A 13 Days Exquisite Thailand Adventure

Your Thailand trip begins with your arrival in Bangkok. Your private driver will meet you at the airport and drive you to your accommodation located right in the heart of the city. Feel free to explore the city at your own pace or relax in the hotel.

An early start will get you to Wat Pho in time to experience the early morning chanting ritual that starts at 9:00 am. After that, visit the temple grounds and see the famous 45-meter statue of the reclining Buddha. Then continue to the Grand Palace, the most remarkable landmark in Thailand, and be awed by the grandeur and majesty of the building. Marvel at the mysterious Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha statue in the country.

Next, get on a long tail boat and head deep into a plantation for lunch. Please note that this lunch at Never Ending Summer includes one choice of main dishes along with drinking water. After lunch, get back on the long tail boat and sail up a klong with a stopover at Wat Khun Chan before entering Wat Paknam, a white stupa with a hidden museum.

Back on the boat, you will continue your journey through a klong flanked by a mix of old wooden houses and new modern mansions until you reach an orchid-and-fruit farm where you can walk around and enjoy greenery (this activity depends on weather conditions and is subject to change).

Note: The Grand Palace is one of the most popular destinations in Thailand and receives many visitors. To get the best out of your visit and avoid crowds, we will allow your guide the flexibility to take you to the temple either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. If you, by any means, decide that there are too many people for your liking, you can inform the guide and he can take you to an alternative temple in the area such as Wat Saket or Wat Suthat. However, this decision needs to be made before entering the Grand Palace.

Stay overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast at the hotel, it is time to leave behind the bustling streets of Bangkok. Notice how the high-rise urban landscape dissolves into a lush green rural idyll. This full-day trip to Samut Songkhram Province, only an hour outside of the capital city, allows you to experience the charms of the Thai countryside.

Your day starts with a trip to a local railway station where a bustling country market has sprouted up along the tracks. When a train pulls in or out of the station, the vendors quickly clear their stalls, only to set them up again moments later when the train has passed! From here, the journey continues to the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Although quite a touristy destination, the market remains the best example of how floating markets looked like decades ago.

A relaxing paddle boat ride through a labyrinth of canals offers the chance to see the old part of the floating market and observe the lifestyle of the people here. Get off the boat and enjoy strolling around the colorful floating marketplace bustling with boats and vendors selling tropical fruits and other delights.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. The tour continues by a long tail boat to a local Buddhist temple as well as King Rama II Memorial Park, with its ornate collection of Thai-style pavilions. Return to Bangkok after the tour is over and spend your night in the city.

Note: for visits falling on Saturday or Sunday, the tour offers the option of choosing between Damnoen Saduak and the smaller and less touristy floating market of Tha Kha, where a short paddle boat ride offers a chance to visit an old coconut palm sugar workshop.

The day begins with a 90-minute drive from Bangkok to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ayutthaya. Travel through a verdant countryside, past lush paddy fields. Upon arrival in Ayutthaya, which dates back to the 14th century, you will spend the morning exploring its breathtaking temple-studded landscape and visiting its major highlights like Wat Yai Chaimongkol, Wat Mahathat. Then stroll through a local market to reach Wat Phra Srisanphet. Visit the town's Muslim quarter and get the chance to learn more about their culture.

After lunch at a local restaurant, the tour continues with a leisurely, one-hour-long boat ride down the Chao Phraya River. This boat trip commences at Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, one of the area's most distinctive Buddhist temples. Then take a cable car across the river and visit Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, the majestic mansions of Thailand's royal family.

Return to Bangkok by van after the trip is over and spend your night in the city.

Have breakfast at the hotel and enjoy your free time until our driver meets you in the lobby and transfers you to the airport for your flight to Chiang Mai.

Meet your tour guide at the hotel in Chiang Mai in the afternoon and travel thirty minutes by vehicle to the north of Chiang Mai city. Take a leisurely stroll on the grounds of a long tail boat dock and board a long tail boat for a 30-minute cruise along the Mae Ping River.

Visit the fresh food market of Waroros after that for insights into the northern Thai way of life. Stay overnight in Chiang Mai.

Leave the hotel before 7:00 am and drive through the rolling hills of Chiang Mai for approximately 90 minutes to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Change into Karen traditional clothing and learn more about the elephants there. Meet these gentle giants, feed them and interact with them. Don't forget to take amazing pictures!

Later, change into your swimming clothes and walk down to the river to join a mud spa with elephants. Wrap up your day with a traditional Thai lunch before saying goodbye to elephants and heading back to your hotel.

Stay overnight in Chiang Mai.

Grab a takeaway breakfast and leave your hotel at 6:00 in the morning. Head for the foothills of Doi Suthep in time to buy offerings and join the locals during the daily almsgiving ceremony. This is a Buddhist ritual where dozens of monks walk barefoot through the streets collecting food and everyday items.

Continue up the mountain to Wat Doi Suthep and climb the 309 steps of the Golden Naga staircase to reach its pagodas. After a visit to Doi Suthep, continue to discover one of the best-kept secrets of Chiang Mai, Wat Palad. This temple is a significant element of the Chiang Mai area’s history with a rich history of over 650 years.

Next, proceed to Wat Umong, a temple in the middle of a forest. After a walk through its mysterious tunnels, you reach the viharn of the temple to experience your own private blessing ceremony. After that, enjoy this lovely day with a delicious bowl of khao soy. This famous northern Thai dish is a combination of coconut cream, crispy noodles and plenty of spices.

Your afternoon trip takes you to the Three Kings Monument, followed by the Chiang Mai City Arts and Culture Center, located in an old building. Standing on the location of a former royal hall, the building was used as the central administrative office of the Phayap administrative unit of Siam and later as the Provincial Hall of Chiang Mai.

Note: Chiang Mai City Arts and Culture Center is closed on Mondays and during the Songkran festival. It stays open from Tuesday to Sunday between 08:30 am and 5:00 pm.

Today, you will drive through the picturesque countryside of Chiang Mai and explore Mae Kampong Village. Stop at a local market en route to the village and select ingredients for your lunch. Meet villagers on arrival and take a stroll through the nearby community forest as well as tea and coffee fields. Return to the village in time to see your lunch being prepared by your host family.

Relax for a while after lunch and then head out to see the processing of fermented tea leaves as well as various other products that are handmade in the village.

Return back to your accommodation late in the afternoon.

Drive to the airport and catch your flight to Phuket. Check into your hotel on arrival.

Today’s experience starts at 08:30 in the morning and lets you discover a different side of Phuket. Visit a rubber plantation, one of the main industries in Phuket, and learn more about how rubber sap is collected from the trees and processed thereafter.

Continue further away from the shore to Tong Sai National Park, a lush expanse of a jungle teeming with wildlife. Meet a volunteer from the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) and learn more about the center’s activities to protect the native gibbon population and their natural habitat. Take a stroll around and see gibbons being nursed back to health at the center. Refuel with a cup of local Phuket coffee and some snacks before continuing the excursion.

Take a closer look at Phuket’s past with a visit to the small but informative Kathu Mining Museum. Get a glimpse of the former glory of Phuket, its people, its economy and its history while learning more about the island’s mining industry.

Then stop at a cashew nut factory, another major industry in Phuket. See the process of extracting the nut from the fruit, gaining a better appreciation for why these are some of the most expensive nuts on earth! The half-day Phuket tour concludes with a visit to Wat Prathong, one of the oldest temples in Phuket.

You have the afternoon free for yourself to relax on the beach. Stay overnight in Phuket.

Phuket is known for its outstanding beaches that offer a wide variety of scenery. Spend your day relaxing at one of the island's beaches.

Kata Beach is always a reliable option with soft white sand, shady palm trees, water sports and a laid-back atmosphere. You can easily spend the day here with a handful of food and drink vendors.

Another destination could be Nai Harn Beach, which has grown in popularity over the years. However, thanks to the relatively small size of the bay and a large lake on the other side, the beach hasn’t been developed like others nearby. That being said, nice hotels, shops and restaurants are located nearby for food and drink.

If you are seeking a more isolated atmosphere, head to Freedom Beach, which possibly has the best white sand in Phuket. Though it's more challenging to get to (you can either hike a steep path or take a long-tail boat to reach the beach), you'll escape the noise of motorized water sports and beach vendors for truly peaceful environs.

Stay overnight in Phuket.

The largest island in Thailand, Phuket is a beautiful destination for sightseeing tours and adventures. The island itself is rife with diverse landscapes, from its famous sandy beaches to forested hills, mountains, limestone cliffs, low plains, lagoons and lush tropical forests.

Today you can have a relaxing time on the beach, go swimming or snorkelling. You also could visit the aquarium in Cape Panwa to see the diversity of the sea life on this island. If you are into adventures, challenge yourself with the zipline at Flying Hanuman. Don't miss out on the night markets in the evening and visit the busy Bangla Road for a drink.

Enjoy your breakfast and complete the hotel check-out formalities. We wish you a safe journey.