Classic Thailand 7 Days

Welcome to Thailand! After getting to the hotel, take a moment to relax before a leisurely introduction starts. Bangkok, like most Thai cities, was built around canals and rivers and the best preserved neighborhoods are still right there, on the water’s edge. By boat you explore Chao Phraya River and the lesser known canals and slide through these quite, green places where local families still live like in the past. That feeling continues in Wat Arun, “the Temple of Dawn” which you can climb to have a great, welcoming view across the Chao Phraya River and the Grand Palace on the other bank. Your hotel in Bangkok could be beautifully located on Chao Phraya River.

Discover Bangkok in style with your own expert guide and private car to calmly find your way from highlight to highlight. You will learn of the history of the City Pillar on Ratchanakosin island where Bangkok was founded, enter the always bustling Wat Po; home to the 45 meter long Reclining Buddha and the perfect place to make your offering for your wish to be granted. Explore the lanes and stalls of China Town, full of smells and colors, traditional products and Chinese temples.

Today’s tour will begin at 07:00. Travel away from Bangkok’s city centre for a visit to local markets and countryside neighbourhoods. Take a one-hour drive, leaving the high-rises behind and entering a land of lush landscapes and traditional wooden houses. Stop at a local railway station at Na Kwang, boarding a local train ride to Mae Klong station where a bustling country market has sprouted up along the tracks. As a train pulls into the station, witness the vendors quickly clearing their stalls off the railway. Then, after the train departs, watch them set up shop and resume business as usual. From here, continue to the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. By boat we navigate narrow canals and enter the floating market of Damnoen Saduak, where old ladies sell noodle soup, pomelo, rambutan and other colorful fruit and of course souvenirs from their little wooden boats. Take a moment to step behind the souvenirs stalls to discover wooden houses and bridges still lining the waterways from the past. Dark side of history comes to life in the Museum and war-cemetery in Kanchanaburi on the river Kwai. A chance to learn about the hardships of the prisoners before walking across the notorious railway bridge is part of your program. Enjoy a night under the country side stars, after a day of fantastic impressions!.

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Make a leisurely start this morning before driving into the central plains which are filled with sugar cane or corn depending on the season. Trucks are piled up high and workers ride on top of them. Make sure to ask for a stop and taste a refreshing freshly pressed sugar cane juice. Arrive in the former royal capital of Ayutthaya, where Unesco declared the ruins of temples and surrounding structures a world heritage site. Wat Chai Wattanaram is particularly beautiful and was built in the same style as the famous temples in Angkor, Cambodia. Your guide transforms the ruins into their former glory when explaining what happened when the Burmese army sacked and destroyed the place, taking away all the gold once covering the temples to Burma. After this begins your journey miles up north to in another world, by a short flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai has two sides; the city and the province. You will start by exploring the south of the province, the historical towns of Lampang and Lamphun. Lampang which feels more like a provincial town then a city, especially along the river in the center where the low-rise wooden houses dominate. The back streets and Don Tao temple which once held the Emerald Buddha are fun to explore by horse carts.

Elephant care at “Mae Sa Elephant Camp” which is home to one of the largest assembly of elephants in northern Thailand. The philosophy of the camp is to create a natural and healthy environment for the elephants. You will visit and interact with elderly elephants. Learn to make grinded glass and feed elephant after that bathing with an elephant. Orchids shine in all colors and varieties in the jungle; marvel at them from upclose at an orchid farm on the way

Today, the Lisu tribe is one of the smaller tribes home to northern Thailand. You will support them by visiting the community-based, award winning Lisu Lodge, aimed at teaching visitors about the Lisu culture and daily life, and help the local people learn about modernization and benefit from tourism. The Lisu have settled in this part of Thailand after having migrated down from Tibet through southern China and Burma. Guided by a Lisu villager you will walk you through the village to visit the Ton Lung temple and the herb garden. You will have a cup of tea with the shaman or „miracle doctor‟ at his house to learn about his life, his curing rites and the Lisu traditions. In the small cultural centre you will find many local tools and household items used by both Lisu and Akha people. Tonight you should browse the night bazaar in Chiang Mai, famous for all kinds of souvenirs and many different flavors of local food; a perfect last evening!

Overlooking Chiang Mai is Doi Suthep and its golden pagoda. Driving up the winding forest road, but the last bit you do on foot on a long staircase framed by multi headed snakes. The temple is a beauty and always buzzing with religious activities. Make sure to walk around the chedi in clock-wise direction and burn your incense sticks for good travels in the next part of your trip. Then, enjoy a spectacular view over Chiang Mai and the surrounding area. Exploring the center and its maze of lanes and alleys dotted with temples is best done on foot. The northern style is a feast for the eye and camera. Leisure until your transfer to the local airport or train station. From here you could either travel onwards to the (beach) destination of your choice or go home with a suitcase full of memories. End of the service.