Overnight International flight to Bangkok

Upon arrival in Bangkok, airport reception and transfer to the hotel. Depending on arrival time, spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

After breakfast, drive to Wat Pho in time to experience the monks' morning chanting ritual. One of the oldest and most extensive temples in Bangkok, Wat Pho is home to the famous 45m Reclining Buddha. It is also the original school of traditional Thai massage. Next, visit the Grand Palace, the most important and spectacular royal palace in Thailand. The palace is an architectural wonder of golden stupas, walls and pillars encrusted in shining and colorful mosaics. Previously the residence of the Kings of Thailand, there are multiple palaces within the complex which were used for different occasions; including the beautiful Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the most revered Buddha image in Thailand: The Emerald Buddha. Continue with a walk to the public ferry pier for a short boat ride to Wat Arun, once the grand royal temple to King Rama II. After exploring, eat lunch (not included).


Then proceed with a visit to Vimanmek Mansion, the largest teakwood mansion in the world. Also referred to as Teakwood Palace, it was built in 1900 by King Rama V as part of the Dusit Palace Complex. In 1982, Queen Sirikit was granted permission from King Rama IX to renovate the building for use as a museum. Today, the museum holds an impressive collection of photographs, personal art, and handicrafts that were all personally collected by King Rama V.


Continue with a visit to the Thai-style house of Jim Thompson, the legendary American businessman who came to Thailand at the end of World War II and rediscovered the Thai silk industry. His house is now a museum filled with fascinating Asian antiques and historical memorabilia. It consists of six separate Thai teakwood houses from the Ayutthaya period put together as one. Jim Thompson's mysterious disappearance in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia remains a mystery to this day. After the tour, return to the hotel for the evening.


Note: Wat Arun Temple will be under renovation until further notice. Guests will still able to visit the temple and walk around it, but climbing the stupa is prohibited due to construction. Ladies should wear a short-sleeved top with full-length pants or a knee-length skirt and gentlemen should wear pants and a short-sleeved shirt for religious reasons. Sandals and flip flops are not allowed. If this tour falls on a Monday, the Vimanmek Mansion part of the tour will be replaced with a tour of Suan Pakkad Palace Museum.
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Depart early morning for the 2-hour drive to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. This vibrant market features numerous small boats laden with colorful fruits and vegetables, paddled by Thai women wearing bamboo hats. For the best experience of the market atmosphere, board a rowing boat and journey through the small canals to buy fresh produce from the vendors. This is the only place to see the traditional way of selling and buying goods in Thailand.


Afterwards, visit the Nakorn Pathom; the site of the highest Chedi in Thailand called "Phra Pathom Chedi", which is the largest pagoda in Southeast Asia. Enjoy an excellent buffet lunch at the picturesque Samphran Riverside (formerly known as the Rose Garden). After lunch, there will be Thai cultural performances, including the colorful Buddhist ordination procession, an elegant fingernail dance, a Thai boxing demonstration, Hill Tribe dance performances, sword fighting, elephants, charming folk dances, a traditional Thai wedding ceremony and more.


This evening, be picked up from the hotel and transferred to Manohra Pier (or Saphan Taksin Pier), where guests will board a boat for an evening cruise. Learn more about Bangkok and the Chao Phrya River, a truly magnificent waterway and one of the great rivers in Asia. The river has been a principal factor in the development of Thai heritage, culture, and economy, and is considered the nation's life and soul.


While cruising down the Chao Phrya River, enjoy a delicious Thai dinner and watch the panorama change to reveal fantastic treasures from the country's rich past, as well as fascinating modern architectural creations. The Manohra Luxury Cruise will take guests to the King Rama VIII Bridge, where the boat will turn around and head back to the pier. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel.
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Transfer to the airport for a flight to Chiang Rai. Upon arrival, airport reception and transfer to the hotel. After check-in, enjoy an afternoon tour of the city. Founded in 1262AD, Thailand's most northern city boasts a fascinating architectural history with a mix of Thai and Burmese styles. Begin the tour by visiting the ancient temple of Wat Phra Kaew, original home of the Emerald Buddha which is now housed in Bangkok.


Continue with a visit to Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong to observe its large gold stupa and Wat Rong Khun, which is different from any other temple in Thailand. In contrast to the ancient temples, this temple was built in 1997 and was designed using white glass. Return to the hotel after the tour.


Note: Wat Rong Khun is under construction, so guests can view the outside only. Ladies should wear a short-sleeved top with pants or a knee-length skirt and gentlemen should wear pants and a short-sleeved shirt for religious reasons. Sandals and flip flops are not allowed.
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Take a 3-hour boat ride over the Mae Kok River and enjoy stunning scenery with high mountains, green fields, traditional local villages, and occasional hill tribe villages along the way. Meander through sometimes dense jungle in the real backwoods of northern Thailand before stopping at a Karen village. The Karen originated in Burma and moved to northern Thailand during the mid-late 1900's. Experience their unique lifestyle and enjoy lunch.


Afterwards, board a boat again for a short trip to the local hot springs, which is near the Lahu hill tribe. There are about 25,000 Lahu people in Thailand and their main source of income is farming. The Lahu are well known for their beautiful traditional woven costumes. After exploring the village, take a boat back to Chiang Rai.
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Start the day by visiting traditional Akha and Yao hill tribe villages. The Akha originated in Tibet, while the Yao originated in China. The Yao are heavily influenced by Chinese traditions and still use Chinese characters to write their language. Although different in many ways, they have managed to live peacefully alongside each other for decades.


Continue to Chiang Saen, a small crossroads town on the banks of the Mekong. Scattered throughout the town are the ruins of the Chiang Saen Kingdom, founded in 1325 AD, including chedis, images of Buddha, and earthen city ramparts. From there, go to Mae Sai, the northernmost point of Thailand, and one of the very few official land crossing points between Thailand and Burma. Many Burmese come over during the day from Thakhilek to work or do business and return home before sunset. Lacquer ware, gems, jade and other goods from Laos and Burma are sold in shops along the main street. Enjoy lunch here and then return to Chiang Rai in the late afternoon.
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Venture to the Hall of Opium to learn about the history of opium use in the Golden Triangle area. The Golden Triangle used to be infamous as one of the largest producers of opium in the world, and various Thai organizations led by the Royal Project and Doi Tung Development Project have spent decades battling this trade.


As part of this campaign, the Hall of Opium was built to educate people about the dangers of the drug through an entertaining exhibition which traces the first use of opium 5,000 years ago to current issues of drug abuse and addiction. Many publications regard this as one of the best museums in Thailand. After the tour, enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.
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Transfer to the airport for a flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival, reception at airport and transfer to the hotel. This evening, enjoy a Khantoke dinner. The first Khantoke dinner was held in 1953, when local politician Kraisi Nimanhemin invited honored guests to sit with him and enjoy this special dinner. Dinner is served in small bowls ("Khan") and guests are seated on cushions at a low table ("Thoke"). Northern Thai cuisine is served and during dinner, entertainment is provided by beautiful dancers who perform the Forn Leb, known as the finger dance; Forn Thien, known as the candle dance; Ramwong, referred to as the circle dance; and the Ram Dab, known as the sword dance. After finishing dinner, there will be an option to see an additional hill tribe show from various members of Yao, Lahu, Meo, Lisu, and Karen tribes. ...read less

Start this morning with a visit to a food and flower market and then continue to Wat Suan Dok, where the ashes of former kings of Chiang Mai and the Royal Family are kept. From there, proceed with a visit to Wat Phrathat on Doi Suthep Mountain, which was founded in 1383 AD. In 1935, a road was built to the top, but today people climb the 309 steps from the car park to the top or take a tram for a small surcharge. From the top, enjoy a superb panoramic view of the city. After exploring, return to the car park for a transfer back to Chiang Mai, where guests will take a 20-minute rickshaw ride through the quiet streets of the old town.


Enjoy lunch (not included), and then visit the historic, laid-back town of Lamphun, an important site for arts in Thailand. Continue to Wieng Kum Kam, an ancient city that was built by King Mengrai in the 14th century and rediscovered by archaeologists in 1984. The ancient capital was frequently flooded and eventually abandoned and forgotten. Explore the royal temple of Wat Kanthom (Wat Changkam), the shrine of King Mengrai, and Wat Hao Nong, a temple which is still home to the remains of the old-style temple entrance. Then head to Wat Pu Pia and Wat E-Kang, which were also recently discovered during archaeological excavations. Finally, visit Wat Chedee Liam, an important landmark in the architectural heritage of Chiang Mai.


Note: Ladies should wear a short-sleeved shirt with pants or a knee-length skirt and gentlemen should wear pants and a short-sleeved shirt for religious reasons. Sandals and flip flops are not allowed.
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This morning, transfer approximately 1.5 hours through scenic agricultural areas, hills, and forest to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. On arrival, receive an introduction on the elephants and then change into traditional Karen clothing. After being allocated bananas and sugar cane to feed to the elephants, walk through the Sanctuary, and find free-roaming elephants and hear their individual stories. Visitors can touch, feed, photograph, and interact with the elephants at leisure while learning about their lifestyle and behaviors. After meeting all of the elephants, accompany them to a nearby mud spa. Get muddy with the elephants as you apply a healthy cosmetic mud treatment to their skin. Next, walk them to a nearby river and join them in the water for a refreshing bath. Take a swim and help bathe and brush the elephants while they wade through and play in the water. Once the elephants are clean, take some final photos with them, and then it will be time to part ways with the new friends and change into some dry clothes. Eat some snacks and seasonal fresh fruit, before leaving. ...read less

Transfer to the airport for a flight to Bangkok. Reception at airport and transfer to Kanchanaburi Province. Upon arrival, visit the cemetery of allied prisoners of World War II. Then visit the JEATH (Japanese, English, Australian, American, Thai and Holland) War Museum that commemorates the prisoners of war that were held captive here by the Japanese. Continue to the famous bridge on the River Kwai before experiencing a ride on the infamous Death Railway across the bridge, through local farmland and limestone mountains, and finally to Tam Krasae Station to depart for lunch at a local restaurant.


After lunch, head north to the uniquely scenic borderland of Sangkhlaburi, the westernmost district adjacent to Myanmar. Enjoy a coffee break at the Groeng Grawia Waterfall before continuing to Three Pagodas Pass - the mainland route into Thailand since ancient times that holds both Buddhist and historical significance from the Burmese-Siamese War of 1548. The pass is named for three small, crumbling pagodas which were built as symbols of peace. Transfer to the guesthouse in Sangkhlaburi for the evening and enjoy a traditional Thai dinner.
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This morning visit Mon Temple or Wat Wangwiwekaram, which was built by the people of the Mon Hill Tribe and is highly revered by Mon, Burmese, and Thai ethnicities from both sides of the border. Then enjoy a nice walk along the Wooden Bridge on Khao Laem Lake that provides a terrific view of Sangkhlaburi and the surrounding landscape. The bridge is over 850 meters (2,788 feet) long and considered to be Thailand's longest wooden bridge. Afterwards, enjoy a boat trip on the magnificent Khao Laem Lake to a floating village. On the way, make a brief stop at a sunken temple.


Return to Kanchanaburi for lunch at a local restaurant and then continue to Hellfire Pass Memorial, the renowned site at which prisoners of the Second World War were forced to create a pass for the Death Railway. Visit the informative museum and walk along the trail to the site of the pass. In the early evening, depart for a night jungle safari. Upon arrival at the camp, guests can play with the resident elephants and bathe them in the river. Afterwards, embark on a night safari by elephant back through the camp and into the woodlands along the River Kwai. Conclude the night with a barbeque dinner on the riverbank before transferring to the hotel for the night.
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After breakfast, head to Elephant's World, an organization that was created to improve elephant welfare and increase the experience of those taking care of domesticated elephants. Elephant's World is also a sanctuary for sick, old, disabled, abused, illegal and street elephants who receive the rest and care that they deserve. Situated just 32 kilometers (20 miles) outside of town, the camp is near the river and surrounded by mountains, creating an oasis of tranquility and peace. Upon arrival, meet the staff and prepare food for the elephants. Make sticky rice and cut bana grass, sugarcane and banana plants for them.


Later in the afternoon, continue to Nong Kao Village for a tour by bicycle or local truck. Visit the village shrine, a palm orchard, and the rice paddies. Then take some time to try delicious local fruits before receiving a demonstration of a ritual to the Rice Goddess. This performance is meant to strengthen and comfort the spirit of the Goddess and will enhance understanding of the role of rice plantations in the Thai farming culture.
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Transfer to the airport for a flight home or continue with an optional Yampu Tours add-on.