Thailand budget holiday, Siam encounter
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Thai hill tribes, Northern Thailand, Central Thailand |
| departures: | 2009: 23 Nov, 28 Nov, 14 Dec, 19 Dec, 21 Dec, 28 Dec 2010: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 11 Jan, 16 Jan, 18 Jan, 23 Jan, 25 Jan, 30 Jan, 1 Feb, 6 Feb, 8 Feb, 13 Feb, 15 Feb, 20 Feb, 22 Feb, 27 Feb, 1 Mar, 6 Mar, 8 Mar, 13 Mar, 15 Mar, 20 Mar, 22 Mar |
| price: | From £425 (10 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
On this ten-day trip you experience many of the wonderful surprises of Central and Northern Thailand. From Bangkok we travel to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai, for a glimpse into Thailand's wartime past. Next stop is the ancient Siamese capital of Ayuthaya, with its wonderful temples. Further north is Chiang Mai, where we trek and visit some of the local hill tribes and spend a night in their simple abode. We also try our hand at elephant riding and bamboo rafting, before returning to the Thai capital.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-3: | Bangkok - Kanchanaburi |
| Day 4: | Ayuthaya |
| Day 5-8: | Chiang Mai & Hill Tribe Trek |
| Day 9-10: | Bangkok |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Societyhow this holiday makes a difference
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There is a lot more to Thailand than beach resorts and bustling cities. This trip, with its focus on local 'industry' gives travellers the opportunity to enjoy a close-up encounter with this beautiful country. Participants are encouraged to buy locally-made handicrafts, enjoy a traditional massage – or learn how to cook "Thai style" with a local family.
The trip stays in family-run hotels and your visit to the hilltribe villages directly helps the Karen Hilltribes Trust, which we support. In addition, your tour leader is Thai, ensuring the financial benefits go back into the community. The trip begins in Bangkok before travelling west to Kanchanaburi, on the infamous River Kwai. A local bus takes you to the UNESCO-listed temple complex at Ayuthaya, where all proceeds go to the upkeep of this important site. The final leg brings you into Chiang Mai where you embark on your hilltribe trek before returning to Bangkok. This trip is focused on respecting and benefiting the local people and the environment of this country. On this trip you will be lead by an experienced local leader passionate about their country's history, heritage and natural beauty that will help you to get 'under the skin' of their country and see it through the eyes of a local. This trip stays at locally run accommodation; we eat at local restaurants and travel on local transport. This ensures the financial return to the local economy opens up training and employment opportunities - and allows for informal and meaningful interaction between our travellers and local people. In 2009, we aim to neutralise all major emissions created by our trips, so that they can be offered as the best green alternative available. This means all greenhouse gases emitted by transport and accommodation during all of our trips will be balanced by an Australian-based ‘profit for purpose’ company that invests all funds into renewable energy and will invest in projects aimed at ‘neutralising’ your contribution to greenhouse gases. The maximum group size on all of our adventures is 16 passengers – with exception of some African trips (24 max) and in the Polar Regions, where our ship carries a maximum of 110 passengers. Travelling in small groups ensures we make significantly less impact on the natural environment, as well as breaking down many of the communication barriers presented by a larger group. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |