Northeast Thailand Tour 8 days: Issan Discovery

Explore Thailand's hidden gems on this Northeast Thailand Tour 8 days: Issan Discovery! Trek jungles, visit ancient temples, & discover local life in Issan. See Ayutthaya and Khao Yai National Park. Boat the Mekong & visit the Indochina Market! This itinerary is perfect for those who want to experience the authentic Thailand.

8 days 7 nights

Thailand

Off the beaten track

Attractions

Bangkok - Khao Yai - Nakhon Phanom - Udon Thani

Duration

8 days 7 nights

Code

TOT05

Type of tour

Private tour

Overview

Northeast Thailand Tour 8 days: Issan Discovery focus on the less explored areas of Thailand. These holiday ideas suit visitors who have been to Thailand, and want to see a different side, or new visitors who prefer to avoid cities and lots of tourists. Explore nature in the countryside, visit ancient temples and experience the traditional parts of the less visited cities. You will discover the beautiful ancient royal city Ayuttaya and Khao Yai National Park. You will go trekking in the green jungle. You will go to the area around Nakhon Phanom, witness of thousands of years of history. You will also have the opportunity to take a boat trip on the Mekong where you will visit the market "Indochina" where many products from Laos and other neighboring countries are offered.

HIGHLIGHTS

Explore the ancient and modern beauty of the capital Bangkok
Visit the beautiful temple
Discover the ancient capital of Ayutthaya with the historical sites
Trekking in the Thai jungle
Boat trip on the Mekong and discovery of the Indochina market

Pay a visit the ethnic villages and meet the local

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 Saigon to check-in your hotel, then take your time to have a rest after a long flight and lunchtime.

After breakfast, we depart for Khao Yai, stopping to visit the fruit market in Klang Don, where many kinds of local products, fruits, vegetables on offer. Prepare yourself to be surrounded by 3000 species of plants and 66 species of mammals by visit Khao Yai National Park, Thailand's first national park. Opened in 1962 and considered today as one of the most beautiful, Khao Yai is listed as a World Heritage Site because of the variety of its fauna and flora. Lunch is on your own. You will stroll through the heart of the park on the Haew SuWat waterfall trail, the most famoust in the park. Check in at the hotel. Night in Khao Yai

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for the north and the capital of Isan: Nakhon Ratchasima, still called Korat by locals despite its new official name. Before reaching Korat, stop at Dan Kwian's potter's village. Continuation to Korat and city tour with stop at the memorial of Thao Suranari (Lady Mo) built for a woman who fought the Laotian invasion in the 19th century. Free lunch in Korat and check-in at the hotel. In the afternoon, you will go north and visit the archaeological site of Ban Prasat, a remnant of one of the oldest cities in the country. Continue to the Phimai historical site and visit the beautiful Prasat Hin, and Sai Ngam and his giant ficus. Back to Korat and free time. Overnight in Korat.

Today we will depart for Buriram where you can visit Prasat Phanom Rung, one of the best preserved Khmer remains in Thailand. Visit the site which is accessed by a large staircase, then a few kilometers away, visit Muang Tham. In the center of this temple, there are two laterite walls to protect the sacred buildings. The inner courtyard includes five brick towers and two libraries, while the central prang (prasat) contains elements symbolizing Mount Kailas, the home of the god Shiva. Free lunch at your own account.

Continuation of the trip to Surin and visit of its national museum (closed Monday and Tuesday). It presents many pieces retracing the history of the region since prehistoric times, and gives information on the multitude of ethnicities who live there today: The Khmer, the Suays and Laos. Overnight in Surin

Breakfast, visit a village of argentiers: Ban Kwao Sinarin and continuation to the Khmer Sikhoraphum temple. Stop at Ban Sam Kho village, which deserves a walk to discover a lifestyle unchanged. Silk fabrics are produced in almost all houses, probably one of the best places to offer you a fabric of "Pha Mai" (Silk Thai) at a lower cost.

Continue to the beautiful Sikhoraphoum temple and visit its 5 towers and its central chedi which is the place of worship for locals. Then departure for Kamphaeng Yai and visit this little-known Khmer site. Dating from the 11th century it consists of 6 buildings. You will discover sculptures of Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu on the lintels as well as inscriptions in Khmer. Lunch on your own.

Continue to Kong Jiam, a city located on the majestic Mekong, the eighth largest river in the world and the third largest in Asia. Originating in Tibet, it travels 4,500 km, crossing China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia before throwing itself into the sea in Vietnam. Overnight in Kong Jiam.

Breakfast at the hotel then departure for Mukdahan, border town with Savannakhet in Laos where you can walk in its lively and colorful market where sell and exchange products Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese and of course Chinese. Mukdahan has become a staging area for game-loving Thais visiting Savannakhet in Laos, where casinos, banned in Thailand, have been created for them. You can make new culinary experiences between a rice rat curry, eggs of red ants, cobra, monitor curry, or even fried insects and peppers!

After lunch, continue to Nakhon Phanom and stop in one of the most important temples of the region of Isan for its inhabitants, like Wat Phra That Phanom built in a purely Laotian architecture. Before arriving at Nakhon Phanom, stop to visit the small village of Ban Na Chok where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1923 to 1929. Arrival in Nakhon Phanom and check in your hotel at the edge of the Mekong

Breakfast and departure for the visit of Wat Tha Phanom then stop at Sakhon Nakhon where you will participate in the ceremony of sacred thread that a monk attaches to your wrist, a sign of merits and omens, the opportunity to make a wish. It is also an animistic practice where, according to the beliefs, the body is made up of 32 souls that can fly away. Also the threads tied around the wrists are a way to prevent diseases by attaching Souls to the body.

Continue to visit the traditional pottery and weaving village of Ban Chiang. In 1966, it was here that a Harvard student updated one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. The excavations that followed revealed pottery and bronze tools dating back more than 3,500 years on a site that had been inhabited for at least 2000 years. His discovery revolutionized the knowledge of this period of history by uncovering evidence of mastery of livestock and rice farming and the use of metal tools.

Continue to visit bamboo weaving work at Dong Yen Village and pottery painting at Baan Pulu. Free lunch on the way and then transfer to Udon Thani. Departure for the south of the city for visit of the lake : the "Talay Bua Daeng" translates literally the "Red Lotus Sea". From December to February, a lake is covered with red lotus flowers. You will enjoy a pleasant boat trip in the heart of the "Red Sea". Overnight in Ubon Thani.

Breakfast and departure in the morning to visit the Orchids farm. The owner of this farm gave birth to a variety of endemic orchid with a delicate fragrance in 1977: the Udon Sunshine. Continue to Nong Khai, a small border town with Laos. Visit Sala Kaew Ku, a park with sculptures inspired by Buddhism and Hindu deities, some of which are 25 meters high. Visit the picturesque market of Tha Sadet where there are products and crafts of Indochina, trading with Laos. Afternoon return to Udon Thani for your flight to Bangkok.

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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

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 Public holidays
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