Day 1: Sawadee ka Bangkok
Say sawadee ka to the land of smiles, starting your Thai adventure in Bangkok. Transfer to your hotel where this evening, we meet our Travel Director and fellow guests for a Welcome Reception drink with local appetisers.
Hotel: Shangra-La - Meals: Welcome Reception
Day 2: Bangkok Sightseeing
Rise early and join the locals for a graceful T'ai Chi practice in Lumpini Park to kick-start your day. Alternatively, enjoy a leisurely start before joining your fellow travellers on a City Tour, which begins with a visit to Bangkok's most well-known fruit and flower market, Pak Klong Talad. Continue to the golden spires of Bangkok's Grand Palace, where you'll visit the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew. See the largest-reclining Buddha in Thailand in Bangkok's oldest temple, Wat Pho, and enjoy a traditional Thai massage in the temple's massage centre. Return to your hotel by express river boat, cruising down the Chao Praya past beautiful Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3: Thai Cuisine and Cooking Experience
Immerse your senses in the five flavours of Thai cuisine as you join a Local Specialist for a traditional cooking class in a colonial-style house. Visit a local market nearby to source the freshest ingredients that reveal the sweet, sour, salty, bitter and hot flavours of Thai cuisine. Sample the results later, then spend the afternoon exploring the City of Angels on your terms, or consider joining an Optional Experience to Jim Thompson's House, home to an impressive collection of Asian art.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Onwards to Damnoen Saduak and Kanchanaburi
A riot of colours greets us this morning as we embark on a visit to the famous floating market at Damnoen Saduak. Connect with the friendly merchants who paddle along the congested canals in their sturdy canoes, laden with fresh fruit and vegetables to sell to shoppers on the banks. En route, we'll Dive into Culture, stopping at a coconut palm sugar plantation where we'll discover how the farmer extracts the sap from his palm trees to create palm sugar. After lunch in a local restaurant, we'll visit the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum, revealing insights into the history of the infamous railway line built during WWII by the Imperial Japanese army. Our final stop today sees us pay tribute to the thousands of allied prisoners of war who were laid to rest at the War Cemetery.
Hotel: Away Kanchanaburi Dheva Mantra Resort and Spa - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Railways and Rivers in Kanchanaburi
This morning, we visit Hellfire Pass, a section of the Thailand-Burma "Death Railway", so named for the tortuous conditions that prisoners of war endured during WWII to build it. After lunch, we embark on a thrilling train ride across wooden viaducts, skirting the winding waters of the Kwai River. We'll disembark and see the wooden viaducts first-hand walking across one. This evening, we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: On to Ancient Ayutthaya and Sukhothai
After breakfast, we travel to the UNESCO-listed Ayutthaya, once the second-most important ancient capital of Old Siam and the largest city in the world. Here, we'll delve into the trading heritage of a mighty city that was all but raised to the ground by an 18th century Burmese invasion. We'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then return to Bangkok for our flight to Sukhothai, Thailand's first capital.
Hotel: Sriwilai Sukhothai Resort and Spa - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Regional Dinner
Day 7: Explore Sukhothai
Gain insights into a powerful kingdom that enjoyed its golden age during the 13th and 14th centuries and shaped modern Thailand as we know it today. Start the day with a visit to the UNESCO-listed Sukhothai Historical Park which reveals thousands of years of history and a 15-metre seated Buddha secreted within its walls. Your choice of exploring will see you engage with the historic complex by bicycle or on the internal tram. This afternoon, visit the home of a local family and learn how to make amulets which are thought to protect the owner from harm
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8: Continue to Chiang Mai
Our day begins with a visit to the village of Natonchan, where our MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience supports the community’s eco-tourism project. We’ll interact with the locals and meet one of the villagers to learn about 'gymnastic doll' making and the villagers’ traditional cotton clothes which are soaked in mud to protect them from fading. We continue north, enjoying lunch en route and make a brief visit to the ‘Friends of the Asian Elephant' Hospital, a foundation that cares for wounded elephants. Arriving in Chiang Mai, we enjoy an evening walk with our Travel Director and visit the colourful Sunday market. Our hotel tonight is located in the old town of Chiang Mai.
Hotel: The Rim Resort - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9: Meet the locals of Northern Thailand
Admire the delicate hand-painted fans and colourful paper umbrellas that are famously crafted in Chiang Mai's Sankamphaeng district and meet the children and teachers at a local school to which Trafalgar will donate much-needed supplies. We continue to a small village nearby where we'll 'Connect with Locals', joining a family in their typical stilt house for a northern Thai-style Be My Guest lunch. Next is a visit to Wat Suan Dok where we'll meet a local monk and learn about Buddhism, against the backdrop of the temple's magnificent golden chedi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 10: A Day to Discover Chiang Mai
Your morning is free to spend as you please or consider joining an Optional Experience. Later, we visit Wat Doi Suthep, one of Thailand's most sacred temples. As the sun sets over this mystical temple, listen quietly to the tranquil sounds of the monks chanting. This evening, we join fellow travellers and Travel Director for a Farewell Dinner at a traditional Thai restaurant located next to the river.
Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Day 11: Depart Chiang Mai
Our exhilarating encounter with old Siam and new Thailand at its end, we take a transfer to Chiang Mai International Airport for your onward flight.
Meals: Breakfast
