Thailand Culture And Koh Samui

Upon arrival at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, you will be met by a Wayfairer representative and transferred to your chosen accommodation. Your Wayfairer guide will meet you at your hotel in the evening to brief you about your itinerary and recommend some great places to eat in this exciting city.

Your day will start with a guided tour of Bangkok. You’ll travel like a local using transport including klong (canal) boat, public bus, the Chao Phraya River public ferry and the elevated BTS or Skytrain. Your friendly and knowledgeable local guide will take you to Bangkok’s magnificent temples and palaces, including Thailand’s most sacred sites: the opulent Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Grand Palace is without doubt the city's most famous landmark and Wat Phra Kaew, known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand.

This morning you’ll visit Damneon Saduak floating market, approximately 12km south of Bangkok. This is the most popular floating market in Thailand and here you’ll see hundreds of longtail boats along the narrow canals with vendors selling everything from exotic fruits, to traditional desserts and noodles cooked right on the boat.

This afternoon and this evening you’ll have free time to discover Bangkok. A boat cruise on the Chao Phraya is a wonderful way to view the city’s main attractions, including the Grand Palace and Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn).

Today you’ll be driven west to the town of Kanchanaburi which is known for the Death Railway, built during WWII. You’ll visit the famous bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi War Cemetery before boarding the train along the Death Railway. There is a fantastic museum, the Thai Burma Railway Museum, where you can learn more about the POW’s experiences, as well as viewing a section of the infamous Burma Death Railway.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll board a longtail boat to your accommodation which is a stylish tented camp set on a cliff overlooking the famous River Kwai.

This morning you’ll head to the beautiful Erawan National Park near the Myanmar border. The park is known for its picturesque waterfalls, particularly Erawan Falls which cascades down seven tiers. It is also known for its limestone caves including Phartat Cave, which has stalactites and stalagmites, Ta Duang Cave which features rock paintings, and Wang Bah Dan Cave which has two levels with a stream in its lower chamber.

This morning you’ll check out of your Kanchanaburi accommodation and then you’ll be driven to Bangkok airport to board a short flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, you will be met by a Wayfairer guide who will accompany you to your hotel. Later in the afternoon, you’ll explore the old town by trishaw and you’ll finish your tour with a walk around the famous Chiang Mai night market.

Today you’ll visit the Elephant Nature Park, 60km from Chiang Mai. The Elephant Nature Park focuses on education and conservation and offers the opportunity to see ex-working elephants up close without exploiting them. Your family will learn about elephants, plus you’ll have a chance to interact with them and you can also feed and bathe them. Your visit helps to improve the lives and conditions of elephants.

This evening your guide will take you out for a traditional Kantoke dinner.

It is an early start this morning as you’ll head to the base of Chiang Mai Hill to watch the Buddhist monks descending into the city as the sun rises to collect their alms for the day. If there is sufficient time you can walk up the mountain to Wat Prah That Doi Suthep.

You’ll then visit a local farm outside Chiang Mai where you’ll collect the ingredients that you’ll need for your Thai cookery lesson, and then you’ll prepare an authentic Thai meal for your lunch.
After lunch you’ll head into the hill tribe region outside of Chiang Mai, taking in spectacular views before arriving at your accommodation. This evening you’ll enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and a traditional Hmong song and dance performance.

After breakfast, you’ll check out of your lodge and you’ll be transferred to Chiang Mai Airport. En route you’ll stop at the famous Doi Suthep Temple where you can take photos of the spectacular views over Chiang Mai.

This afternoon you’ll take a flight to Surat Thani in southern Thailand and from here you’ll take a boat to the idyllic island of Koh Samui.

Today you’ll have a free day to explore Koh Samui. You may wish to discover the beautiful beaches of Chaweng, Maenam, Choeng Mon, Lamai, and laid-back Haad Bophut (Bophut Beach) which is located on the north coast.

Bophut Beach offers great swimming, stunning views across to Koh Pha Ngan and an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and bars in the Fisherman’s Village. There are also a number of dive shops offering scuba lessons or day trips to Ang Thong Marine Park, Sail Rock or Koh Tao Island.

Today you can relax on the beaches of Koh Samui or you may wish to take a ferry over to the island of Koh Phangan.

Koh Phangan is famous for its full moon parties which take place on Sunrise Beach in Haad Rin, however there’s much more to this beautiful island than its world-renowned monthly parties. You can hike through the lush tropical jungle mountains and visit beautiful waterfalls, or if you’re feeling adventurous you can trek to the top of Khao Ra at 627m. You can also hire a long-tail boat and visit some of the island’s 30 beaches, and you can snorkel or dive on the colourful coral reefs.

Today you’ll have another free day to explore Koh Samui. You may wish to take a day trip to Koh Tao (Turtle Island) which is located 55km north of Koh Samui. This small island is a popular diving and snorkelling destination and the colourful coral reefs are home to turtles, stingrays, reef sharks, barracudas, plus an abundance of tropical fish. Other popular activities on the island include sailing, rock climbing, abseiling, cliff jumping, wakeboarding, kayaking, hiking and mountain biking.

Enjoy your final full day on the beautiful island of Koh Samui.

Sadly your Thailand Culture and Koh Samui holiday is drawing to an end. After breakfast this morning you’ll check-out of your accommodation and you’ll be driven to Koh Samui airport for your flight home.