Cultural tours to Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Golden Triangle, Northern Thailand, Central Thailand |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | Departs 2-3 Saturdays a month throughout the year |
| price: | From £765 (14 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
From ornate temples to remote hill scenery, from busy night markets to tranquil river scenes, Thailand offers many amazing highlights. Bangkok is full of impressive monuments such as the Grand Palace, whilst the riverside town of Kanchanaburi unlocks secrets to a sobering past with its infamous Bridge over the River Kwai. Ayuthaya and Sukhothai are Siam’s two ancient capitals that once saw the flowering of Thai culture. A rice barge cruise and a bicycle ride enable you to experience these historical sites from different perspectives.
The northern city of Chiang Mai is famous for its Night Bazaar. Chiang Dao is home to the Palong, one of the most colourful tribes in Thailand, with their striking red costumes and elaborate waistbelts. A visit to their village is a wonderful way to appreciate the serenity of the countryside. For nearly 30 years, we have lead the field in small group adventure travel. See the iconic sights as well as get off the beaten track to discover the 'real' country, and come away understanding something more of the world. Our innovative and interactive itineraries include as much as possible to ensure that you get the most out of your valuable time away, but also contain plenty of time to relax and explore by yourself.
Travelling in small group, and by private transport, means that you will have the company of other like-minded travelers, your holiday will be safe and stress-free and that the impact on environment and community is kept to a minimum. As part of our responsible travel policy we also employ local leaders and actively avoid international hotel chains, preferring to give our patronage to authentic, centrally-located and owner-managed establishments whenever possible. Our locally born and raised leaders are great fun and will be a great part of your holiday because of their intimate knowledge of the sights, culture and customs, history and language of their homeland. Once you have traveled with a local leader you will understand that there is no better way!
Includes: tour leader, local guides, arrival transfer, transport, accomodation (10 nights comfortable hotel, 1 night teak house, 1 night overnight rail), some meals (13 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, sightseeing and entrance fees, rice barge cruise.
The northern city of Chiang Mai is famous for its Night Bazaar. Chiang Dao is home to the Palong, one of the most colourful tribes in Thailand, with their striking red costumes and elaborate waistbelts. A visit to their village is a wonderful way to appreciate the serenity of the countryside. For nearly 30 years, we have lead the field in small group adventure travel. See the iconic sights as well as get off the beaten track to discover the 'real' country, and come away understanding something more of the world. Our innovative and interactive itineraries include as much as possible to ensure that you get the most out of your valuable time away, but also contain plenty of time to relax and explore by yourself.
Travelling in small group, and by private transport, means that you will have the company of other like-minded travelers, your holiday will be safe and stress-free and that the impact on environment and community is kept to a minimum. As part of our responsible travel policy we also employ local leaders and actively avoid international hotel chains, preferring to give our patronage to authentic, centrally-located and owner-managed establishments whenever possible. Our locally born and raised leaders are great fun and will be a great part of your holiday because of their intimate knowledge of the sights, culture and customs, history and language of their homeland. Once you have traveled with a local leader you will understand that there is no better way!
Includes: tour leader, local guides, arrival transfer, transport, accomodation (10 nights comfortable hotel, 1 night teak house, 1 night overnight rail), some meals (13 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, sightseeing and entrance fees, rice barge cruise.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to hotel. |
| Day 2-3: | City tour of Bangkok, all done on the different forms of public transport available to the citizens of Bangkok (Skytrain, canal boat, ferry and bus), to give you a true taste of life in this busy and varied city. Drive to Kanchanaburi, visit Bridge on the River Kwai, the sobering Kanchanaburi War Cemetery and the JEATH War Museum. |
| Day 4: | Rice barge cruise around ancient city of Ayuthaya, the Siamese capital from 1350 to 1767 AD. We stay in a traditional Thai teak house at Ban Jorakae (Crocodile Village). |
| Day 5-6: | Drive to Sukhothai and cycle around this ancient city. Drive to Lampang, Thailand's first capital. Some of the finest Thai antiques, Buddha images and ceramic pieces date from this period. |
| Day 7: | Visit Lampang Elephant Centre. Drive to Chiang Mai, a moated city with the impressive back drop of Doi Suthep, a 1676-metre peak that offers impressive views of the surrounding countryside. Visit Night Bazaar. |
| Day 8: | Drive to Chiang Dao. An elephant ride through the forest delivers us to the hilltribe villages where we then trek around the area, visiting Palong, Karen, Lisu and Akha people. Drive back to Chiang Mai. |
| Day 9: | Free day in Chiang Mai. Optional cooking class. |
| Day 10: | Drive to Thaton and board a longtail boat for a ride on Kok River. Overnight in Lahu village hut. |
| Day 11: | Drive to Golden Triangle, the meeting point of Burma, Laos and Thailand at the conflux of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. Possible crossing into Burma. Drive to Chiang Rai, visit night market which is rich with the colour and crafts of the hilltribe people. |
| Day 12: | Drive to Chiang Mai. Overnight train to Bangkok. |
| Day 13: | Free day in Bangkok for further sightseeing or shopping. |
| Day 14: | Trip ends in Bangkok this morning. |
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.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
 Experience Thailand through the eyes of a local, as your Thai tour leader gives you a first-hand insight into the exotic and colourful tapestry that makes up this vibrant country. Wandering around historic towns and visiting pagodas gives travellers an awareness of these important cultural relics and the importance of them being preserved and protected, so that they can be enjoyed and appreciated by future generations. The hill tribe people living in the border regions of Thailand, Laos and Burma also have rich, enduring and diverse cultures, which are unveiled on this trip. Equally important your Thai tour leader helps you to understand the traditions of these proud people, ensuring you don’t commit any cultural ‘faux pas’. As you trek in northern Thailand you encounter various different tribal groups. You will also find that our porters all come from surrounding villages. Another highlight of this trip is a night spent at the Lampang Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, dedicated to ensuring that these gentle creatures can co-exist with humans in a way that benefits all. To support tour programs in Thailand this operator is training their tour leaders on a variety of issues, from environmental awareness to First Aid. This not only assists in the conduct of a tour but also provides leaders with important life skills. By only employing tour leaders born and bred in the regions they visit, they are supporting local economies. Through offering employment and steady revenue, tourism can ultimately make a real positive difference to local communities. |
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. |