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A Journey in the Land of Smiles
Sightseeing and exploring through an exotic land, Thailand
OverviewThailand, an enchanting Buddhist Kingdom whose beautiful mountains, wild jungle and exotic plants contrast with bustling cities. We visit the mountainous north, the semi-arid north-east plateau and the fertile rice-growing Central Plains.
Bangkok has famous temples with gold and emerald Buddhas, and the Grand Palace, a beautiful example of an ancient Siamese court. We’ll take a boat ride along the waterways and spend a night at Rose Garden Riverside in Nakhon Pathom, a tropical paradise.
Then on to the old capital, Ayutthaya, whose ruins have World Heritage status, we’ll divide our stay between a rice barge on the Lopburi River and one night in Ayutthaya. Continuing to Kanchanaburi, we visit Hell Fire Pass and experience ‘the Death Railway’ on a short train journey. Next is beautiful Khao Yai National Park for two days walking and sightseeing. We stop at Lop Buri en route to Phitsanulok before continuing northwards to historic Lampang.
We overnight in Chiang Mai and sightsee en route to Pong Duad hot spring from where we walk to overnight in a traditional Karen Village Hut. The next day we’ll walk to an elephant camp and have an elephant ride to a Lahu Village followed by a bamboo raft trip to a Shan Village before returning to Chiang Mai. There’s time to visit the Temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep before our flight to Bangkok.
Holiday Information SheetAll Holiday Information sheets are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader or a similar program to view these. To download Acrobat Reader visit get.adobe.com/reader.
Highlights- Magnificent Grand Palace Complex in Bangkok.
- The authentic Rice Barge river journey.
- Walking the jungle paths of Kao Yai National Park.
- Elephant Ride to a Lahu Village.
- Exciting Bamboo Raft trip.
OvernightOutbound flight (1), Bangkok (2), Nakhon Pathom (1), Rice Barge/Ayutthaya (2)** Kanchanaburi (2), Khao Yai National Park (3), Phitsanulok (1), Lampang (1), Chiang Mai (1), Karen Village (1), Chiang Mai (1), Return flight (1). ** 1 on rice barge and 1 in Ayutthaya.
MealsHalf board and taken at hotels and in local restaurants.
AccommodationGood tourist class hotels in main towns and cities. The night on the air conditioned rice barge and in the local Karen Village are both in dormitory style accommodation, sleeping in shared cabins on the barge and on floor mats in sleeping bags (provided locally) in the Karen Village. Sleeping arrangements are basic with shared bathroom/toilet facilities.
Travel- Flights operate to Bangkok.
- UK add-on flights: February departure from £110 return with British Airways or BMI. November departure from £85 with British Airways.
- Upgrades: World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) available on British Airways flights and Business Class upgrades available with both Thai Airways and British Airways, please contact us for a quote.
- Travel in Thailand is by road, rail, air, bicycle, boat/raft and elephant. Arrival transfer by road up to 2hrs.
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Teresa and Keith are experienced leaders with over 10 years leading around the globe for Ramblers Worldwide.Together their expertise, enthusiasm and knowledge of the natural world bring added interest to all their tours.
