Thailand Tour 13 days: From center to the north

This Thailand Tour 13 days: From center to the north whisks you through the heart of Thailand, showcasing its vibrant culture, stunning landscapes, and historical wonders. Immerse yourself in the energy of Thailand's capital, visiting magnificent temples and bustling markets like Damnoen Saduak. Explore the ancient city of Ayutthaya, marveling at its historical ruins. Trek through lush jungles, encounter majestic elephants, and admire the breathtaking scenery of the Mekong River. Discover th

13 days 12 nights

Thailand

Classic Highlights

Attractions

Bangkok - Ayutthaya - Nakhon Phanom - Sukhothai - Lampang - Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai

Duration

13 days 12 nights

Code

TCT12

Overview

"Thailand Tour 13 days: From center to the north" offer you the main attractions of this land of smiles. In addition to the bustling capital Bangkok, we will take you to visit the "North Rose" - Chiang Mai, the mysterious city Chiang Rai and Ayutthaya and Sukhothai - two heritage cities, as well as beautiful beaches with white sand in the south of the country. Moreover, from central to South, you can meet local people and discover their cultures and traditions.

HIGHLIGHTS

Explore the ancient and modern beauty of the capital Bangkok by yourself
Visit the famous temples in the city
Get a deep insight into Thai culture and local life when visiting Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Discover Thailand’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya with its historical sites.
Short trekking thru the jungle
Have an amazing elephant riding and rafting experience
Admire the spectacular landscape along the Mekong river
Explore Golden Triangle border region of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos
Learn more about culture of Thailand by visiting the villages of ethnic minorities

Itinerary

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Warmly welcome you on arrival at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport. We will pick you up with a comfortable vehicle to the center of Bangkok to check-in your hotel, then take your time to have a rest after a long flight and lunchtime.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Bangkok
Meal : Not available

Today, we will take the whole day to explore Bangkok – the city of golden temples.
The first destination is the Grand Palace, which includes 3 main sites: Royal Palace, Royal Office and pagodas (Wat) built in 1770s. Nowadays, most of national significant events takes place there.
Wat Pra Kwae is famous not only for its beauty of unique Thailand Buddhism architecture but also for the sacred jade Buddha statue.
Nearby Grand Palace is Wat Pho - the oldest and biggest pagoda in Bangkok with more than 1000 Buddha statues and the huge one sit-back Buddha in gold.
We will board on a boat to pay a visit along the Chao Phraya River, watching the life of local people close by. On route, we stop at Wat Arun, the most beautiful pagoda in Bangkok not only for its location on the Chao Phraya’s riverbank but also for the different architecture from other pagodas.
After having lunch, we visit Wat Traimit. This pagoda is famous for its unique and historic beauty, and also for the huge golden Buddha statue.
The last destination today is Jim Thompson House - one of the best places in Bangkok to see traditional Thai teak homes, as Thompson built up his historic houses shipped to Bangkok from around the country.
Return to the hotel and you are free to explore Bangkok by night.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Bangkok
Meal : Breakfast

Having a breakfast and we will transfer to Ayutthaya, visit the Royal Summer Palace in Bang Pa-in district. Being a favorite resort of royal, the Royal Summer palace showcases an eclectic collection of buildings that blend European, Khmer, Thai and Chinese architectural styles.
We continue the northern to pay a visit to some sites of Ayutthaya Historical Park. Being a ruin with many temples which characterize the handicraft architecture, the park was recognized as World’s Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Wat Phu Khao Thong is a massive pagoda towering in the middle of paddy fields. There is a high golden plated chedi on the top, which makes the pagoda outstanding.
Wat Phra Sri Sanphet was the most important temple of Ayutthaya with 3 towers standing high together in Ceylonese style.
Vihara Phra Mongkhon Bophit is the pagoda in which the bronze Buddha statue in the attitude of subduing Mara is situated. This is one of the biggest Buddha statue in Thailand.
Wat Lokaya Sutha is considered as the sacred place for pilgrims since it’s famous for the reclining Buddha statue. It is also the most important relics in most of those in Wat Lokaya Sutha.

Transfer to Uthai Thani, checkin-in the hotel and take your time to relax.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Uthai Thani
Meal : Breakfast

Morning after breakfast check out, drive to a monkey temple, see and feed hundreds of monkeys. They live in the bush around the temple, very tame and friendly to all people.
Drive to Nakhon Sawan for boat trip on Bueng Boraphet, the big natural lake to enjoy the scenery and hundreds of birds live around the lake.
After that proceed to Kamphaeng Phet stop at Banana Market to see people make different sources of banana and taste. There are various kinds of banana snacks and species being on offer at this special market.
We continue exploring Kamphaeng Pet Historical Park is an archeological site, containing the ruins of the ancient town of Kamphaeng Phet. The park was recognized by UNESCO as World’s Heritage Site.
We also visit Wat Prakaew, which is a large royal temple in center of town. The temple itself was used on important city events and had no monks in residence.
We have lunch at local restaurant then drive to Sukhothai, on the way we visit Sukhothai Historical Park. It covers the ruins of Sukhothai, literally "Dawn of Happiness", capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries. The park contains almost 200 ruined chedis in remarkable condition.

Cheking-in the hotel in Sukhothai and you are free to relax after a day of exploring.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Sukhothai
Meal : Breakfast

Today after breakfast, we come to Si Satchanalai Historical park. The park covers the ruins of Si Satchanalai which literally means "City of good people", and Chaliang.
We drive along mountainous area for visit Wat Phrathat Suthon Mongkhol Kiri, the magnificent Reclining Buddha, the decorative Lanna Style stupas covered with gold and the compound.

Continue driving to the north, we come to Lampang for horse carriage ride to visit a Burmese style temple at Wat Prakaew Dontao, built in the 14th or 15th century, this is an important temple, since it houses the Emerald Buddha statue, the Thailand’s most sacred Buddha statue during the 15th century.

Proceed to the hotel in Chiang Mai. Checking-in the hotel and you can relax after a long day exploring.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Mai
Meal : Breakfast

Today morning, we have a walking tour to the old town with a stop at the old wall, the moat and a door of the old town. You will see the most beautiful temples of Chiang Mai: Wat Phra Singh temple, built in Lanna style architecture. Known as “The Monastery of the Lion Buddha’, this temple houses a number of highly revered and very old Buddha images.
The next is Wat Phan Tao, an ancient temple sitting right next to the sacred Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai town.
Next to Wat Phan Tao is Wat Chedi Luang. This is a Buddhist temple in the historic centre of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Then you will stroll along small streets lined with traditional houses, where you will take a rickshaw tour. After that, you will take a walking through the central market of Warorot, which is a great spot for travelers wanting to experience the true Thai culture and daily life.
In the afternoon we visit the Doi Suthep hill. The mountain's temple is one of the most historically and spiritually significant places in Thailand. So, many Thais and foreigners come to experience the special magic of this holy place.

Return to the hotel and you can relax or enjoy going to the night market.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Mai
Meal : Breakfast

After breakfast, departure for Chiang Dao, famous for huge limestone mountains. Interstingly, when you visit an elephant camp, you can watch the elephants taking their morning bath and demonstrating some their skills. You will also learn how to properly ascend the elephant and lumber along a trail in the dense, leafy forest and along the Mae Ping River.
Lunch is served at local restaurant. In the afternoon, you will get an up-close look at the river on a bamboo raft trip. You will languidly cruise past traditional teak houses high on stilts along the lush banks. Bidding farewell to chilled-out Chiang Dao and its gentle people won’t be easy. Soften the blow with a stop at an orchid farm on your return to Chiang Mai. Revel in the assortment of colors and designs from stripped to dots. At the end of the day, you’ll have seen that Thailand’s natural bounty is an open-air art museum.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Mai
Meal : Breakfast

This day will start with a transfer to Doi Inthanon National Park. It will take approximately 2 hours to this highest peak of Thailand. On arrival, we will spend 2-3 hours trekking through the jungle following a narrow mountain trail which leads us to stunning hidden waterfall in the middle of lush jungle. Along the way before reaching the Pagagayaw Karen hill tribe village, we will pass through the farmland where you will see the coffee plantation, flowers farm and the beautiful rice terraces. Discover the Pagagayaw Karen hill tribe village and taste a cup of locally grown coffee, then move on to Vachiratharn Waterfall, a 70 meters high thunderous waterfall. Enjoy the cool fresh air at the waterfall before we continue back to the ground.
After that you will visit the beautiful architecture of Napamaytanidol Chedi and Phra Mahatat Napaphon Bhumisiri which build to honor the 60th birthday of King Bhumipol and Queen Sirikit. Heading back to Chiang Mai for your overnight.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Mai
Meal : Breakfast

Morning after breakfast, we transfer to Elephant Poopoo Paper Park, which is an eco-friendly, naturally built, outdoor museum park that shows how the paper is produced from elephant poop fibers!
In the afternoon, time would be free at your own until we transfer you to Chiang Rai. Cheking-in the hotel in Chiang Rai and then you are free.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Rai
Meal : Breakfast

Morning after breakfast, we will visit the local market to discover the local products. After that we visit the world famous Wat Phra Kaew, one of the oldest and most revered temple in Chiang Rai city. The Wat Phra Kaew is where the Emerald Buddha image was once enshrined.
We move on to Wat Phra Singh, which was the storage of Phra Buddha Sihingh statue. The main structures of the Lanna style temple are the ubosot, the viharn, a chapel containing a footprint of the Buddha and the Kuti or monks living quarters.
Continue to visit Baan Dam (Black House), an eclectic mix of traditional northern Thai buildings interspersed with some outlandish modern designs.
We have lunch then take a boat to cruise on Mae Kok river from Chiang Rai to Karen village where you can watch elephants or feed them, especially enjoying your 1 hour elephant riding.
Heading back to Chiang Rai to overnight.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Rai
Meal : Breakfast

After breakfast, we visit the Mae Fah Luang botanical garden, sited high up on the mountain of Doi Tung. Coming here, visitors are rewarded with a stunning display of plants and flowers.
We continue the trip by heading to the northern Thailand to Doi Mae Salong, which has early history focusing on opium trading. Here, you will get a chance to admire the green hills and taste the delicious tea of the region.
From Doi Mae Salong, we will visit two villages of ethnic minorities: the village Akah of Loyo, and the village Lisu of Ban Hanygo.
Having lunch at the local restaurant at the Golden Triangle, then taking a boat trip along Mekong Kong River to see Thailand, Burma & Laos, confluence at the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is known for its beautiful scenery. Some of the sights in the area include a large golden Buddha image seated in a boat, an ancient temple on a hill and the House of Opium Museum.
Return to the hotel and you are free to relax.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Chiang Saen
Meal : Breakfast

Have breakfast and free time until transfer back to Chiang Rai for a flight back to Bangkok.

Accommodation: At the hotel in Bangkok
Meal : Breakfast

Having breakfast then you are free until we transfer you to the airport, taking an international flight to your hometown.

Accommodation: Not available
Meal : Breakfast

Request price

Trip notes

Tour includes:

Accommodation in a double or twin share room with daily breakfast
Private air-conditioned vehicle during all tours and transfers.
Entrance fees for all visits as mentioned in the itinerary
Experienced English speaking guide during all tours and transfers
Meal as specified in the itinerary
Ferry, boat, cruise in the itinerary (if any)
Water & cool towels
Government taxes & service charge
NOTES: The price is except for peak season during 20 Dec 2018 – 15 Jan 2019

Tour excludes:

Thailand Visa stamp fee
International airfare and departure taxes
Meals, if not specified in the itinerary
Early check in/ late check out
Domestic flights and domestic airport taxes
Compulsory Gala dinner on 24th and 31st December
Surcharged for festival: Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Compulsory Gala Dinner, Chinese New Year, Songkran Festival
Drinks and meal not mentioned
Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, drinks … etc.
Personal travel insurance (we highly recommend that you purchase adequate insurance).
Gratuities/ Tipping
All other services not specified in the itinerary