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Arrive Bangkok and check-in at the hotel. The rest of the day is left free for you to get to know this fascinating city at your own pace. Being a city rivers and canals Bangkok is best explored from the water so you may wish o take an optional longtail boat excursion along the busy ‘klongs’, whilst pausing to visit Wat Arun – the Temple of the Dawn.
Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)
This morning’s sightseeing takes us by foot and boat to Bangkok’s major sights. We include the Grand Palace – probably the most impressive of all the sights in Bangkok with its collection of palace buildings, golden stupas, wats (temples) and decorative statues. The most impressive of the wats is Wat Phra Kaeo (‘The Temple of the Emerald Buddha’). Next we visit Wat Pho – the largest of the wats in Bangkok and famous for its 46 metre gold- plated reclining Buddha. In the evening we board the overnight train for Chiang Mai.
Overnight Train (U) Included meals: Breakfast
Chiang Mai offers a contrast and relief from the heat and noise of Bangkok. Its elevation is just over 300m and the climate is most agreeable. Founded in the 13th century, it owes its prosperity mainly to the teak industry. Today we enjoy an orientation walk of the city. There are many optional activities in Chiang Mai such as a classic Thai cookery course to name a few.
This morning we drive north through hilltribe country to Tha Ton, a small rural town on the Kok River. Here we board our longtail boats for the lovely trip downstream to Chiang Rai (founded in 1262), in Thailand’s northernmost province. We aim to stop at a small riverside village where there is an opportunity to ride elephants. Chiang Rai has a large hilltribe population, attracted by the cool climate and the rolling forested hills. Legend claims that King Mangrei built a city here after one of his elephants ran off and was later found at this site. There will be time to explore the lively town at your leisure, wandering around some of the interesting sights and shops and ending with a visit to the night market.
Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast
Today we travel to the fortified city of Chiang Saen which can only be described as a lively, little, one street town, surrounded by scattered ruins of temples, crumbling stupas and grass covered walls and ramparts. Founded in 1328, the town was once a Burmese stronghold, destroyed and re-built many times. Here we venture out and visit the Golden Triangle, the point of confluence between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos where you might choose to visit the opium museum (optional). Later we take the local ferry from Chiang Khong to the small village of Ban Houei Sai in Laos where we can settle back and begin to enjoy the pace of life in Laos.
Overnight Guest House (H+) Included meals: Breakfast
We continue along the Mekong river by boat, through the steamy forest, past rugged cliffs and white sandy riverbanks. Travel today is slow, but this allows us to absorb the sense of remoteness and timelessness of life on the river. The views are mainly of hills covered with dense vegetation, occasionally dotted with flowering trees, and small fishing villages at intervals along the river bank with nearby rice paddies. We arrive in Pakbeng in the afternoon. Ramshackle thatched houses crowd the banks of the river and the warm glow of an Asian-orange sunset adds mystique to the alien, though exotic, setting.
We continue our journey down the Mekong River towards Luang Prabang. The Mekong has long been the major trade route for caravans from Yunnan in China to Chiang Mai in ancient Siam. Even today there are few roads through the undulating countryside, so the river remains the main means of communication. En route we will stop and visit Pak Ou Caves where we climb steps up the limestone cliff to reach the sacred Buddhist shrine, crammed with small Buddha images of all shapes and sizes. We arrive at Luang Prabang, the country’s former capital, in the afternoon. Situated among the rolling hills of the Upper Mekong River, this tranquil little town is celebrated for its exceptionally lovely setting. On arrival we have an orientation walk which includes a visit to Wat Xien Thong, located in a delightful garden on the banks of the Me Kong River and Wat Mai.
One of the most peaceful experiences in Laos is seeing the safron-robed monks of Luang Prabang walking through the streets at sunrise collecting alms. Today you may decide to wander the streets and absorb the pleasant atmosphere of this former Royal capital, or perhaps visit the Royal Palace Museum (optional). You may choose to take an afternoon tuk tuk trip (optional) to the Lao Loum village, where you can witness women weaving, paper-making and blacksmiths in a traditional Lao village. Late this afternoon, we suggest you climb to the small temple on top of Mount Phousi to enjoy sunset views over the town.
This morning we travel by bus to the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfalls, approx 45 minutes from Luang Prabang. Passing forested hills and several ethnic minority villages we arrive at the limestone falls that cascade into several clear pools below. Flight schedule permitting this afternoon should be free to enjoy this tranquil World Heritage town. Later today we fly to Vientiane.
This low-built, red-roofed city is the attractive, if somewhat sleepy capital of Laos; the streets are largely traffic-free save for pedestrians, bicycles and mopeds. During a city tour we explore some of the main sights including the Victory Gate (a Triumphal Arch with good views of the town), the That Luang stupa (said to contain a hair of the Buddha) and Wat Sisaket, which is packed with fine Buddha images. In the evening, it is pleasant to promenade along the banks of the Mekong whilst the sun sets over the Thai city of Nong Khai across the border on the western bank.
Leaving Vientiane we fly on to another of Indochina’s charming French colonial capitals, Phnom Penh where we take a guided tour to include the National Museum of Arts, which contains a notable collection of Khmer Sculpture and the ornate Royal Palace with its stunning Silver Pagoda.
Today we continue our sightseeing in Phnom Penh with a guided city tour to include the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a High School which became the Khmer Rouge’s main torture and interrogation centre, and the “killing fields”, a huge glass tower memorial filled with human skulls, sombre reminders of the scale of Pol Pot’s atrocities and the recent turbulent history of this country. You should be aware that many people do find Tuol Sleng and the ‘Killing Fields’ quite distressing.
Today we drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and start to explore the ancient temples of Angkor. This amazing ruined city, built between the 9th and the 13th centuries, deep in the Cambodian jungle is spread out over some 155 square kilometres, scattered with walled cities and magnificent stone temples, sculptures, causeways and reservoirs. Our sightseeing programme today will include the 2nd Angkor capital including Ta Keo, Kravan, East Mebon and Pre Rup. It's beautiful to watch the sun set over the temples.
On our second day we will visit Ta Phrom, lying half consumed by the jungle, Banteay Srei with the most stunning carved lintels at Angkor, before heading to the 3rdAngkor capital and the temples of Suryavarman II to include the famous Angkor Wat.
This morning we have a few final hours to visit Angkor Wat, one last time. You may choose to watch the sunrise there (optional) before admiring more of the majestic buildings and temples of King Jayavarman VII, including Angkor Thom, Bayon and the Terrace of Elephants. Later we fly to Bangkok.
The next few days are for your rest and relaxation on the palm fringed beaches of the island. There are various optional excursions such as boat trips around the island, walks and watersports, all of which can be paid for locally.
Today is left free for your relaxation. Our representative will be on hand to give information about activities that can be arranged locally or local sites of interest.
Today we head back to Bangkok by ferry and bus arriving in the evening.
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