Classic Thailand Overland: Bangkok to Chiang Mai & Golden Triangle (8D7N)

Itinerary

Bangkok / Arrival

Arrive at Bangkok International Airport, meet your English-speaking guide, and transfer to your hotel for check-in and a briefing on your upcoming journey.

Bangkok / Wat Pho, Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple, Thonburi Canal

Pick up from your hotel lobby and depart to Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), founded in the 16th century and the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok with 95 pagodas, home to the 46-meter-long Reclining Buddha.

Continue to Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist temple, and the Grand Palace, covering over 218,000 square meters and enclosed by walls built in 1782.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Cruise aboard a comfortable Long-Tail Motor Boat along the Chao Phraya River and through the canals of Thonburi, taking in colorful scenes of Thai riverside life.

Visit Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), its main shrine decorated with glazed ornaments and ceramics rising 67 meters toward the sky. Afterwards, return to your hotel for leisure time.

Bangkok / Ayutthaya Historical Park, Lopburi & Phitsanulok

Check out from the hotel and depart to Ayutthaya Town (1½ hour drive) north of Bangkok. Visit Ayutthaya Historical Park, covering the ruins of the old capital founded in 1350, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

Visit Wat Mahathat and Wat Mongkol Bophit, home to one of the largest bronze Buddha images in Thailand, restored under the design of Prince Naris.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Depart to Lopburi Town (1½ hours’ drive) and visit Phra Prang Sam Yot, a former Hindu shrine and provincial landmark best known for the large troop of monkeys that roam freely around it.

Depart to Phitsanulok Town (2 hours’ drive), then transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

Phitsanulok / Sukhothai Historical Park, Phayao & Chiang Rai

Pick up from your hotel lobby and depart to Sukhothai Historical Park, the birthplace of the first independent Thai kingdom, with ruins of royal palaces, temples, city gates, and canals preserved under UNESCO cooperation since 1991.

Depart to Lampang (2½ hours’ drive).

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Continue to Chiang Rai, stopping en route at Phayao Town, home to Kwan Phayao, the largest fresh-water lake and fish habitat in the upper North. Arrive in Chiang Rai and transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

Chiang Rai / Long Neck Tribe, Mae Sai Border, Golden Triangle & Boat Trip

Pick up from your hotel lobby and depart to Long Neck Karen Village, home to women who wear brass rings around their necks, a tradition originating from Myanmar.

Continue to Mae Sai Town, the Thailand–Myanmar border and northernmost point of Thailand, with local markets selling Myanmar goods.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Visit the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet, and enjoy a boat trip along the Mekong River for views of the Golden Buddha statue and the riverbank scenery.

Visit the Opium Museum, displaying the history and culture of the region’s opium trade. Afterwards, return to your hotel for leisure time.

Chiang Rai – Chiang Mai / White Temple & Handicrafts Center

Pick up from your hotel lobby and depart to visit White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), designed by a celebrated national artist, its distinctive white main building decorated with fragments of reflective glass.

Depart to Chiang Mai (3 hours’ drive) by road along picturesque scenic routes. On the way, visit the local Hot Spring at Mae Ka Chan Town, watching locals boil quail’s eggs.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Arrive at Chiang Mai and visit the San Kamphaeng Handicrafts Center, where skilled artisans craft silk textiles, silverware, jade, and gem carvings. Afterwards, transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

Chiang Mai / Elephant Camp, Bamboo Rafting & Doi Suthep Temple

Pick up from your hotel lobby and depart to Mae Taeng Elephant Camp (1½ hour drive) through breathtaking mountain landscapes. Enjoy an elephant show and elephant ride, followed by a relaxing bamboo rafting cruise along the Mae Taeng River.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Visit Bai Orchid & Butterfly Farm, home to a large collection of colorful exotic orchids and a delightful butterfly garden.

Depart to Doi Suthep Temple, one of Northern Thailand’s most sacred temples, perched 1,050 meters above sea level with panoramic views over Chiang Mai. Ascend the 306-step Naga staircase, or take the tram to the summit. Afterwards, return to your hotel.

Chiang Mai / Departure

Check out from the hotel and transfer to Chiang Mai Airport for your flight to the next destination.