16 Days, 15 nights
A fascinating insight into this little explored part of Northern Thailand - learn about the culture, past and present of the charming Thai people. Explore magnificent monuments, ruined temples and prehistoric sites, brose in the local markets, relax as you travel down the Mekong river and experience the warmth of a local village welcome on two overnight homestays.
Day 1 - Arrive Bangkok
Upon arrival at the airport you will be met and taken to your
hotel, the Fortune Hotel, Bangkok.
Day 2 - Bangkok
After a leisurely breakfast, drive to visit Jim Thompson's
House and Textile Museum for lunch, and to see the art and
textile collection of this fascinating man, credited at one
time with reviving and revitalizing the Thai silk industry.
Then continue to one of Bangkok's piers for a thrilling ride
by long-tailed speed-boat or express boat on the picturesque
Chao Phraya River and through the canals out of Bangkok to
see rural lifestyles. Board a converted rice barge for a cruise
through the backwaters while relaxing with cold drinks and
tropical fruits. Observe the scenery and the simple life of
the friendly canal folk. In the late afternoon return to your
hotel for dinner at your leisure.
Day 3 - Bangkok - Grand Palace -
Vimanmek Palace - Wat Rajabopit
Visit the Grand Palace, one of the most beautiful samples
of an ancient Siamese court and former the residence of the
Kings of Bangkok. Continue to Wat Rajabopit which can be easily
recognized by its distinctive doors, carved in relief with
jaunty-looking soldiers wearing European-type uniforms. Western
art with Thai traditional and blended with Italian Gothic
to reflect King Chulalongkorn's interest. In the late afternoon
return to the hotel for overnight and dinner.
Day 4 - Phitsanulok - Sukhothai and
Sri Satchanalai - Lampang
Transfer to Bangkok Domestic airport for your flight to Phitsanulok.
Upon arrival continue to Sukhothai and visit the famous ruins
of this first capital of Thailand (1257-1379). See Wat Maha
Dhat, Wat Sra Sri and Wat Sri Chum. Enjoy lunch at a local
restaurant and then continue to Sri Satchanalai, the northern
outpost town of the Kingdom of Sukhothai. Visit Wat Chang
Lom, Wat Jedi Jet Thaew, Wat Nang Phya and Wat Phra Sri Ratana
Maha Dhat standing on site of the Khmer fort "Chalieng." Continue
to Lampang and check in to your hotel for the night and dinner.
Day 5 - Lampang - Elephant Training
Centure - Ban Thanon
Visit the Lampang Elephant Camp. In the old days there were
at least 4,000 elephants employed to do logging work but this
is now a sanctuary for abused elephants. It also houses the
only Elephant Hospital in Thailand. Spend some time shopping
in Lampang town and maybe buy some of the blue and white pottery
for which this area is famous or enjoy a ride in a horse-drawn
carriage. You will also have a chance to visit the Wat Prathat
Lampang Luang - considered to be one of the most interesting
monasteries in Northern Thailand. Lunch in Lampang town before
heading for Payao - a unique rural town and where there is
still some evidence of its former glory as a princely state.
After a short visit we continue to Chiang Rai and Ban Thanon
checking into the Maekok River Village Resort on the banks
of the Kok River. Dinner will be served at the Resort.
Day 6 - Maekok River Barge Tour
Depart Ban Thanon to visit the villages of Shan and Akha.
Then board one of our customised river barges and raft down
river through the stunning scenery. Enjoy a picnic lunch at
a shaded river-bank spot and then continue down river through
one or two 'light' rapids. Canoes are carried on board for
those who wish to use them. Upon arriving at the forestry
research station, we take a short trek of 1.5 hrs to visit
a Musur hill tribe village and then continue on to our river
base camp for an overnight stop. Accommodation is in basic
bamboo bungalows overlooking the river. Dinner is a BBQ meal
served on linen clad trestle tables, after which you can relax
around the campfire.
Day 7 - Continue River Barge Tour
- Chiang Rai
After breakfast, we continue rafting down river through gorges
and past isolated hill tribe villages, stopping along the
way to visit some hot springs. The children in the villages
are always keen to wave and excitedly call 'hello!' from the
banks. Again, canoes are available for use if required. We
stop for a short elephant safari into the surrounding jungle,
before lunch in a local restaurant. Then re-board the river
barge for the final leg of the journey down to Chiang Rai.
Arrival is in the early afternoon. Rest of the day at leisure.
Tonight explore Chiang Rai on your own and have dinner at
one of the excellent restaurants in town.
Day 8 - Pak Ou Boat - Laos
Catch the Pak Ou boat to cruise down the Mekong to Pakbeng
stopping en route for a picnic lunch on the riverbank and
again to discover a village of minorities (Yao or Lu Tribes).
On the board, relax and watch the rural life along the river.
We arrive in Pak Beng before sunset and check in at Luangsay
Lodge - where dinner is served on the terrace, overlooking
the Mekong River.
Day 9 - Pak Ou Boat - Luang Prabang
Take a walk to Pakbeng market, where people from the surrounding
villages exchange their goods, then re-board the Pak Ou boat
for the second leg of the cruise - stopping again for a picnic
lunch on a sandy river beach and a short stop to explore a
Hmong Hill tribe village. We continue to Pak Ou village at
the mouth of the Nam Ou River where we will visit the Tam
Ting Caves, housing over a 1000 Buddha images of all sizes
and shapes! Then on the way to Luang Prabang for another brief
stop to observe the traditional process of making the local
rice alcohol. We arrive in Luang Prabang before sunset. After
time to freshen up, dinner will be at a local restaurant where
we will be entertained by traditional singers.
Day 10 - Luang Prabang - Tad Khuang
Sii Waterfall
Take a half-day spin around Luang Prabang… and you will soon
understand why it deserves the World Heritage title! Visit
Wat Visoun, the site of impressive Thad Makmo stupa. Phou
Sii hill stands right in the centre of this small city - climb
its 350 steps to enjoy commanding views for many miles in
each direction. Wat Phu Sii sits atop the mountain, along
side the skeletons of Indochina war anti-aircraft guns! Lunch
will be served at a local restaurant. In the afternoon drive
with your guide by car to the Tad Khuang Sii waterfall. The
falls cascade over many calcified tiers and down several hundred
feet into a series of cool, turquoise pools. The water here
has a clear blue-green tint due to the high mineral content.
You can climb the stairs and look down from various high viewpoints
on the way to the top! It's also possible to take a swim in
one of the pools. In the late afternoon return to your hotel.
Own dinner arrangements.
Day 11 - Ventiane - Nong Khai
Time at leisure until we transfer to the airport for the flight
to Vientiane. Upon arrival enjoy a city tour to Wat Sisaket
with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues. Lunch in a
local restaurant before continuing to visit Wat Simuang and
Wat Prakeo, which was the original home of the famous Emerald
Buddha, which today lives in Bangkok. In the late afternoon
transfer to the Friendship Bridge to cross the border into
Thailand. Continue to Nong Khai. Dinner will be served in
a local restaurant.
Day 12 - Phu Phra Bhat - Ban Chiang
- Nakorn Phanom
Visit Phu Phra Bhat, an eerie, almost primeval place with
very unusual rock formations including the Tao Barot or Nang
Usa stone and learn the about the fascinating legend which
surrounds it. Continue to Wat Kaek to see the rather bizarre
and surreal statuary at this temple. The statues range in
size from small dogs to over 30 meters in height. Some of
the sculptures are beautiful, some are confusing, and some
are just plain bizarre. We then drive to Ban Chiang which
is considered to be the most important prehistoric settlement
so far discovered in South-East Asia. After lunch in a local
restaurant we continue to Kud Na Kham craft centre which produces
earthenware for utensils and home decoration. Continue to
Si Songkram for a village walk and enjoy the view at Chaiburi
where the Si Songkram river meets the Mekong. Late afternoon
arrive in Nakorn Phanom, time at leisure to visit this charming
town on your own. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant.
Day 13 - Ban Nong Hoi Yai village
Before breakfast take part in traditional merit making in
the local style. "Tak Baht" or alms giving is an integral
part of the Buddhist ritual across south east Asia. People
give alms of food, medicine and clothing to monks in their
area, which makes merit for them, and those relatives and
loved ones who have already passed away, as well as for the
living. Then drive to visit Ho Chi Minh's house, where he
lived for seven years (1923 - 1930) and meet Uncle Dieu, who
was a child at the time his father hosted Ho Chi Minh. Continue
to Thad Phanom to see the Thad Phanom Temple, built 1500 years
ago according to the official historical record (the local
legend relates an earlier beginning only 8 years after the
Buddha's death, when the temple was supposedly built to enshrine
a bone of the Lord Buddha!). You may see pilgrims from countries
as distant as Sri Lanka & Japan.
We then continue to Ban Nong Hoi Yai. Several years ago the villagers of Ban Nong Hoi Yai created what they call the 'Isan cultural heritage conservation project'. They gather together to show you important aspects of their daily life, and in this sense you will experience the real Thailand few foreigners have been privileged to share. Depending on the weather, take a walk around the village and learn about the actual process and work of growing and harvesting rice. See the entire hand-production process of cotton fabric - from cotton boll to thread, and finally to lovely "Matmee" fabrics. Fall in love with the village children who, under the guidance of their teachers and to the music of local musicians, will perform a number of traditional dances for you. Village elders will confer the "Bai Sii Su Kwan" welcome ceremony upon you. This is normally only done for and by villagers and their elders for themselves, when going on, or returning from a long journey. In modern Western parlance, this ceremony might be thought of a 'spirit centering ritual'. Spend the rest of your day with the villagers, overnight in home stay.
Day 14 - Indochina Market - Ban Panna
Monkeys - Pha Taem Pre-Historical Park - Mekong Riverboat
Ride - Khong Jiam
After breakfast, continue to Mukdaharn and explore the Indochina
Market. Products ranging from Chinese power tools and Burmese
Cheroots, to Vietnamese silks and many others from the surrounding
Mekong Countries of Vietnam, China, Laos & Cambodia make their
way here and are sold to local people. On the way to Khong
Jiam stop in Ban Panna, a typical country Isan town. Few westerners
have ever been here but the townspeople are very friendly,
and usually curiously ask you questions, try out their basic
English, or invite you over for a snack, especially if near
meal time. Buy some fruit for the monkeys in the local park
before continuing on to Khong Jiam town for lunch. After lunch
drive to Pha Taem National / Historical Park to view the pre-historic
paintings. Enjoy lovely views of the Mekong and Laos. Walk
the length of the trail around the cliff if you like (about
2km +). Drive down to the village called Ban Goom on the Mekong
river below the cliff we have just visited. There is a lovely
little - and very Lao style - temple here just where we will
board our boat to Khong Jiam. Enjoy a ride on a local style
Mekong river boat on this narrow and interesting part of the
river.
Day 15 - Khao Phra Viharn Khmer temple
- Ubon
Drive to the Cambodian Border to visit Khao Phra Viharn Khmer
temple complex - started even before Angkor Wat in the heart
of Cambodia! Unlike other Khmer Temples in Thailand, this
one has not undergone the restoration efforts of the Fine
Arts Department. If Indiana Jones were real, he would have
found this place! Walk up steps to graded causeways through
awesome "gopuras" and arrive at the extensive but dilapidated
centre, which is on a cliff-top overlooking the virgin Cambodian
countryside. On the way back, stop off for a look at the Maw-I-Daeng
cliff carvings. Lunch will be in Kantaralak. Visit a number
of city sites in Ubon including Wat Sri Muang, built in a
very unusual mixture of Thai, Lao & Burmese styles. Your guide
will have much local knowledge, so if last minute shopping
does not interest you, he/she can take you to see a few more
cultural attractions before the flight to Bangkok.
Day 16 - Trip Ends
Depending on your flight schedule, spend some time shopping
before transferring to Bangkok International Airport for your
flight back home or onward journey.
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