Thailand Small Group

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel after which you will head out on your day’s adventure. Begin by visiting the newly-built Wat Rong Suea Ten or “Blue Temple”, a uniquely exquisite design and brilliant colour that sets it apart from other Buddhist temples in the country. Continue onto Chalermchai’s Wat Rong Khun or the “White Temple” before departing for Chiang Mai. An impressive and shining example of magnificent architecture, the white colour depicts Buddha’s purity, the temple surrounded by examples of orthodox Buddhist teachings. The temple is an on-going project and is a great example of how ancient techniques and relics can be incorporated into today’s art and design. After lunch at a local restaurant, take a break at the Mae Kachan Hot Springs before transferring to and checking into your hotel in Chiang Mai. The rest of the day is yours at leisure.

This morning, enjoy the Choice of Activities that we prepare for you. Take the Vespa tour and enjoy an excursion that takes in the iconic Tha Phae Gate and the narrow lanes of the old city and opens up the rural landscape and winding forest roads around you. Take your Vespa up hills and through Bohemian craft villages and the Century Hilltop Temple plus a few others and ending up at Chiang Mai’s most famous market. OR Spend time with elephants rescued from all over Thailand and beyond its borders. The public is educated against the cruelty and abuse of elephants and all the Rescue Centre is doing to protect and prevent while working with the local Thai community. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to visit the 600 year-old temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, near the summit of Doi Suthep. At the top of the winding mountain road, you will face a 306-stepped “Naga” or “dragon-headed serpent” staircase. Commanding incredible views of Chiang Mai, the copper-plated chedi is topped by a five-tier gold umbrella containing relics of Lord Buddha. This evening you will get a chance to enjoy a unique Lanna Dinner or “Khantoke”. Enjoy a traditional northern dance show introducing a variety of dance forms, as you savour dinner served in small bowls known as “khan” while seated on cushions in front of a low table or “toke”.

An early breakfast and start today. Your driver will pick you up from your hotel at around 8am from where you will drive about 40km to the old town of Lamphun City. Your first visit is the Wat Phra That Hariphunchai which is one of Thailand’s most salient temples, it’s 46m-high golden pagoda encompassing the glory of the Lord Buddha. Continue driving to Lampagn stopping at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang on the way. This walled temple is said to be the oldest and most attractive surviving wooden structure in Thailand. Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant en route to Sukhothai, where upon arrival a stop at the Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is on the cards. Admire the beautiful standing Buddha statues as you explore the ruins of Buddhist temples, royal palaces and their city walls and gates.

Partake in the practice of giving alms to Buddhist monks or “Sai-bat” this morning. This sacred religious tradition takes place very early in the morning and sees local residents “making merit” or ensuring “good karma”, by donating food to monks. Breakfast will be enjoyed back at your hotel after Sai-bat. Our first stop after checking out of the hotel is at Wat Mahathat in Phitsanulok, home to one of the most revered Buddha images in Thailand. Continue on to Ayutthaya, the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai and formerly the trading capital of Asia due to its fortunate location between China, India and the Malay Archipelago. Lunch will be enjoyed on the way with your first stop to Ayutthaya Historical Park. Temple ruins lay across the metropolis, contrasting with the modern look but a reminder that it once was a wealthy city. Visit three immense temples which have added to the reason Ayutthaya is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. Overnight in Ayutthaya.

After breakfast, check out and meet your driver who will take you to Kanchanaburi City, located at the meeting point of Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers, forming the Mae Klong River. This popular tourist town is home to your first top, the famous Bridge over the River Kwai, a site of bloodshed in World War II. Continue on to Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, a commemoration site for those who perished during construction of the bridge. Our journey today then takes us to the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, an interactive museum highlighting the Thailand-Burma Railway. Enjoy lunch before your long-tailed boat on the River Kwai to the Float House River Kwai for check-in. Dinner and overnight at the Floathouse River Kwai.

After breakfast, check out and continue to your next destination, Nakhon Pathom. Stop at Asia’s largest Stupa, the Wat Phra Pathom Chedi, 120 metres at its highest peak. This spiritual hub has been an important institution for locals for over 200 years. An easy vibe fills the restaurant and surrounding area. Return to Bangkok and fly to Phuket. Upon arrival in Phuket, you will be greeted by your driver/guide and transferred to your hotel in Phuket.

After breakfast, your guide will meet you and take you down to Phuket’s “Old Town”, the start of your walking food tour. Admire the Sino Portuguese architecture, quaint retail shops, bustling morning market and taste some local fruits. Visit the Baan Chinpracha mansion and walk through the old quarters of Phuket. Try local Thai snacks like roti and refreshments along the way and see how “Cha Chuk”, Thai iced milk tea that is “pulled” in a fascinating process, is made. Visit the well-preserved historical Thai Hua Museum, used today as an exhibition space with larger exhibits displayed in lovely gardens. Enjoy roadside fresh coconuts and a Southern style local lunch at one of the boutique “Sino Portuguese style” restaurants in Phuket old town.

Breakfast at the hotel and rest of day free at leisure at the hotel or feel free to join our Choice of Activities. Enjoy full day at Koh Phi Phi - Koh Phi Phi is a highlight of the Andaman coast made famous by the movie “The Beach”. Located between Phuket and Krabi and only reachable by boat, this stunning island comprising beautiful white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and forested hills is a must see for many tourists. Diving coral reefs and marveling at colourful marine await visitors as they hop from Phi Phi island to island by speed boat. OR explore Tapu Island, known as the “James Bond Island” and Phang Nga Bay, some of the most stunning natural attractions in Thailand. Spectacular scenery with limestone cliffs rising out of green water, caves, lagoons and secluded beaches invite you to experience the unique splendour of Phuket.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and the rest of your day is at leisure. After check out, drive to Phuket airport in time for your onward flight.