Grand Thailand Overland: Bangkok, River Kwai & Northern Thailand (10D9N)

Itinerary

ARRIVAL IN BANGKOK - A WARM WELCOME TO THAILAND

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'S ROYAL HERITAGE - TEMPLES, PALACES & RIVERSIDE LIFE

08.00 Hrs. 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-metre-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 metres 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 colourful scenes of Thai riverside life.

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

RIVER KWAI DISCOVERY - FLOATING MARKET & KANCHANABURI

08.00 Hrs. Check out from your hotel and depart to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (1½ hours’ drive). The journey begins with a leisurely drive through rice paddies and salt fields, followed by a boat ride among shopping boats selling local produce and crafts.

Depart for Kanchanaburi (2½ hours’ drive), Thailand’s third-largest province, with mountainous terrain along the western border with Myanmar.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Take a ride through history aboard the Death Railway Train along picturesque scenic routes past mountains and the River Kwai.

Visit the Bridge over the River Kwai, part of the Death Railway constructed by Allied prisoners of war, and the JEATH War Museum, a realistic depiction of prisoner-of-war living quarters. Afterwards, transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

NATURE & ROYAL LEGACY - ERAWAN FALLS, BANG PA-IN & AYUTTHAYA

08.00 Hrs. Check out from your hotel and depart to Erawan Waterfall, the largest and most beautiful waterfall in western Thailand, cascading across seven distinct levels within a lush, serene national park. Relax, swim, and enjoy the natural surroundings at your own pace.

Depart for Ayutthaya Province (3½ hours’ drive), once one of Indo-China’s most prosperous cities and a major Thai historical attraction.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Visit Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, first used as a royal summer retreat in the 17th century and restored by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century, its structures set in a large park around ponds and waterways.

Continue to Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of Ayutthaya’s most imposing ancient monasteries, built in 1630 in Khmer architectural style reminiscent of Angkor Wat. Afterwards, transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

ANCIENT CAPITALS - AYUTTHAYA, LOPBURI & PHITSANULOK

08.00 Hrs. Check out from your hotel and depart to Ayutthaya Historical Park, covering the ruins of the old capital founded in 1350, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

Visit Wat Mahathat, believed to date to the 14th century, 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 for Lopburi Town (1½ hours’ drive) and visit Phra Prang Sam Yot, a former Hindu shrine and provincial landmark built in the 13th century in classic Bayon-style Khmer architecture, its compound comprising three linked prangs.

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

THE ROAD NORTH - SUKHOTHAI HERITAGE & CHIANG RAI

08.00 Hrs. Check out from your hotel and depart to Sukhothai Town (one-hour drive). Visit Sukhothai Historical Park, the birthplace of the first independent Thai kingdom, with ruins of royal palaces, temples, city gates, walls, and canals preserved under UNESCO cooperation.

Depart for 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 freshwater lake and fish habitat in the upper North. Arrive in Chiang Rai and transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE - LOCAL CULTURE & A MEKONG RIVER JOURNEY

08.00 Hrs. 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.

JOURNEY TO CHIANG MAI - WHITE TEMPLE & TRADITIONAL CRAFTS

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

Depart for 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 Centre, where skilled artisans craft silk textiles, silverware, jade, and gem carvings. Afterwards, transfer to your hotel for check-in and leisure time.

ELEPHANT CARE & DOI SUTHEP - CHIANG MAI HIGHLIGHTS

09.00 Hrs. Pick up from your hotel lobby and depart to Elephant Care Center for a memorable elephant care experience. Upon arrival, visit the Elephant Culture Museum and learn about the important role of elephants in Thai society, their lifestyle and ongoing conservation efforts.

Continue with a hands-on activity by feeding the elephants bananas and sugar cane. Enjoy close interaction while observing their gentle nature and natural behaviour. Next, take part in the elephant poo paper production process and discover how recycled elephant dung is transformed into eco-friendly paper products. Afterwards, learn about traditional herbal treatments for elephants and make your own herb and fruit nutritional vitamin balls, a healthy snack the elephants love.

Conclude the experience by watching the elephants bathe under the waterfall. You may choose to simply observe or help wash the elephants for a fun and refreshing activity.

Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Depart for Doi Suthep Temple, one of Northern Thailand’s most sacred temples, perched 1,050 metres 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.

FAREWELL TO CHIANG MAI

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