Thailand Explored

19 Days

Day 1 - 3. Bangkok city starter

About Bangkok

Upon your arrival at Bangkok International Airport our local representative will be waiting for you in the arrival hall and bring you comfortably to your hotel by aircon minibus. Three overnight stays in the New World Lodge with breakfast are included. These 3 days you can explore Bangkok at your own leisure or book one of our city tours or minitrips. Try for instance the Amazing Bangkok Cycling experience, visit the Calypso Cabaret, go shopping at one of the countless shopping centers, admire the splendour of Bangkok's many temples such as the Marble temple (Wat Benchamabophit) or the temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Po). Take a riverboat taxi along the Chao Phraya, enjoy a longtailboat tour through Bangkok's klongs (canals), visit the National Museum and end the day in one of the night life areas of Bangkok.

Day 4. Khao Yai national park.  In the morning transfer from your hotel in Bangkok to Khao Yai National park. Today's tour is easy going and can be enjoyed by nature lovers of all ages. The car will drive through the most beautiful parts of Khao Yai and you will have ample time to relax near the beautiful Haew Suwat waterfalls where you can swim. Later you will visit the vulcanic caves and the bat caves and see more than a million bats swarming out to hunt for nightly food. Falcons try to seize the bats as food, an experience not to be missed. In the evening you can optionally visit the night market at Pak Chong. You will stay overnight in a standard aircon room at the Khao Yai Garden Lodge, a spaciously set up nature resort spread out over a large terrain with picturesque accommodation that fits perfectly in the natural landscape of Khao Yai National Park. The hotel has a large garden with orchids, turtles, butterflies and plants, a swimming pool with bar and a cozy restaurant.

Day 5. Khao Yai National Park.  You will drive deep into the mountains and walk through refreshing and scenic landscapes of bizarre mountains where untouched jungle still exists. Using the elephant trails in the jungle you will walk along mountain streams and you'll see magnificent waterfalls where you can take a swim. Admire the large variety of orchids and the magnificent views from the cliff at 1270m altitude. Enjoy being in the jungle itself with its uncountable sounds all around you. Animal life include elephants, gaurs, monkeys, deer, bears and birds including the famous hornbill. The park has the biggest elephant population (200) in Thailand. Around 19:00 hr our night tour commences through mountain forests and grasslands. This is the time that most animals come out of their hiding. From the car, the nightly animal world is illuminated by special halogen lights and the many species can be observed. Dinner (not included) will be served upon return in the hotel. Overnight stay again in the Khao Yai Garden Lodge.

Day 6. Phimai Angkor sanctuary.  During the Khmer period, large parts of Thailand were conquered by the Angkor empire. Phimai was directly connected by road with the Angkor capital. Prasat Hin Phimai was built at the beginning of the 12th century, when the Khmer empire had its glory period. The monument is of great historic and esthetic importance, it became the example and prototype for the later built and famous AngkorWat in Cambodia. Don’t miss the opportunity to take a short excursion (2 km down the road) to Saai Ngaam, a 350 year old banyan tree-complex hanging some 2ฝ m above the ground. A good place to have lunch in one of the many food stalls. In the afternoon transfer to your homestay address in the village Khampom. During dinner, prepared by your family host, you will be warmly welcomed by the local Thai village people (dinner included).
 

Day 7. Homestay & village life.  After breakfast you will visit on school days the village school. See the ceremonial beginning of a school day with the children singing the national Thai anthem followed by Buddhist prayer. Take a walk through the village, accompanied by your guide who has a lot of inside information and can tell you anecdotes about village life. Stop from time to time to see how the villagers leisurely spend their day or earn their living. In the afternoon you will go into the rice fields. Depending on the season you can see how rice is sown or harvested. If you want then you can try for yourself. At the village market you will buy the ingredients for your evening meal to prepare your own dinner. The family host mother will explain how while your guide translates. As this will be your last dinner with the host family, probably half the village will want to say goodbye to you. Following Isaan tradition you will receive a lot of good wishes and a wrist full of little ropes…  Overnight stay again with the host family.

Day 10. Chiang Mai.  In the morning transfer by public coach from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai where you will arrive in the afternoon. Checkin your hotel. The rest of the day is free to spend at leisure. Overnight stay in the Down Town Inn hotel.

Day 11. Chiang Mai.  Today you can spend at your own leisure in Chiang Mai (click the link for more information about Chiang Mai). Recommendable daytrips are to Doi Suthep and the elephant center in Chiang Dao. In the evening don't miss the opportunity to have an original Kantoke dinner and visit Chiang Mai's famous night bazaar.

Day 12 + 13. Two day trek.  Morning pickup from hotel. During this 2 day tour you will make various trekkings, visit mountain villages of Lisu, Karen, Lahu and Shan hilltribes and see local markets where you can find traditional goods, vegetables, fruits and flowers. You can swim near a waterfall and freshen yourself up in natural bathroom amidst the stream and bushes. Stay overnight in mountain villages using simple accommodation. You will visit an elephant camp and make an elephant ride into the jungle and make a bamboo rafting to Lahu Hilltribe Village. Meals are cooked by your guide and according western standards of quality and hygiene. On day 13 arrive in Chiang Mai around 17:00 hr and then transfer to your hotel.

Day 14 - 19. Pattaya.  Take a morning flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Upon arrival at Bangkok's domestic airport our driver + minivan will be waiting to take you to your hotel in Pattaya. You will stay five nights in The Pinnacle Jomtien Resort & Spa on a peaceful location in Jomtien south of Pattaya. On the morning of day 19 transfer to Bangkok International Airport where you arrive on time for your connecting onward flight back home. This roundtrip ends upon your arrival at Bangkok International Airport.