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Day
1:
Morning
arrival
in Bangkok and welcome at the airport. Transfer to the Unico
Grande Silom hotel or
similar. Total
change of scenery for this day that will have you discover the Grand Palace
(Wat Phra Kaew) and the temple of the Emerald Buddha, the protector of the city. Visit of the Wat
Pho and the Reclining Buddha, and of the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn).
Boat tour on the klongs (canals) in Thonburi. Evening free.
Day
2:
Road trip (90 km from Bangkok) to Dammoen Saduak and its colorful
floating market. On
the way, visit of House of Coconotery. Then to Kanchanaburi. Visit of the impressive WWII military cemetery next to the world-famous
River Kwai Bridge. Visit of the JEATH. Night
in Felix River Kwai hotel. Evening free.
Day
3:
Visit
of Erawan National Park. Back to Bangkok, night in Unico
Grande Silom
Hotel.
Day
4:
Early
morning start for Bang Pa In, the Kings Summer Palace, and on to
Ayuthaya, the
second historic capital of Siam. Known as the City of The 33 Kings, its ruins cover
15 km² and have been turned into a well-run archeological site. The tour continues to
Lopburi, the City of Monkeys. They are respected and left free to roam around the ruins of
a Khmer temple. Arrival in Juldis Khao Yai
Resort. Around 7 pm, night
tour in pick up in Khao Yai Park to see the animals.
Day
5:
Morning visit of Khao Yai Park. Depart
to Phimai. Phimai is the largest Khmer Temple in Thailand where you can see wonderful sculpted
door frames. Visit of the charming site of Prasat Phanomwan, on top of a hill. Recently
restored, this temple is smaller than Phimai, but its architecture and its site are
specially interesting. Arrival in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima), installation in
Ratchaphruk
Grand hotel.
Day
06:
Visit of the Phanom Rung temple
complex, south of Buriram, near the Cambodian frontier. It is a
walled-in enclosure, with both the door frames and walls carved in
beautiful designs of Lopburi Period style with Khmer influence. The beauty of the main prang of
Phanom Rung lies not only in its plan, but in the vibrant stone carvings which cover large
parts of the temple. On the way, visit of sand stone and
porcelain handicraft. Back to Korat.
Day
7:
Depart
to Sukothai. Visit of Putchinarat temple in Pitsanuloke. Transfer to
Pailyn Hotel. Evening free.
Day
8:
Morning
visit of the National Archeological Park of Sukothai, the oldest capital of Siam
(AD1250-1350) which contains essential elements of Thailands
cultural heritage sponsored by UNESCO. Among the sites visited will be the temples of
Mahathat, Sa Si, Sri Sawai and Si
Chum. On to Phrae. On the way visit of Wat Phra That Suthon by Den Chai.
Visit of indigo cloth handicraft. Transfer to the Maeyom Palace Thani
Hotel. Evening Free.
Day
9:
Phrae: visit of the « Land of Ghosts » and of Phra That Choe Hae. Depart for Chiang
Rai and transfer to the Rimkok Hotel. Evening free.
Day
10:
Visit
of Chiang Rai and Wat Phrattat Jomtiki. On to Mae Sai, on the Burmese border.
Visit of the Golden Triangle,
which is a strategic area from which you will gaze at a unique landscape
shared between Thailand, Burma and Laos. Boat tour on the Mekong River, in the Golden Triangle, with a short stop
in Laos. Visit of Opium
museum and of the Buddha watching the border. Night in Imperial Golden
Triangle.
Day
11:
Visit of tribal villages. Visit of Doi Mae
Salong, chinese village (market),
of Tha
Ton, of orange orchards. Night in Royal Ping
Garden & Resort in Mae Taeng.
Day
12:
Safari: through the jungle, enjoy a
one hour elephant ride. You will then board an ox-drawn cart to reach
the starting point of the rafts that will take you down the river.
Visit of
orchids farm and Chiang Dao caves. Night in Royal Ping
Garden & Resort in Mae Taeng
Day
13:
Road to Mae Hong Son. Visit of Tam Lod prehistoric cave. Arrival in Mae Hong Son.
Visit of the fish cave, Night in Fern
Resort.
Day
14:
Visite of the Padong Village (Long necks), then of a Lisu village
(tribe coming originally from China). Visit of Mae Hong Song and its temples
in Burmese style. On to Pai. Night in Quarter Hotel
Day
15:
Visit of Pai. Back to Chiang
Mai. Transfer to The Park
hotel. Dinner and show with traditional folk dances.
Day
16:
Tour to
Doļ Suthep, situated at an altitude of 1000 meters, from which you will enjoy a
spectacular view of the countryside around Chiang Mai underneath. 290 steps will
lead you to the monastery. During your visit of the local handicraft industries you will
discover the age-old techniques for hand-painting paper umbrellas and manufacturing silk,
silverware and lacquer ware. Depart
for Bangkok by night train with sleeping berths.
Day
17:
Arrival in Bangkok. Transfer to Airport or
Hotel
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