Family Discovery & Walking Holiday In Thailand

Arrive Bangkok and check-in at hotel. The afternoon is left free for you to get to know this fascinating city at your own pace and to get used to the heat. Being a city of rivers and canals, Bangkok is best explored from the water and you may wish to take an optional longtail boat excursion along the busy ‘klongs’ passing many of the stilt house villages that make up a large part of the city. You may also visit the Royal Barge Museum en route.

Overnight Standard Hotel Swimming available

Our sightseeing tour this morning is on foot and by boat and includes the Grand Palace with its stunning Emerald Buddha, Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), which contains Thailand’s tallest prang (tower), and Wat Po – the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. In the evening you may like to have dinner on a floating restaurant down on the Chao Phraya River.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

The day has been left free to allow you time for personal exploration or relaxation. There are many other interesting sights in Bangkok aside from the Grand Palace and main temples, which you will have visited already. Chinatown for example is a hive of activity during the day and night and there is no better way of reaching it than taking a Chao Phraya River Express boat from near the hotel directly to this area. The National Museum hosts the largest collection of Buddhas in Asia; the Vimanmek Palace is the world’s largest teak eddifice, and Jim Thompson’s House holds an amazing collection of antiques and fabrics. Or you may prefer to head to the downtown shopping areas by the new elevated sky-train. In the late afternoon we take an airconditioned overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai.

Overnight Basic Train Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

In contrast with the heat and bustle of Bangkok, the climate in Chiang Mai comes as quite a relief. The town is situated in a high valley at the foot of the majestic Doi Suthep mountain. Founded in the 13th century, Chiang Mai is a city with a rich, colourful and sometimes turbulent history. As capital of the Lanna (Million Rice Fields) Kingdom, this area remained outside the rule of Bangkok until well into the 20th century. Our sightseeing will include the famous Doi Suthep temple, where we learn that the site of this temple was chosen by... an elephant! The king’s favourite white elephant was left to wander with a Buddha relic strapped onto its back – the monarch having decided that where the elephant stopped, a temple would be built. We then return for an orientation walk of the town. In preparation for our hilltribe trek, there will be a short briefing from your tour leader tonight. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Swimming available

Leaving Chiang Mai we head into the northern hills to spend the next three days exploring the area of the hilltribes; colourful people who inhabit the mountain slopes above an altitude of 300m. There are numerous individual tribes, each with its own particular beliefs, way of life and colour of dress. We visit several of the tribes, including the Karen and Red Lahu. In the morning we first drive to Pai (approx 3 hours) and our trekking journey begins in the afternoon when we hike to a Red Lahu Village (approx 2.5hrs walking), where we spend the night. The shaman (exorcist) mediates with the village and jungle spirits and holds an exalted position in the community – his house serving as the village temple. Rice is the main crop grown along with maize and poppies. The Lahu form several sub-groups which differ in costume, language and traditions.

The group will be divided between a number of village houses, and sleep in communal, dormitory-style areas on bamboo/rattan mats on the floor. It will thus not be possible for families to be in single, twin or triple rooms on these nights.

Overnight Simple Village House Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We'll trek for approximately 4 hours today to a White Karen village stopping at Tham Yao cave along the way. This is a vast and pristine cave system located close to the village.  The Karen tribe consists of four distinct groups and forms the largest hilltribe in Thailand. The men often wear Western clothes although the women are prolific weavers and are usually colourfully dressed. Karen people are reknowned for their handicrafts such as woven baskets, musical instruments and animal bells. 

Overnight Simple Village House Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we trek for a further 2-3hrs to reach a Shan Village where we can experience a little of their village life before driving to Tham Plaa and continuing our adventurous journey on a bamboo raft (lifejackets provided).  We'll float on the Pai River towards Mae Hong Son, where we will stay for two nights. Mae Hong Son is a tranquil spot which lies in a forested valley next to the river, surrounded by mountains – a spectacular setting.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch Swimming available

This morning we have a short transfer to our elephant camp where we will ride these amazing animals through the forest and typical rice paddy scenery (approx 1 hr) Founded in 1831 as a training ground for elephants taken from the surrounding jungle for the princes of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son was only linked to the outside world by a paved road in the late 1960’s. Although over half the population of Mae Hong Son are from the various hilltribes, the town’s location gives it a distinctly Burmese feel. There is the opportunity to visit the local market, followed by a guided sightseeing tour on foot – to include some of the local temples, some of them Burmese style. The afternoon is free for more walks, cycling, a mud spa, or you may choose to relax and enjoy a few creature comforts around the pool. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Today we drive to Chiang Mai, the scenic bus journey will take around five hours. The rest of the day is free in Chiang Mai and you may choose to do an optional Thai cookery course, where an expert cook/teacher will teach even the most inexperienced the fundamentals of Thai cookery. Chiang Mai is easy to get around and so you may decide to hire a bicycle and roam the backstreets or alternatively do some last minute shopping in the city reputed to be the handicraft capital of Thailand. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

This morning we head out to the Lampang elephant sanctuary. Established in 1969, it is the largest elephant conservation centre in the country and also hosts an elephant hospital caring for sick and abandoned elephants. We will be able to see elephants bathing and carrying logs and there is also the opportunity to ride one of these amazing animals for a while (optional). Or, how about getting your hands dirty and making some ‘elephant paper’, using a truly recyclable material – elephant dung!? After returning to Chiang Mai, the remainder of the day. In the late afternoon we take an airconditioned overnight sleeper train to Bangkok.

Overnight Basic Train Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Our train arrives early morning into Bangkok where we are met and continue by minibus (3-4hrs driving) to Ban Phe port for the ferry to Koh Samet. The afternoon is free to relax.

Overnight Standard Hotel Swimming available

Only 6 km in length, Koh Samet is home to some of the best beaches in Thailand. Bright, white sands, contrast vividly with the clear blue sea that laps the tree-lined shores of this idylic island. Up until the 1980’s Ko Samet was home to a small community of fishermen, when the island became a designated national park. Since then tourist development has taken place, although the island still retains some of its original charm. Our two days on the island leave you free to relax and enjoy this tropical paradise, with the opportunity to do as much, or as little as you want. You may just decide to enjoy the pristine beach, cooling down with a swim in the clear waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Alternatively you can take an optional boat trip to one of the nearby uninhabited islands. Watersports and snorkelling can all be arranged locally. The Queen Turtle Conservation Project is also a possible optional visit. Evenings can be spent in the excellent restaurants which are within close proximity of our hotel and specialise in freshly caught seafood dishes.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

After a final morning on Koh Samet, we head back to Bangkok.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available

Tour ends after breakfast.

Included meals: Breakfast Swimming available