Best of Nature and Culture

From the hotel, a minivan will take you first to Damnoen Saduak, one of the last remaining ‘floating markets’ near Bangkok. Instead of strolling along the stalls, this is a market where everything is done with boats. Local farmers row their boats with all sorts of merchandise around and they even prepare noodles in the boats on the spot. Next stop is Kanchanaburi where forced laborers and prisoner of war in the Second World War created the infamous Burma railway. We pay a visit to the Hellfire Pass Memorial, where the story of the construction of the railway is shown. We spend the night at the Jungle Rafts, a unique floating hotel of wood and bamboo in the middle of the jungle. There is no electricity in this hotel, but the beautiful setting and overwhelming nature will make it an unforgettable experience.
The next day we visit the Erawan Falls, a waterfall spread over seven levels with natural pools, for a relaxing swim. And we take a ride on the Burma railway itself from Nam Tok station. The train runs slow and very careful on the dangerous looking wooden bridges, which gives us a chance to properly enjoy the beautiful views.

In the morning, before traveling to Ayutthaya we visit the famous Bridge over the River Kwai and the War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi. Once in Ayutthaya, we visit the remains of the old capital, which in the 17th century was seen as one of the most beautiful cities in all of Asia. The ruins testify to a glorious past of Thailand with over 1700 temples and more than 4000 Buddha images.

Khao Yai National Park, the biggest park in Thailand has it all, wildlife with tigers and elephants, waterfalls, fantastic jungle scenery. You go on a short trek, watch animals, go for a swim at the waterfalls, watch the sunset over the park at Khao Kiaw viewpoint, the highest point in the park (1188 m). For the movie lovers, parts of the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo di Caprio have been filmed here. Last but not least, the Bat Cave, more than 1 million bats flying out to hunt insects during the night. Khao Yai, a big adventure.

The tour takes us through the heart of the northeast of Thailand, Isan, a seldom-visited but very interesting area. Here we visit the beautiful Khmer ruins of Phimai, built in the same style as Angkor Wat (Cambodia). We continue on to Lopburi with its famous temples inhabited by monkeys. From here we take the night train to Chiang Mai.

In Chiang Mai, you will stay outside of the old city, at a family resort consisting of teak bungalows on stilts in traditional Thai style. In the countryside, you will go on a bicycle tour and visit local villages with houses on stilts and rice fields along lazy back roads and stop at a village school. You also have some time to relax and explore the surrounding countryside on your own.

We drive to Mae Wang, south of Chiang Mai and from here you go on a trek through the mountains to visit hill tribe villages. You walk through dense forest, open areas, plantations owned by mountain people, and sometimes along or through rivers. In the early afternoon, we walk down the hills for a bamboo rafting trip along a beautiful river.

An elephant-friendly experience, local Karen people take care of the elephants, no more logging or elephant riding camps. Feed the elephants, interact and play with the elephants in their natural environment. Take a mud spa with the elephants and walk them to a beautiful waterfall for more water fun. Photo opportunity aplenty before you go onward to Chiang Mai.

Visit the temples of this beautiful city, go for a zipline tour, visit the umbrella village Bor Sang or the woodcarvers’ town of Ban Tawai. Enough to do and see in Chiang Mai, don’t forget to visit the famous night market. Your tour ends on the morning of the 14th day, we can make arrangements for transfer to Bangkok Airport for your connecting international flight or you can extend your holiday either at a beach or in the North, depending on your choice, check it out here.