Central & Northern Thailand Boutique Experience 10 Days

Upon arrival at Bangkok Airport, our guide greets you and transports you to your hotel in town and the rest of the day is your own leisure

Half day Grand Palace Tour

Now you’re ready for the City of Angels! Starting after breakfast at your hotel, we will visit the Grand Palace, the “must see” attraction in Bangkok. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, situated in the Grand Palace complex, otherwise known as Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as the most sacred temple in the kingdom. It is home to the Emerald Buddha, a stunning carving from one single jade stone. The former residence of the King, the Grand Palace, adjoins the temple and is well worth a visit. A fascinating combination of Thai and classical European architecture, it features within its grounds a depiction of the Ramakien, a mythical battle between good and evil, painted in the tiniest, most exquisite detail on a set of murals, each one of them several meters high. Unmissable! This tour ends around lunchtime and you’re taken back to your hotel. Now you can dive in and make the most of the sights, sounds, street food, fabulous shopping and the sheer, happy-go-lucky friendliness of the people that make Bangkok a unique, world class city.

Evening Food Tour by Tuk Tuk

In the evening, experience the fun of riding around in a Tuk Tuk to discover Bangkok’s magical atmosphere at night. We will cruise past Bangkok’s Old City historical attractions, illuminated and pretty against the dark sky. See, smell, and hear Bangkok as the locals do. The first stop is at a Northeastern Thai restaurant where we will share famous dishes from the region. Our next stop is chicken crispy noodles, with a choice of runny or well-cooked eggs. Go behind the scenes to see how it's made in the alley kitchen. Get your camera ready for the moment the Wok is on Fire! Explore the amazing flower market with its vivid colors, this market really comes to life at night and try some local snacks. Visit a magnificent temple for a unique night-time perspective to see the temple spires glistening in the night light. Seeing the illuminated pagodas at night is a magical experience. Our last stop is Bangkok's best and famous Pad Thai noodles dish. We will skip the long queue and go right in. The tour finishes by or close to midnight with the Tuk Tuk dropping you off at your hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, you have a full day at leisure to discover Bangkok on your own or to take one of the many optional excursions below.

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and drive to Kanchanaburi. 

Your first visit for today is the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre an interactive museum, where you’ll find information dedicated to preserving the history of this grand old railway. Then you carry on to the Allied War Cemetery where you can pay respect to the 6,982 allied prisoners of war who perished during the railway’s construction. Next, you visit to the world famous Bridge over the River Kwai, a part of Death Railway constructed by Allied POWs in World War II and had seen its share of conflict and bloodshed, followed by a delicious lunch at the local resturant. 

After lunch, let’s make once-in-a-lifetime journey, taking in the sights of spectacular landscapes and modern marvels from behind the window, as you travel on the train that ride along the famous Death Railway. The highlight is the stretch of line along the wooden trestle bridge that was built by Allied prisoners of war at a great cost. 

Continue on road to visit the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre, a small gallery lays out the history of the Burma-Thailand railway under chronological and thematic headings, explaining the rationale for the railway, the way in which it was constructed and the hardship experienced by those who worked on it. You can descend the long set of stairs behind the museum to Hellfire Pass Memorial Walking Trail following the original rail bed.

The tour ends in the late afternoon, and you’re transferred to Phutakien pier and board a longtail boat to your floating resort to relax and stay overnight. Day 4: Bangkok – Kanchanaburi Valid for travel from: 01 April 2023 – 31 March 2024 Multi Day Tour Tariff 2023/24 (PT1-THB) The resort actually floats on the Kwai Noi River, and surrounded by stunning green jungle where you can enjoy panoramic views of the amazing scenery from the terrace. Your dinner is served here at the Floating restaurant.

Enjoy your breakfast with the view of fertile mountains and tropical gardens. 

After breakfast, you board a longtail boat to the Mon Tribal Village, where the Mon people have lived for generations. In the village, the Mon still live a traditional, simple life. They make almost no use of electricity, and the little bit they use is from solar power. The village has been adapted a bit to tourism, with the people selling traditional skirts and foods to their visitors. While walking through the village, you also see the Golden Rock, the Buddha image cave, the village school and the traditional houses on poles. Then continure a short walking on an easy jungle trail along the River bank to get to the stunning viewpoint of River Kwai. 

Then your tranboard the longtail boat back to your resort and enjoy the rest of the day at your own leisure. Your lunch and dinner is included at the Floating restaurant.

After breakfast, it’s time to check-out and board the longtail boat downstream to the mainland pier. Then, proceed by road to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport where you will board a flight to Chiang Mai. 

 Chiang Mai, known as the “Rose of the North”, is one of the most interesting cities in the Kingdom of Thailand. Although classed as a city, Chiang Mai is relatively small and more like a town. As the former capital of the ancient Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai is culturally very rich and has an abundance of temples and fascinating northern Thai architecture. 

Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, you will be met by our local guide and then transferred to your hotel in town. The rest of the day is yours own leisure to discover the historic walled city of Chiang Mai on your own or book an optional excursion.

This morning we will learn about the Asian elephants at one of the best-chosen elephant sanctuaries. You will be picked up from your Chiang Mai town hotel, admire the views of beautiful mountains crossed by spectacular roads as you drive through picturesque countryside to Mae Taeng District to visit a sanctuary and rescue center for elephants. On the way you will hear the personal stories of some rescued elephants as told by one of the park’s expert guides. At the park you will have the opportunity to spend time with the various herds. Many of these elephants have left behind a traumatic past and for the first time are able to form relationships with other elephants and rediscover their elephant nature. One of the highlights is to hand fruit and vegetables to the elephants from the viewing platform and observe the incredible giants as they roam the park with their family groups and walk around the park in smaller groups. You can expect to have some wonderful photo opportunities during this time. No riding and bathing activities in the park so you can focus on spending quality time observing and being with the different herds, and other rescued animals enjoying the natural surroundings of the sanctuary. Volunteers and visitors contribute to the animals' healing while learning about their lives. 

Note: • Elephant care activities included roundtrip transfer is based on a join-in basis.

After breakfast at the hotel, it’s now time to hit the road for Chiang Rai, with a stop at Wat Rong Khun, known as the White Temple. In our opinion, this is one of the most amazing places in Thailand, which is quite a statement, but it truly is a breathtaking site, with simply stunning architecture and lots of unusual, quirky aspects. You’ll see images from modern days alongside the more traditional Buddhist icons you’d expect. It’s quite an experience to see those carved depictions of the likes of Michael Jackson and Neo from The Matrix! The temple was built this century and was hit by an earthquake in 2008, but almost miraculously survived intact. Your lunch is included at the local restaurant. Then you’re transferred to your hotel in town. After checking in, there’s time to relax and get settled.

Meet our local guide in the hotel lobby after breakfast. Then it’s time for a trip to Doi Mae Salong, the scenic mountainous villages in this area were founded by Kuomintang soldiers who fled China after the victory of communist party in 1949 and made shelter here. It is nowadays home to ethnic hill tribes and will grant you spectacular views and insight into their rich hill tribe culture and traditions. The Akha people are famous for their very exotic and beautiful costumes, and they can be seen in many towns in Thailand selling their unique handicrafts. The Yao hill tribes hail from the southern region of China and at one time had considerable prestige in the Chinese Empire. 

After lunch at the local restaurant, the tour then heads to The Hall of Opium to learn the history of the opium trade; a trade that was once so valuable and prized, it was the cause of major wars between the superpowers of an earlier era, followed by an exploration of the Golden Triangle where the Ruak and Mekong rivers meet to form the border between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, hence the name. From the Tibetan Plateau the mighty Mekong runs through China and all the way through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam and eventually into the South China Sea. It's a memorably majestic sight! 

The last visit is to the small town of Mae Sai, a major border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar. There are numerous shopping opportunities at local flea markets to buy locals handicrafts at very competitive prices. Locally made heady fruit wines and liquors are for sale here. Especially coveted among locals is the locally brewed corn whiskey. Then return to your hotel to relax and stay overnight.

Your last day starts with breakfast at the hotel. At the arranged time, you will be transferred to Chiang Rai Airport for your flight to the next destination.