Day 1: Nakhon Ratchasima
BANGKOK – KORAT (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for Korat. On the way, we visit the Khao Yai National Park. Established since 1962 and the largest in the country, it covers an area of over 2,000 square kilometers,. home to many protected species of animals. In 2005 the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the park area there are springs and some waterfalls. The most famous is Heo Narok, 80 meters high and seen in the movie The Beach with Leonardo di Caprio.
Lunch in a typical restaurant at the park.
Departure for Korat and, along the way, visit of the Wat Non Kum, a modern-style temple dedicated to a monk who became famous for his good deeds.
Arrival in Korat and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 2: Chiang Mai
KORAT – KHON KAEN – CHIANG MAI (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure to reach Phimai, an impressive 11th century temple which was once part of the Khmer empire. Very large in size (the outer enclosure measures 1020 x 580 meters), it is definitely at the same level with the much more celebrated Angkor Wat complex.
Transfer to the Khon Kaen airport.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Flight to Chiang Mai.
Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Chiang Mai
CHIANG MAI (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Visit of an elephant training camp to watch a show of these intelligent and majestic animals. Afterwards we visit a picturesque village, where among the various ethnic groups also the famous long-necked women of the Padaung ethnic group live.
Return to Chiang Mai.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
In the afternoon we visit of the historical center of Chiang Mai. We visit Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh. We continue to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, the most important temple in the North, built on a hill above the city.
Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner in kantoke style, with traditional music and dances.
Return to the hotel.
Day 4: Chiang Rai
CHIANG MAI - CHIANG RAI (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for Chiang Rai via Doi Sakhet.
Arrival in the province of Chiang Rai, where we visit the Baan Dam, literally the Black House, home and museum of a very famous local artist. The complex, surrounded by a forest, is only interesting on an artistic level, but it has no meaning or religious intent.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Transfer to Chiang Saen to embark on a longtail boat for a trip on the mighty Mekong river, which here marks the border between Thailand and Laos. We then climb up to the famous viewpoint of the Golden Triangle, from which we see the shores of Burma, Laos and Thailand. Visit of the interesting Opium Museum.
Transfer to the center of Chiang Rai to visit the most important temples of the city, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Phra Sing.
Arrival at the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 5: Lampang
CHIANG RAI – LAMPANG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure to the outskirts of Chiang Rai to visit the famous Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple. Unique in its kind, this temple was conceived in a dream by a world famous local artist who built it entirely at his own expense. The style, extremely modern and imaginative, is totally different from any other Buddhist temple.
Transfer towards Lampang. Along the way we reach Phayao, a town set on a picturesque lake. We visit Wat Analayo Thippayaram, a temple on a hill offering a beautiful view of the lake and surrounded by numerous sacred buildings of various origins and styles.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Free time available for a stroll.
Along the way to Lampang we visit of the Chao Pho Pratu, a spice market where the ethnic minorities of the nearby mountains converge to sell their products.
Arrival at Lampang and visit of the Wat Sri Chum, the largest Burmese-style temple built in Thailand.
Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 6: Sukhothai
LAMPANG - SUKHOTHAI (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure from the hotel and visit Wat Phrathat Lampang Luang, one of the most important temples of Northern Thailand.
We continue towards Sri Satchanalai, where we visit the Wat Phra Sri Rattanamahathat (Chaliang), an ancient Khmer temple.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Arrival in Sukhothai and visit of the nearby Archaeological Park, today an UNESCO World Heritage. Here we visit Wat Srisawai, Wat Mahathat and Wat Sra Sri.
Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 7: Ayutthaya
SUKHOTHAI – AYUTTHAYA (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for the visit of the archaeological park of Kampaengphet, an ancient city that had its maximum splendor in the middle of the XIV century. Within the complex we visit Wat Phra Si Iriyabot and Wat Chang Rob, a large temple located on a hill.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Transfer to reach Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam, founded in 1350. Arrival at the Archaeological Park, one of the richest in Asia, and visit the most important temples, Wat Mahathat and Wat Na Phra Mane.
We continue towards the nearby Bang Pa In Summer Palace, the site where the Royal Family used to retire to escape the heat of Bangkok's summer. We stroll around in tranquil gardens, landscaped with lotus-filled lakes and surrounding beautiful residences, each built in a unique blend of traditional Siamese and European styles.
After visiting the most interesting buildings we return to Ayutthaya.
Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 8: Kanchanaburi
AYUTTHAYA – KANCHANABURI (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for Kanchanaburi, the city of the bridge on the Kwai river, whose construction by POW during WWII was made into a movie that made it famous all over the world.
Arrival and visit of the J.E.A.T.H. museum.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
After lunch we visit the Tham Krasae cave, which contains an ancient image of the Buddha. Transfer to Tham Krasae station to board a small train and cover a spectacular stretch of the Death Railway, here passing on a wooden viaduct hanging on the slope of a mountain.
We reach the river and transfer to the resort by long tail boat.
Dinner at the resort.
Day 9: Hua Hin
KANCHANABURI – HUA HIN (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for the visit of Prasat Mueang Sing, an ancient city once part of the Khmer empire.
We continue towards Phetchburi. Along the way, we visit the Historical Park of Phra Nakhon Khiri, located on Khao Wang hill, where several temples and the palace built in 1860 by King Rama IV are located
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
We continue towards Hua Hin, a famous seaside resort where the Royal Family has various summer residences.
Along the way we stop at the Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, built entirely of teak wood, known as the Palace of Love and Hope. One of the most beautiful and ancient royal palaces in the country, it was built in 1929 by King Rama VI to be able to relax surrounded by nature.
Afterwards we visit a local market.
Arrival in Hua Hin and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 10: Chumphon
HUA HIN – CHUMPHON (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure to visit the temple at the top of the Khao Takiab promontory, known as "the monkey mountain", from where we enjoy a wonderful view of the Hua Hin beach.
Departure towards the spectacular Sam Roi Yot National Park, where we visit the Tham Phraya Nakhon, a cave overlooking a beach. At the center of the cave is a pavilion erected for a visit of King Rama V in 1896.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Departure for Chumpon, a seaside town that boasts the largest fishing fleet in the country.
Arrival and visit of the fish market, Transfer to the hotel, Dinner at the hotel.
Day 11: Khao Sok
CHUMPHON – KHAO SOK (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for the visit of the Wat Phra Borommathat Chaya, a venerable temple dating back to the eleventh century and a symbol of the region.
Transfer to Khao Sok National Park, perhaps the most spectacular in Thailand. Khao Sok is part of the largest rainforest area in the country, where nature has remained untouched for millennia.
Arrival at the park. We embark for a cruise on a longtail boat, passing among vertical cliffs covered with virgin forest, in a magnificent and almost unreal naturalistic context.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 12:
KHAO SOK – SURAT THANI (Breakfast, Lunch)
Departure to visit the Phunphin district, a rural area where people still live in a traditional way. We visit some villages, moving along the canals by longtail boat.
Lunch in a traditional house.
In the afternoon, we visit the Monkey Training College, a monkey training center for the collection of coconuts.
Transfer to the airport.
