Best of Northern Thailand

We loved this tour of Northern Thailand. There was lots of variety in places and things to do going from city to rural settings. Highlights included River Kwai/raft house, Elephant Nature Park, homestay, Maeklong railway market and temples in Bangkok. Our guide Wit was brilliant throughout. He made the trip really enjoyable - we learnt so much from him about Thailand including history, Buddhism, food and Royalty - and he took really good care of us, always keen to ensure we having a good time. He also adapted the tour when we couldn’t visit the royal palace taking us instead to an attraction we had talked about going to ourselves. Our driver was also really friendly and helpful throughout. The accommodation was also good value for the cost of the trip Thanks so much for such a great tour and would highly recommend.

Explore leader (Wit) was a fabulous, beautiful soul and had a great deal of knowledge. Very caring and went out of his way to help. Elephant sanctuary was a highlight as we didn't think we would get so close to the elephants. Homestay was rustic but very interesting. The raft hotel was different and it was lovely to be gently rocked to sleep at night. Beautiful temples with lots of history, some great eating places and lovely Thai people. We were there for Sonkran which was fun and we joined in with the locals soaking everyone with buckets and water pistols. Would recommend it for a full on experience but prepare for the heat if you go in spring.

This is a full on tour with very little downtime. There is a lot of time spent in a private minibus to get from Chiang Mai down to Bangkok, however all of the stops on the way are interesting historical sites such as Si Satchalanai, Sukhothai and Ayuthaya. A lot of the hotels are basic, with the exception of the Boutique Rafthouse on the River Kwai which provided a real treat for 2 nights. The highlights of this trip were the Elephant Nature Park, where the elephants truly roam free and are not there to entertain us tourists and the beautiful Erawan Waterfalls. I would ideally like to see this tour reversed to begin in Bangkok and end in Chiang Mai. I felt that there wasn’t enough time spent exploring Chiang Mai. Our tour leader, Wit, was the best tour leader I have expedited on the 10+ tours. I have done with Explore. One word of caution if you are planning to travel on this trip in April the pollution, smoke and smog were very high in the north.

All in all it was a fantastic holiday, with a great range of things to see and do. The highlights for me were the elephant sanctuary, the home stay and it’s ride around the village, cycling around Sukhothai, exploring Uthai Thani market, staying at the raft house, visiting the railway market and exploring Bangkok by tuk-tuk. Beforehand I had been quite nervous about the cycling part, as I don’t ride. However, the paths were flat and there were no cars to worry about. It felt lovely and tranquil riding around the park. For anyone who didn’t want to cycle there was a golf buggy provided. Some reviews mentioned the raft houses as not being suitable for people in their 70’s, but those in our group found it not to be a problem. We all did the optional raft trip, where we got towed upstream for 30mins, then wearing a buoyancy aid, we got into the river to drift back, which took 15 mins. Good fun. There were some early sites, but then you could relax on the minibus, as most days there was a 3-4 hour drive to get to the next place. The drivers were lovely and provided us with water and cold towels, which were gratefully received. There were also plenty of USB charging points in the minibuses, so we could listen to music/books as we travelled without draining our batteries. We all did the optional boat trip in Bangkok which was a refreshingly breezy way to see the sites. Would recommend. We also all did the optional tuk-tuk tour, which was fun and some of us tried the local deep fried insects and a scorpion! I particularly liked the fact that there was some times when we could explore by ourselves; whether it was to look around a market, go to a bar or go for a massage. We had two massages, one a traditional one and the other an oil one, both were very good. Prices for massages ranged between £6-£10 for an hour. Nui, our tour guide was excellent; being both knowledgeable and friendly. For our last evening meal she took us to a restaurant with a fabulous view overlooking the whole of Bangkok. We and another 2 people from the group also did the extension to Koh Samet. The transport arrangements both ways could not be faulted. The accommodation was lovely with a little beach and pool nearby. Then just a couple of minutes away was the very long sandy beach and hustle and bustle of bars and then not much further to the shops and restaurants in the village. Whilst there it was my birthday and the hotel decorated the room and gave me a cake; then at Winkks bar when the staff heard, they gave me a free drink and strawberries!

It was a great and memorable trip but it would have been better to all be in one vehicle instead of being split into two. My highlights were: The Elephant Nature Reserve and their excellent no-touch, no-bathing, no-riding and no-breeding approach, unlike too many Thai elephant camps. Our lovely homestay and greeting the monks early in the morning. And our pontoon rooms on the River Kwai, and floating down the river.