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Welcome to Thailand. Upon arrival you will be met a VIP Airport Service Assistance who will assist you through Immigration and Customs. This fast track procedure will enable you to avoid the long lines at Immigration. After clearing the entry formalities you will exit into the arrival area where you will be met by your guide from Khiri Travel who will be holding a sign with your name on it. He/she will transfer you to your hotel where you can relax after your long international flight.
This morning after breakfast your guide will pick you up from the hotel. By private boat you will transfer to Wat Phra Kaew & the Grand Palace. After exploring this impressive complex with your guide, you will take a tuk-tuk for the short trip to the adjacent Wat Po. This ancient temple houses the giant Reclining Buddha; at 46-meters long and 15 meters high, an incredible sight!
After lunch at The Deck, visit the Jim Thompson House, the home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk. Even today, the charming Thai style house continues to be a key stop for visitors to Bangkok, as the house and art collection are now officially registered as a national museum. You will be transferred back to your hotel where you will arrive late in the afternoon.
In the evening you will make a dinner cruise on the Manohra Moon, a magnificent rice barge that has been converted into one of Bangkok's finest dining venues. Enjoy a sumptuous five-course dinner while cruising along the Chao Phraya River.
This morning, you will leave Bangkok to the Summer Palace at Bang Pa In. The mish mash of palaces and pavilions in styles ranging from Italian to Chinese once served as summer retreats for Thai monarchs from the Ayutthaya period to the beginning of the 20th century.
In the afternoon, you'll explore the the principal sites of this fallen city with visits to Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Mahathat and Wat Chai Mongkol, famous for its Buddha galleries. Until its final destruction by the Burmese, Ayutthaya was home to 33 different Siamese kings, and boasted a population, at one point, of over 1,000,000 inhabitants.
Leaving Ayutthaya, you will continue on a short distance to Khao Yai National Park. Here, you can watch sunset as bats leave a nearby cave for the evening.
This morning a very early start, possibly at daybreak, is recommended. It is the best time to see wildlife in Khao Yai, Thailand oldest and covering 2172 sq. km, the second largest National Park in Thailand. Frequently seen are the Pig Tailed Macaque, Deer, Elephants and different Hornbills. Tiger, Gaur and the Asiatic Bear are amongst the variety of mammals that are rarely spotted by the casual visitor. You will also hear the whooping of the gibbons.
Lunch will be at the PB Valley Winery, situated on the edge of the National Park and the birthplace of the Khao Yai wine region at 1,000 feet above sea level. Traditionally, grapes for wine making have been grown between the 30th and 50th parallels in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Thailand has pioneered wine production in a narrow band in the north between the 14th to 18th parallels. Years of research, testing and development have opened up new frontiers in viticulture resulting in 'New Latitude Wines'.
The winery sits amidst a lush 800-acre plantation. Now into its 16th year of operation, the winery has become the birthplace of Thailand's premium wines. Today, the PB Valley Khao Yai Winery is Thailand's only fully accredited wine maker.
After lunch, enjoy a tour of the vineyard and the winery, followed by wine tasting. Return to your accommodations later this afternoon.
Transfer to Bangkok airport.
Fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Thai Airways International.
Meet your private guide at the airport. He will transfer you to the hotel.
Rest of the day is free at leisure. The Chiang Mai night bazar is worth a visit and is within walking distance of the hotel.
Start your tour with a visit to one of the towns oldest temples, the well-preserved Wat Phra Singh, a perfect example of Lanna Thai architecture. Afterwards, drive up to what is probably Chiang Mai's most famous landmark: Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, the temple located on the 1676 high Doi Suthep. Climb the 300-steps staircase, flanked by Nagas, or take the cable-car up. With clear weather, the views are incredible. Lunch will be at Ban Suan restaurant, on the banks of the Ping River.
In the afternoon you will visit a small but exquisite textile museum as well as Studio Naenna, an outstanding textile studio. The founder Patricia Cheeseman is an expert on Southeast Asian textiles. Return to the hotel.
This morning you will be picked up from your hotel by your guide and driver and drive for about one hour to the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang. Enjoy a show of the elephants, which is unlike many other shows that exist in Thailand. The elephants are not made to perform degrading tricks like playing football, basketball or lifting weights. They only do what they have been traditionally trained to do. The only exception is the painting, which the elephants love doing! The elephants display their skills in logging and their ability to respond to the commands of the mahouts. If you want you can make a short ride on an elephant.
Continue your exploration in Lampang and Lamphun. Lampang became an important center of the international teak trade, and was influenced by the British Raj because of the familiarity with the teak industry in Burma. Teak merchants, who plied their trade here, sponsored the construction of more than a dozen impressive temples in the city including venerable Wat That Lampang Luang, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful temples on Thailand. Continue on to Baan Sao Nok and make a short ride by horse cart.
En route back to Chiang Mai, stop at Lamphun to visit Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, built on the site of Queen Chama's palace in 1044 AD.
Early evening, return to Chiang Mai with the remainder of the evening free to relax and explore on your own.
This morning your private guide and driver will pick up from your hotel in Chiang Mai and drive to Thaton, where we will have lunch at the Maekok River Village Resort. We then will board a local boat for a trip up the Maekok River to the Lahu village of of Phatai, overlooking the river.
Our car will be waiting for the last part of the journey, a scenic drive over Doi Mae Salong. This mountainous area along the Thai-Myanmar border is inhabited by a variety of hilltribes, such as the Yao and Akha. The village of Mae Salong, also known as Santikhiri, was originally a settlement of Nationalist Chinese troops, who fled here from Southern China after the communist takeover in 1949. On the slopes of these high mountains once opium was grown on a massive scale. Nowadays, opium has been mostly eradicated from Thai soil and replaced by crops such as carrots, cabbages, mountain rice and tea.
Today visit the highlights of the Golden Triangle. Start with a drive to Doi Tung mountain. Here You will visit the Mae Fah Luang Botanical Gardens and learn about the Royal Project on Doi Tung. Continue to Mae Sai, the bustling border town between Myanmar and Thailand. You can cross into Myanmar on a day pass. A visit to one of the jade-cutting factories here is of special interest.
Lunch before continuing to the Golden Triangle, the place where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. Here you will visit the Hall of Opium. This excellent museum is open daily (8.30-16.00) except on Monday. Return to your accommodations later this afternoon.
Transfer from the Anantara to Chiang Rai airport.
Fly from Chiang Rai to Bangkok on Thai Airways International.
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Price DOES NOT include:
- English speaking guide during sightseeing
- Entrance fees
- Airport taxes
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