Thailand Adventure Walking Tours

Day 1: Bangkok

We meet at the airport and transfer you to our hotel in exotic Bangkok, and explore together on foot and by boat. With our guide, we walk through the vibrant flower market where the sidewalks are overflowing with huge stacks of flowers for sale in bulk to vendors. Throughout the day, we encounter the people, homes and daily life that demonstrate why Bangkok is such a wonderful city.

The Grand Palace is a dazzling complex of courtyards and buildings adorned in gold leaf and colored glass. This is Bangkok's most sacred and beautiful site and we take time to explore the interior. Midday, we pause for lunch at Supatra River House. This two-story traditional Thai house on the banks of the Chao Phraya River is located close to the Temple of the Dawn. It was formerly the home of (Lady) Supatra Singholaga, who in addition to being a successful businesswoman was a leading advocate of women's rights in Thai society.

Re-energized, we'll take to the city's vibrant klongs (canals) to catch a glimpse of Bangkok life behind the scenes. We board long-tailed boats to see family homes and temples set along the waterways, and which give the city the moniker “Venice of the East”. On the return journey, we stop at the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) whose 79-meter spire silhouette has become the landmark of Bangkok. Overnight: Bangkok Meals: B, L, D

Day 2: Bangkok

After breakfast, a short morning journey leads us to the Nontaburi Province. From here, our long-tail boat whisks us across the Chao Phraya River to Koh Kred Island. The island is the home of the Mon ethnic community that migrated here from the southern part of Myanmar (formerly Burma). As we enjoy an easy-going walk along the small pedestrian lanes on the island, we stop to visit a local potter, where he shows us how he creates the famed local earthenware. Late morning, we boat to a local house for a demonstration on the making of Thai sweets and then enjoy a lunch of local specialties, such as tom ka gai, one of Thailand's most famous dishes.

Nourished, we boat back to Pak Kred pier in Bangkok for a visit to Wat Po, a large and active monastery that houses the gigantic Reclining Buddha, the largest in Thailand. We enjoy a special treat, as we are invited to enjoy a traditional Thai massage at the massage school located outside the temple grounds. Dinner tonight is aboard a restored rice barge. As we cruise along the historic Chao Phraya River, our dinner is complimented by lovely views of the famous "River of Kings" landmarks, including Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), the Grand Palace, the royal barges’ boat sheds and other landmarks. Overnight: Bangkok Meals: B, L, D

Day 3: Chiang Mai

Shifting gears, we take a short flight to the mountain region of Chiang Mai, the tranquil compliment to Bangkok, with views of lush verdant rice paddies. Until the early part of this century, northern Thailand was accessible from Bangkok only by several weeks of hard travel by elephant. It wasn't until the 1920s that a railway came to this isolated region. Known as The Rose of the North, it's a center of beautiful handicrafts, ancient temples, tropical jungles, farming and hill-tribe culture.

After checking into our hotel, our afternoon visit includes Wiang Kum Kam, an important settlement in the 13 th century. The site was buried under mud when the river changed course during the Burmese period and has recently undergone an extensive restoration. There remain numerous archaeological sites and ancient temples from the original settlement, all surrounded by rural countryside and village houses. We’ll explore the main sites, including Wat Chedi Lium (the impressive pyramid), and the beautifully preserved ruins of Wat Pu Pla displaying some interesting carvings on the spire-like chedi and main structures.

Khantoke is the customary northern Thai style of eating with the food being served on large platters at low tables while the diners sit on mats. This evening, we enjoy a superb Khantoke dinner of local specialties while being entertained by traditional Thai cultural and folk performances. If you'd like, join our guide after dinner for a visit to the night bazaar, famous for its celadon, lacquer ware, silverwork, and hill-tribe handicrafts. Overnight: Chiang Mai Meals: B, D

Day 4: Chiang Mai

One of the most unique experiences in Thailand is a visit to a Buddhist temple to offer alms to the monks. Each morning before dawn, the monks dress in distinctive saffron robes and quietly pad in bare feet along the streets, carrying alms bowls and receiving boiled rice and condiments from the locals. In return, people receive the monks' blessings. This morning, we participate in this very special Thai custom by personally presenting alms.

Inspired from our early morning ritual, we hop aboard rickshaws and make our way to the local Chiang Mai market and the Oriental Culinary Academy, part of the famed Oriental Hotel group. Here our chef is waiting to lead us in a hands-on cooking instruction in Lanna (Northern Thai style) cuisine, using the local herbs and spices, including chili, lemongrass and curry.

We’ve two options this afternoon to atone for our calories at lunch. On your own, you can take advantage of the famed shopping along the two mile stretch of Sankamphaeng Road (aka the handicraft highway) with its collection of shops selling sa paper umbrellas, antique furniture, gems and silk woven on the premises. (If you choose this option, our guide can arrange a driver for you with the hotel concierge.) Alternatively, join our guide as we set out on foot to explore the old city area of Chiang Mai.

The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure to enjoy the hotel's amenities. Our Chiang Mai hotel has been described as more than a hotel, but rather an experience. For the owners, two of Thailand's most famous designers and architects, it is a creation of love and a treasury of Northern Thai style art and antiquities. Tonight, dinner is on your own at the hotel or in town. Overnight: Chiang Mai Meals: B, L

DAY 5: Chiang Dao / Angkhang Nature Resort

Chiang Dao is an elephant camp dedicated to elephant conservation. This morning, we have the opportunity to visit with the mahouts (more companions to the elephants than masters) and their pachyderm charges, who demonstrate for us their many skills, including how the elephants take their morning bath. We also learn about how the camp contributes to Thailand's elephant conversation movement. Finally, we climb aboard the magnificent animals for an elephant ride to a nearby Lisu hill-tribe village, trekking through lovely forest scenery and along the river.

Saying goodbye to our new-found friends, we continue to Doi Angkhang, one of the most spectacular natural regions in Northern Thailand. Its mountain location, cool climate and the scenic beauty of the surrounding countryside make it the ideal getaway for nature lovers. We check-in at Angkhang Nature Resort with time to wander through the Royal Angkhang Agricultural Research Station where the myriad fruit crops and flowers, as well as an impressive bonsai garden, flourish in the high altitude. We learn from our guide how the Royal Project was been initiated by His Majesty the King and has been instrumental in teaching the hill tribes how to cultivate sustainable crops to replace the growing of opium. Overnight: Angkhang Nature Resort Meals: B, L, D

Day 6: Angkhang Nature Resort

Following a breakfast of local specialties, including native fruits such as papayas, pomelos and mangosteen, our guide leads us on a fascinating loop walk along forest trails to several villages where we meet up with the local people as they go about their daily tasks, such as tending to their vegetable plots or walking on their way to school. We visit Kob Dong village and Nor Lae village, located on the Thai-Burma border. Nor Lae village is inhabited by the Palong Hill tribe, who migrated from Myanmar in the late 80's. Along our walk, we enjoy some spectacular vistas, including views into neighboring Myanmar. Midday, we pause for lunch on the trail before continuing onto a tea plantation owned by the Royal Angkhang Agricultural Station Project.

After our busy day, the rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy at the resort with time to relax before dinner. Enjoy the resorts' amenities, rent a bike or explore the short walks around the hotel. Overnight: Angkhang Nature Resort Meals: B, L, D

Day 7: Golden Triangle

A leisurely drive this morning takes us to the village of Baan Thaton in time for lunch beside the Mae Kok River. Our visit this afternoon takes us to a Padaung Karen Village where we are greeted by members of the “longnecked” Paduang people, who begin placing brass rings on the necks and legs of the village girls at an early age. As the girls age and mature, additional necklaces are added, creating the visual illusion of stretching their necks.

The Karen hill people are Thailand's largest ethnic minority group. Originally from Myanmar (Burma), they fled to Thailand over the years, seeking haven from Burmese government persecution. Varying in religious belief from animism to Buddhism to Christianity, they wear brightly colored, thickly woven v-neck tunics. Primarily farmers, they have developed a crop system, which is more effective than the more destructive slash and burn agriculture of some other tribes.

This afternoon, we check into our resort hotel overlooking the beautiful hills of three countries. The Anantara Resort & Spa, a member of the small luxury hotels of the world, is as enchanting as the Golden Triangle region in which it is located. We invite you to take full advantage of the full amenities the resort has to offer. After a day on the trail, we recommend the herbal Thai steam bath and wild mint foot massage spa treatments or a relaxing Thai steam bath. Overnight: Anantara Resort & Spa Meals: B, L, D

Day 8: Golden Triangle

In the morning, we pull ourselves away from our hotel for a visit to the opium museum, then continue to Mount Doi Tung, over 3,000 feet above sea level. Along the way, we stop at the Cottage Industry Center under the Royal Patronage of the late HRH Princess Mother to enjoy demonstrations of traditional Siamese arts, including weaving, mulberry papermaking, pottery and coffee roasting. A walk later in the day brings us to the Royal Villa, which is the Royal Family's summer home. Returning to the hotel, we have the opportunity to walk to the nearby elephant camp, passing through the forest of banana, teak and tongeun trees that abound here. Overnight: Anantara Resort & Spa Meals: B, L, D

Day 9: Chiang Rai

On our final day, we have time to relax on the terraces at the hotel or join our guide for a visit to Mae Sai, the northernmost Thai town on the Burmese border. Here we can watch Thai and Burmese people passing one another across the bridge separating the two countries and browse the local market with its handicrafts from Myanmar. Midday we return to the hotel for lunch before transferring to Chiang Rai airport for our flight back to Bangkok. Meals: B, L