and vegetables found in Thailand that will be used to prepare the meal, a Cultural Insight. Later enjoy the various exciting dishes you have prepared. Spend the afternoon and evening at leisure or opt to join an Optional Experience.Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Day : 4
Bangkok – Damnoen Saduak – Kanchanaburi (2 Nights)
Number of Days : 1
Make an early start this morning to travel to the famous floating fruit and vegetable market at Damnoen Saduak and arrive there before the crowds. The colourfully clad merchants at this lively market paddle along the congested canals in sturdy canoes, laden with fresh fruit and vegetables to sell to shoppers on the banks. En route make a short stop at a coconut palm sugar plantation and discover how the farmer extracts the sap from the palm trees to eventually be turned into sugar, a Cultural Insight. After lunch at a local restaurant head to Kanchanaburi and the Hellfire Pass, a section of the Thailand-Burma Railway. It was built during Second World War under very difficult conditions and said to have resembled hell on earth. Then transfer to your hotel for dinner and a relaxing evening.Buffet Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 5
Kanchanaburi Sightseeing
Number of Days : 1
After a leisurely morning visit the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum, a facility dedicated to presenting the history of the famous railway line. It was built during the second world war by the Imperial Japanese army, using Allied prisoners of war alongside Asian labourers. Visit the War Cemetary, the final resting place for over 6,000 Allied prisoners before reaching the world famous Bridge over the River Kwai. After lunch board the train for your Cultural Insight, a thrilling ride across wooden viaducts offering fantastic scenery along the Kwai River. Dinner this evening is in a local restaurant. Buffet Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 6
Kanchanaburi – Ayutthaya – Sukhothai (2 Nights)
Number of Days : 1
After breakfast leave Kanchanaburi heading north towards Sukhothai, the ancient capital city of Old Siam. On the way visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya which was the 2nd most important ancient capital of Old Siam, built after the fall of Sukhothai. Visit the remains of this historic city founded in 1350, which was one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a centre of global commerce. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and continue your journey through the beautiful Thai countryside to Sukhothai. This evening during dinner experience an authentic Thai cultural dance in an open-air theatre at the hotel.Buffet Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 7
Sukhothai Sightseeing
Number of Days : 1
Start the day with a visit to the Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of the other, much larger ancient capital of Thailand founded in 1238. See thousands of years of history in this extensive and elaborate park and find the temple with the 15 metre seated Buddha secreted away amongst the trees. Your choice of exploring the large area by bicycle or on the internal tram which services the historical park. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before visiting the village of Natonchan where the community started an eco-tourism project. Interact with the local people, meet one of the elders to learn about doll making and the typical 'mud soaked clothes' worn by the villagers, a Cultural Insight. The local woven cotton clothes soaked in mud to make them waterproofed and excellent for working in the fields. Later return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Day : 8
Sukhothai – Chiang Mai (3 Nights)
Number of Days : 1
Depart early this morning with a stop at the unique temple of Wat Prathat Lampang Luang built on the site of an 8th century fortification that guarded the routes to Lampang. The temple has been preserved in it's original state from the 15th century, whereas many Thai temples have been renovated to conform to modernity. Stop for a visit at a local market before continuing to your Be My Guest experience in a typical stilt house where the family will welcome you for a northern Thai style lunch. Continue to Chiang Mai and check in at the hotel. Later visit Wat Doi Suthep one of Thailand's most sacred temples and observe the chanting of the monks at sunset; a magical experience. This evening is yours to enjoy at your own pace.Buffet Breakfast, Be My Guest Dining
Day : 9
Chiang Mai Sightseeing
Number of Days : 1
This morning meet the kids and teachers at a local school before continuing with a city tour of Chiang Mai. Visit the temple of Wat Suan Dok and take part in a talk with a local monk about Buddhism, a Cultural Insight. Later enjoy a cyclo ride around the old city walls which are still mostly intact. This afternoon enjoy some free time for shopping, exploring further or alternatively participate in an Optional Experience - the choice is yours.Buffet Breakfast
Day : 10
Chiang Mai Free Time – Sightseeing
Number of Days : 1
Spend the morning at leisure or choose to join an Optional Experience. Later visit the handicraft villages in the Sankamphaeng district of Chiang Mai, which has long been known as the heart of the handicraft industry. Many of Thailand's major producers are here and all the traditional crafts such as the famous umbrella and fan making can be found. This evening have a delightful Farewell Dinner with your fellow companions and Travel Director at a local restaurant.Buffet Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Day : 11
Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai (3 Nights)
Number of Days : 1
Depart this morning for Chiang Rai and en route visit an Ahka village, a Cultural Insight. The Akha are known for their bright headdresses and are among the poorest of Thailand's ethnic minorities. Visit Doi Tung a pilgrimage site for Thai, Shan and Chinese Buddhists and once a cultivating site for opium. The Doi Tung Development Project was initiated by the late Princess Mother of Thailand to help the struggling local people to educate and empower themselves to be economically self-reliant. Take a stroll through the beautifully landscaped flower garden at the villa. Make a brief stop at the unique white temple of Wat Rong Khun before continuing to Chiang Rai and your hotel for a relaxing evening.Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Day : 12
Chiang Rai
Number of Days : 1
Today start the day with a City Tour of Chiang Rai visiting some of its amazing sights like the Clock Tower and Wat Phra Kaew. Afterwards visit the little known village of Banyafu where the houses are made of wood and bamboo and the Lahu hilltribe people live their lives according to their traditions, a Cultural Insight. Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Day : 13
Chiang Rai
Number of Days : 1
This morning visit Chiang Saen, the former capital of the first Thai Lanna Kingdom. Travel by boat on the Mekong River towards the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos converge. Stop in Laos and visit the Don Sao Island Markets, which have an abundance of local handicrafts. After lunch visit the Hall of Opium, situated in the heart of the Golden Triangle, which provides an excellent Cultural Insight into the opium trade, so prevalent in this area over the past century. Later return to your hotel in Chiang Rai.Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Day : 14
Depart Chiang Rai
Number of Days : 1
Transfer to Chiang Rai Airport for your onward flight.Buffet Breakfast
