20 Days Nature and Culture Tour of Northern Thailand and Laos

Enjoy your breakfast in Bangkok and prepare to enjoy a full day’s Bangkok city’s exploration. In the morning, you will visit:

1. Wat Phra Kawe & the Grand Palace: a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam.
2. Ride like a Local by tuk-tuk to Wat Pho temple.

1. Wat Arun: one of the most visited temples in all of Thailand
2. Royal Barge Museum: many exhibitions on Thai history, royalty, and Buddhism.

• Overnight in Bangkok

In the morning, we drive south of Bangkok for 80 kms to Samut Songkhram, the city offers visitors a glimpse into Thai countryside life.  We will start the day with a stop at a local train station (Train Market) to experience a short regional train ride bounding for an amazing country market that has sprouted along the railway tracks. Please note that we do experience delays with trains in Thailand, should this occur, it may require changes to the program.

• Here, you will witness the dexterity and speed of the vendors as they quickly pack their stalls away whenever the trains approach, hence bringing shopping to a brief halt. It is a standard practice and stall holders have learnt the art of assembling and reassembling their wares at a moment’s notice!

• Overnight in Bangkok

• After breakfast, your tour guide and driver will meet you at the hotel lobby at around 8:00 – 8:30 am and take you to the historic city of Ayutthaya for around 1 hour.

1. Historic City of Ayutthaya: the second Siamese capital founded in C.1350.
2. Wat Mahathat: 600 years old ruins.
3. Temple of the Reclining Buddha: Large reclining Buddha image.

1. Bang Pa-In Palace: an eclectic collection of buildings that blend European, Khmer, Thai, and Chinese architectural styles, once used by the royal court as a summer retreat in the 17th century.
2. Wat Yai Chai Mang Khon: a Buddhist temple with over 600 years of history.

• Overnight in Bangkok

Enjoy your breakfast and morning until your tour guide picks you up at the airport in the afternoon, taking a flight to Sukhothai, about 80 minutes.

• Welcome to Sukhothai!
• Which once was the capital of the first kingdom of Siam in the 13-15th centuries. Upon arrival at the airport, our tour guide will warmly welcome you and accompany you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is your free time to explore this ancient city.
• Overnight in Sukhothai

At around 8:30 a.m., your experienced English-speaking guide will come to pick you up from your hotel. Then, you'll start your bike ride in a small village on the outskirts of Sukhothai called Ban Khuai. You'll pedal through this quiet village, enjoy the pretty views, and ride on a dirt road past lots of rice fields and a big mountain called Kao Laung.

• Overnight in Doi Inthanon National Park

Today, after breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and take you to Doi Inthanon National Park, which is one of the most popular national parks in Thailand, famous for its beautiful waterfalls, picturesque landscape, and Thailand culture.

• Upon arrival in the park, it’s time to have a local Thai lunch, after a short rest, you’ll visit:

1. Wachirathan Waterfall: one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand.
2. Sirithan Waterfall: a centrally-located falls in Doi Inthanon National Park, dropping a total of 40 meters into the river.
3. Grand Pagoda Nabhapolbhumisiri: the great holy relics pagoda.
4. Ang Ka Nature Trail: 2500 meters above sea level and surrounded by hi evergreen forest.
5. Ban Mae Klang Luang: a S’gaw Karen village in Doi Inthanon National Park.

• Welcome to Chiang Mai!
• The a delightful city in northern Thailand, celebrated for its rich culture and stunning natural beauty. Upon arrival, you could have a rest in your hotel.
• Overnight in Chiang Mai

In the morning, you'll go to visit the most prominent temples in Chiang Mai.

1. Start with Wat Phra Singh which houses the famous Phra Singh Buddha image. It features Lanna art throughout and illustrates many famous Buddhist stories.
2. Continue on to Wat Chedi Luang, which once contained the Emerald Buddha. The temple is partially in ruins due to an earthquake in the 1500s.
3. Then stop at Wat Chiang Man which is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai and also houses one of Thailand's greatest treasures: the Crystal Buddha (usually only able to be seen on Sundays and certain festival dates).
4. Then continue to Wat Suan Dok, which houses many of the remains of generations of the old Chiang Mai Royal Family.
5. Finally, visit Wat Jet Yot – this peaceful temple is surrounded by green and was built in the Mahabodhi style from India to house the Eighth World Buddhist Council in 1453. Return to the hotel to relax around noon.
6. In the evening, here comes our most popular tour-street food tour. Your tour guide will pick you up at the hotel in Chiang Mai between 18:30-19:00 and drop you off there at approximately 21:30. Evening Street Food Markets: trying out some northern Thai delicacies and learning how to order food in Thai.

• Overnight in Chiang Mai

Today you will be leaving for Chiang Rai. After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at the hotel around 8:00 am. During the drive to Chiang Rai, you’ll visit:

1. Mae Kachan Hot Spring: hot water geysers; bathe feet in thermal water; boil quail eggs.
2. Meow Hill Tribe Village:located on the Mountain Doi Pui and once famous for opium cultivation.
3. Wat Rong Khun (White Temple): it's all white and has shiny pieces of glass that glimmer in the sunlight.

1. Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple): recognizable for its brilliant shade of rich sapphire.
2. Baan Dam (Black House): a special art museum with both old-style Thai buildings and new, unusual designs.

• After the tour, your tour guide will escort you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is yours.
• Overnight in Chiang Rai.

The golden triangle is a mysterious region for most of Indochina tour makes, today you will enjoy a full day excursion to the heart of golden triangle region.

• Overnight in Chiang Khong

After breakfast, our guide and driver will escort you to Thailand – Laos border.

• Overnight in Pakbeng

• Early in the morning you can visit the Pakbeng market (optional). After breakfast we depart at 8 am to journey down the Mekong River. The first stop is at Ban Baw where you will observe the traditional whisky village, weaving village, handicrafts and textiles. A buffet lunch is served on board.
• The boat stops again to visit Pak Ou caves. There are two caves, ‘Tham Ting’ and ‘Tham Phoum.’ The caves contain thousands of Buddha images. The Mekong cruise arrives at Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage city, before sunset.
• We have the van (joining) to pick you up at the main pier to Luang Prabang to the hotel in Luang Prabang.
• Overnight in Luang Prabang

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at 8:00 am – 8:30 am to start the day of the Luang Prabang city tour. In the morning, you will visit:

1. Royal Palace Museum: once served as the residence of King Sisavang Vong and was designed in the French Beaux-Arts style with many interesting artifacts of traditional Lao culture.
2. Wat Sene: the oldest temple of Luang Prabang.
3. Wat Xiengthong:its roofs sweep low to the ground and represent classical Laotian architecture.
4. Wat Visoun: the oldest Buddhist temple and the city’s museum of religious arts.
5. Wat Aham: the monastery of the blossoming heart.

1. Arts and Ethnology Center:learning about Laos’ many ethnic cultures.
2. Weaving Villages of Ban Xiengkhong and Ban Xienglek: known for their arts and crafts including saa paper and silk.
3. Weaving Class:Start with a simple explanation of silk, dyeing, and weaving. Tourists will get their own loom and guidance from a weaver to learn how to weave.

• After the class, you will return to the city for a visit to Wat Mai, which is one of Luang Prabang’s largest and most richly decorated temples.
• You will finish the afternoon trip by enjoying a refreshing drink at one of Café. Then, you will be escorted to the local night market to discover the local life of Luang Prabang. After the tour, back to the hotel for a good rest.
• Overnight in Luang Prabang

This morning you will need to get up very early to visit an alms ritual unique to Laos, departure from the hotel at 5:00 am. You will accept the blessing of monks to whom you give the alms.

• After a tasty local lunch at about 11:00 am, you’ll go on your half-day tour to the beautiful Khouang Si Waterfall.

1. Bear Rescue Sanctuary: three bear houses were built with a capacity for 25 rescued bears.
2. Khouang Si Waterfall: the most beautiful in Laos. You can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails.

• After the tour, your tour guide will escort you to enjoy a Lao-style spa and get relaxed. Then, you will get back to the hotel for a good rest.
• Overnight in Luang Prabang

• Today you will escort to train station for board about 2 hours on highspeed train to Vientiane. Upon arrival our guide and driver will escort you to hotel for check-in and rest on your own leisure.
• Overnight in Vientiane

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at the hotel around 8:00 am – 8:30 am. The day will go through the highlights of Vientiane. You'll stop and visit:

1. Buddha Park: also known as Xieng Khuan, is filled with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues.
2. Patuxay Monument: a monument about the war in Vientiane that honors the people who fought for freedom from France.
3. Pha That Luang Stupa: a huge Buddhist stupa covered in gold and constructed in the 3rd century.

1. Wat Si Saket: the oldest surviving temple with thousands of Buddhist images.
2. National Museum: get to know some history of Laos.

• Overnight in Vientiane

• After breakfast, escort to airport for flight to Phuket via Bangkok.
• Welcome to Phuket! 
• Upon arrival, our tour guide and driver will welcome you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel and check-in. After a short rest, you’ll start a half-day Phuket city tour.

1. Old Phuket Town: the capital of the island and the historical part of Phuket. Visit Big Buddha built from White Marble on top of the hill.
2. Wat Chalong: the most reverend temple on the island.
3. Karon viewpoint: known as the three beach view points, a beautiful panoramic landmark to admire the view of Karon, Kata, and Kata Noi beaches.

• After the tour, you will transfer to the hotel and the rest of the day free at your leisure.
• Overnight in Phuket

This morning you’ll be picked up from the hotel at 7:30 am and head to Phuket port. Around 9:00 am, you’ll depart for Phi Phi group islands. It takes about 45 minutes by speedboat to stop at the first site: Ko Phi Phi Ley.

1. Maya Bay, where the Hollywood movie “The Beach” was filmed at the beach. Enjoy activities like snorkeling or sunbathing.
2. Loh Samah Bay, where you'll find lots of colorful fish and beautiful coral reefs. It's like swimming in a giant pool! This place is also where local fishermen and sea gypsies seek shelter during the rainy season.
3. Phi Leh Cove, passing by the famous Viking Cave. Locals come here to collect the swallow's nest. Besides, you’ll see drawings of boats and elephants on the walls.
4. Monkey Beach, visiting a hundred friendly monkeys.

• Around 4:30 pm, we'll arrive at Phuket port, and from there, your tour guide will escort you back to your Phuket hotel to have a rest.
• Overnight in Phuket

• Today is on your arrangement, enjoy your beach relaxing in Phuket.

• Overnight in Phuket

Enjoy your breakfast and free time in the morning until your tour guide picks you up to the airport. Tour service ends here.