Thailand Adventure – From Bangkok to Golden Triangle

Morning: Visit the famous Damnoen Saduak floating market.

Depart from Bangkok and head to Maeklong Railway Market, also known as Talad Rom Hoop. Upon arrival, the guide will introduce you to the history of this area. See the action in several minutes before the train passes through the market. The process happens so quickly that it will amaze you for a unique moment.

Then the tour takes you to the rural yet world-famous floating market of Damnern Saduak, situated around 100 kilometers west of Bangkok. It is generally known as the Klong Ton Khem Floating Market or Damnern Saduak Floating Market. Damnern Saduak has officially three floating markets. A narrow canal flanked with food stalls and souvenir shops forms the principal market at Ton Kem. Farther south are the rarely visited markets at Her Kui and Khun Pitak. Photographers at Ton Kem will get their best shots from the bridge, which crosses over the canal, and from the produce shed on the right. Nowadays, the market is bustling with activity from very early in the morning until about 11.00 am. Transfer back to Bangkok for relaxing.

Remark: Boat with a maximum of 6 pax per one (small boat only)

Meals: Breakfast
Stay overnight in Bangkok

Visit the world-famous ‘River Kwai Bridge’, plus the War Museum and the train ride on the ‘death railway’.

This tour takes you to the world-famous bridge on the River Kwai, built during World War II by the prisoners of war. The bridge is located near the town of Kanchanaburi, 130 kilometres west of Bangkok.

You will visit the well-kept Wat Cemetery of Allied Prisoners, which contains the graves of an estimated 9,000 Allied soldiers who lost their lives while building the bridge and constructing the notorious “Death Railway”, which the Japanese had hoped to stretch all the way to the Burmese border. This tour will also bring you closer to the past, by paying a visit to the JEATH Museum (the name “JEATH” is derived from Japan, England, America/Australia, Thailand and Holland), where the past has been created and relived with pictures and artefacts from this time.

Of course, a train ride over the original Death Railway track is included in this excursion, while a sumptuous lunch awaits the clients upon arrival at the disembarkation station along the railway track. We will return to Bangkok in the late afternoon to your booked hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Stay overnight in Bangkok

In the morning after breakfast, meet our driver and then drive to the former capital of Thailand, visiting Bang Pa In (Summer Palace) and the ruins of the ancient city of Ayutthaya.

A full-day tour brings you to visit the former capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya, situated approximately 75 kilometers north of Bangkok and one of those destinations you must see. The mixing of cultures in Ayutthaya began in the mid-16th century when ships from Ayutthaya plied the Asian seas, trading with neighboring countries. When the Dutch began showing up in the 17th century, Ayutthaya became a port city, and trade routes were extended to China, Japan, Indonesia, Portugal, Holland, and France, and up to the Scandinavian countries later. Although the ancient villages of foreign traders lining the Chao Phraya riverbanks were abandoned when the city was sacked by Burmese troops in 1767, some remnants survive to showcase the city's past glory.

The tour starts at the Summer Palace of the late King Rama V, commonly known as “Bang Pa-In,” which is another touch of beauty. You continue to the magnificent ruins of early splendor that Ayutthaya is famous for all over the world. We will pass or visit all the most impressive ruins of this World Heritage Site to take sufficient pictures.

Note: Kindly be aware that proper attire is required to enter the Summer Palace compounds.

After the tour, you will be taken to the train station to take the overnight train to Chiang Mai.

Meals: Breakfast
Stay overnight in an air-conditioned sleeping berth on the train

Upon arriving in Chiang Mai, meet our driver and guide, and then transfer to have breakfast at a local restaurant.

Then depart to visit Chedi Luang, which was built at the end of the 14th century. The Great Chedi was to remain the tallest structure in Chiang Mai and was once the home of the Emerald Buddha image, Thailand's most sacred religious relic. Visit Phra Singh Temple, which was built in the year 1345. This temple contains marvelous examples of Lanna art, including a Lanna-style viharn and the finest scripture repository of its type in the north.

Proceed to Phrathat Doi Suthep Temple, one of northern Thailand's most sacred temples, built in the year 1383. It is located 1,050 meters above sea level. See the marvelous golden chedi, which contains the holy relics of Lord Buddha. Enjoy the panoramic view of Chiang Mai City and Ping Valley from the summit of Suthep Mountain. Phrathat Doi Suthep Temple can be approached on foot by climbing 306 steep stairs, flanked by tremendous mythical Nagas, which symbolize humanity's progress from earth to nirvana. After that, transfer to your pre-booked hotel for check-in and relax.

Dress Code: Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves—no sleeveless tops. If you're wearing sandals or flip-flops, you must wear socks (in other words, no bare feet). Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see-through clothes, bare shoulders, etc. It is also recommended to avoid bright colors.

In the late afternoon, our driver will pick you up from the hotel lobby and depart for the Northern Dinner & Cultural Show. Enjoy a dinner, the traditional northern Thailand form of dining. The food is served on a wooden pedestal tray called Khantoke. While guests enjoy the meal, there are usually performances of traditional northern Thai dances and music.

A traditional Northern Thai dinner provides kao neaw (sticky rice), Gaeng Hung-lay (Burmese pork curry), and gai tawd (fried chicken). Paad Pugg: fried vegetable; Naam Prik Ong: pork cooked in mildly hot tomato-chilli paste, served with fresh cucumber slices. Mee Krob: crispy noodles; Kaeb Moo: pork rind with paste for dipping; and a starter, Klow Thod: fried banana. Experience using fingers to break off pieces of sticky rice and dip them into various bowls instead of using cutlery. Desserts are kao taent (popped rice crackers), coffee or tea, and fresh fruits.

Relax while being entertained by performances of traditional Northern Thai Lanna dances and music such as the Fingernail Dance, Sword Dance, Candle Dance, Ramwong Dance, and firework displays. Additionally, there are also hill tribe shows and music. Then transfer back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Stay overnight in Chiang Mai

Pick up from the hotel lobby and depart to Doi Inthanon National Park, which is Thailand's highest mountain (2,565 meters above sea level) and offers beautiful scenery, evergreen mountain forests, dwarf rhododendron groves, rare bird life, and impressive waterfalls. Visit the Summit and take a short trek along Angka Nature Trail; explore and feel the beauty and the unforgettable nature around. Continue to the great Twin Royal Pagodas, which were built for His Majesty the King and Her Royal Highness the Queen of Thailand. This place provides a marvelous view of its surroundings.

Lunch will be served at the local restaurant.

Depart to Doi Inthanon Royal Project, one of the many royal-sponsored projects to familiarize hill tribe people with new agricultural techniques. View the flower nurseries and cultivation areas. Then visit Vachiratharn Waterfall, a large waterfall which plummets over the edge of a high cliff around 100 meters into a deep pool below. It is also one of the highest waterfalls in Northern Thailand, great to take pictures. Then transfer back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Stay overnight in Chiang Mai

In the morning, transfer to Chiang Rai.

Today we took time to visit the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Seur Ten), designed by the local Chiang Rai artist who used to do the teamwork of the White Temple before. The main temple building is a distinctive blue color with the new philosophy of Buddhist art.

Depart to Black House, (Baan Dam Museum); belongs to the national artist who is celebrated for his eerie sculptures made from horns and bones, reptile skins, traditional African sculptures, old boats, Lanna-style woodcrafts and art installations housed across 32 buildings, most of which are Lanna-style pavilions made from black wood.

Then visit to White Temple (Rong Khun Temple); designed by the famous national artist. The main temple building is a distinctive white color, decorated with fragments of reflective glass which can be seen from afar. Then transfer back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Stay overnight in Chiang Rai

Pick up from the hotel lobby and depart to Mae Sai Town, the Thailand-Myanmar border, which is also the northernmost point of Thailand. Enjoy shopping for local products from China and Myanmar.

Continue to visit the Golden Triangle, where three countries: Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, meet. See the Golden Buddha Statue and the panoramic view of the Mekong River.

Then visit the Opium Museum, displaying all the stories about opium and the Golden Triangle. Continue visiting to archaeological remains at Chiang Sean, the original capital of the Lanna kingdom, which originated around 1328. Finish the tour, transfer back to the hotel, then to the airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast