A Taste of Thailand

Upon arrival in Bangkok, meet your guide after Customs & Immigration formalities, and transfer to your hotel. For the remainder of the day, you are at your leisure.

Meals: None
Accommodation: Fortune Hotel

After breakfast, visit the Grand Palace and the sacred Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew). Then continue to Bangkok's oldest and largest temple, Wat Pho to view the magnificent 46 meter long reclining Buddha. Take a cruise on the Chao Phraya River to view river and canal-side life. Lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch explore busy, colorful Chinatown and infamous Sampeng Lane, the “Thieves Market'. Return to your hotel to bathe and relax before you feast onboard a converted rice barge as you serenely cruise on the Chao Phraya.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Fortune Hotel

After breakfast, drive north by minibus to explore the ancient ruins of Ayuthaya, once the centre of the powerful and far-reaching Siamese empire. Upon arrival, tour the archeological site of the once glorious capital destroyed by the Burmese. Lunch in a local restaurant and then visit Bang Pa In, the summer palace of the Royal family. After this visit, board the beautifully appointed Mekhala River Barge for an overnight cruise to Bangkok. Stop and visit Wat Kai Tia and enjoy a sumptuous candlelit Thai meal. Watch the neverending river traffic glide by. Sleep in comfort in your air-conditioned cabin.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Mekhala River Barge

After a delicious breakfast on board, cruise down the river to Bangkok, passing spectacular views of the Grang Palace and Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. In the late morning you will arrive in Bangkok. After a rest at your hotel, have lunch at a local restaurant before setting out for a Thai-style massage at Wat Pho, Bangkok's famous natural school of medicine. Later, visit Jim Thompson's House. A socialite American CIA operative who did much to promote the Thai silk industry, Jim Thompson created his exquisite Bangkok home from old houses taken from the north of Thailand. Now, the house is a museum-like showcase of Thai arts, architecture, and refined interior design. Return to your hotel. Dinner on your own. Use your free time tonight to explore the nightlife in the ‘City of Angels'.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Fortune Hotel

Check out of your hotel after breakfast and transfer to the airport for your 1-hour flight to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is Thailand's second largest city and the cultural capital of the north. Within the city are more than 100 monasteries, excellent shopping opportunities and wonderful restaurants of all types. Lunch is in a local restaurant, after which you will get your bearings on a Samlor (trishaw) tour to some of the city's most beautiful temples. Then you will drive up a beautiful winding mountain road to visit Doi Suthep monastery, one of Thailand's most revered and beautiful temples, overlooking the city far below. This mountaintop temple is one of the country's most important pilgrimage destinations. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. This evening, explore the town's many fine dining venues on your own, and get to know the lively Night Bazaar, known for its wonderful shopping opportunities.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Lanna Palace Hotel

After breakfast, visit a Thai cooking school to learn some of the secrets of Thai cuisine with a half-day cooking class. You will go to a local market to shop first for the ingredients, and then have great fun learning to prepare some tasty Thai recipes. Your lunch you will have prepared yourself! Return to your hotel to spend the rest of the day on your own exploring this busy but provincial city.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Lanna Palace Hotel

Visit an elephant camp near Chiang Mai after breakfast and take a brief but exciting forest trek on pachyderms. Return to Chiang Mai to spend the rest of the day on your own. Your guide can suggest to you places of interest within and nearby the city.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Lanna Palace Hotel

Check out of your hotel after breakfast and transfer to the airport for your next destination.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: None