Cultural Icons of Thailand & Cambodia

Today you will fly to Bangkok. On arrival, your private guide will welcome you at the arrival hall and transfer you to your hotel with a private car and driver. Your guide will help you with luggage and hotel check-in and ensure your arrival is worry-free.

Your trip today will start with a long-tail boat cruise along the Chao Phraya River which will offer an open view of the riverside scenery. The boat will take you deeply exploring the narrow river ways winding through local residents and glistening ancient temples. The cruise ends in Wat Arun on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Then, you will depart for the landmark Wat Arun. After that, you will cross the Chao Phraya River to the opposite bank by water taxi. Your second stop will be Wat Pho, which is one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples. Wat Pho was built by King Rama I about 200 years ago and houses the gigantic, gold-plated Reclining Buddha image. This unique image is 49 meters long and 12 meters high with beautifully inlaid mother-of-pearl soles. Lunch at a local restaurant before your visit to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, undoubtedly the most dazzling, spectacular royal monuments and the city’s most famous landmark. The four must-see temples on today’s tour form the skyline of Bangkok and give the best glimpse for fresh visitors. Then return to the hotel.

Depart early morning for a 2-hour drive to the Maeklong Railway Market (also known as Rom Hub Market). It has a train running through the middle of it several times a day. Right down the middle and close enough to touch. Only in Thailand! Marvel at each seller quickly moves their wares via ingenious sets of easily-movable containers to avoid the coming train, once the train has passed， it’s back to business as usual.Your second stop is the 100-year-old Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located 100 km (62 mi) from Bangkok, one of the Thailand’s most famous attractions. Day-in and day-out from about 8 am to about 11 am, the Floating Market is routinely crowded with hundreds of vendors and purchasers floating in their small rowing boats selling and buying or exchanging their goods. You will have a chance to take a ride on a long tail boat to get the real sense of a floating village. After the long tail boat cruise around the village, you will stop at a transit point where you can choose to further explore the floating market by a 4-seat boat or stroll around by the river's banks. After having lunch, you will return to Bangkok.

You will take your internal flight to the historical and colorful city of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai, located in the north of Thailand, with its lovely Lanna temples, charming traditions, unique food, family-friendly attractions and stunning setting is a gem in Thailand’s northern hills. There’s so much for tourists to do here, from cultural exploration to adventurous treks and food tours. Your private guide is waiting for you at the airport to take you by private car to your hotel.

Your morning half-day Chiang Mai old-city, temple tour takes you on an unforgettable drive through many different parts of the city. Your tour includes Wat Pra Singh which is one of over 200 ancient Buddhist temples located around the city and one of the most well-regarded examples of Lanna architecture. The temple of Wat Chedi Luang is the site of an enormous pagoda, originally 280 feet high, which was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1545. Continue to Warorot Market to see and feel the real northern people’s way of life. 

Enjoy your meal at a local restaurant, then a relaxing drive of about 1hr takes you to the Doi Suthep Mountain. Climb 309 steps to the top (For the less active traveler, a tram is available for a small surcharge.), enjoying the truly breathtaking scenery all along the way.  You will find Wat Phra That at the very top, one of Northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. At the top, rest and relax while marveling at the panoramic views of the city of Chiang Mai. 

A half-day package to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary offers you an enjoyable opportunity to spend quality time with elephants in their natural home, as well as gain an insight into their history and behavior, and create cherished lifelong memories of their time spent with these amazing animals.

Today you will be picked up from your place of accommodation and will drive through scenic agricultural areas before arriving at the Sanctuary. There, you will meet your English-speaking guide and learn a little about the elephants, before changing into traditional Karen clothing.

After being allocated bananas and sugar cane to feed to the elephants, you will walk with your guide through the Sanctuary, where you will find free-roaming elephants and hear their individual stories. You can touch, feed, photograph, and interact with the elephants at your leisure while you learn about their lifestyle and behaviors. 

After the close encounter with the elephant, you will return to your hotel, the rest of the day is free at your leisure.

Check out and transfer to the airport for your flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket. On arrival, your private guide will accompany you for your hotel check-in. After settling in, relax poolside or head to the beach.

Enjoy a private transfer to the pier, our private guide will also escort you on the boat, they will provide you a one-on-one service by helping you take care of your belongings, taking photos when you are snorkeling, etc.

Depart by speedboat (join boat) from Boat Lagoon Marina to visit one of Thailand's most popular natural attractions, the gorgeous Phi Phi Islands. To avoid the crowds, first visit Bamboo Island and its pristine white sand beach with emerald waters, simply perfect for swimming. Next, enjoy snorkeling off Yoong Island noted for its antler corals and colorful fish. Cruise 30min to Monkey Beach with its colony of wild macaques. Enjoy a simple local buffet lunch on arrival at Koh Phi Phi Don before taking a dip in Viking Cave on the island’s northeastern tip, known for its swifts’ nests used in Bird's Nest Soup. Visit Maya Bay, the postcard-perfect setting made famous by the film “The Beach”, and enjoy a swim or simply relax on its white sand beach. Cruise back to Phuket, our private guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Day of leisure. Relax at your hotel or explore the surrounding area.

Enjoy your free time until your guide comes to escort you to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap, your private guide will meet with you at the airport and take you to the hotel for check-in. In your free time, you can stroll around the streets of Siem Reap and explore the city.

Tour Duration: 08: 30 - 17:00

This morning you will be picked up at your accommodation in Siem Reap to begin your unforgettable Angkor Wat Tour. You will be transferred by private car to the West Gate of Angkor Thom – undiscovered by mass tourist.Your tour will include visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Angkor Period (AD 802-1432). Visit the breathtaking Bayon Temple, one of the most popular sites in Angkor complex with over 200 giant faces carved into its 54 towers. The temple was designed to represent the 54 provinces of the Khmer Empire and it still carries a completely majestic atmosphere. You will also visit Baphuon Temple,Phimeanakas Temple,the Terrace of the Elephant,the Terrace of the Leper King,and Royal Palace Temple. 

In the afternoon, you will visit Angkor Wat Temple, one of the seven wonders of the world. Angkor Wat is a World Heritage Site since 1992, famous for its beauty and splendor. View sunset at Phnom Bakheng before heading back to your accommodation.

Tips:
Notice: During the visit of Angkor Wat, Baphuon and Banteay Srey temple – visitors should wear Shirts or blouse covering shoulders and arms and long skirts or trousers covering legs. (No miniskirt or short trousers). Children under twelve years old are not allowed to climb up this tower. It will be closed on the Buddhist Sabbath Days, the Buddhist religious days, four days a month in accordance with the Lunar Calendar.

Tour Duration: 05:00 - 17:30

If you want, you can take the early morning trip witness sunrise over Angkor Wat temple and listening singing birds over the ancient land of Angkor area, you also have the chance for a friendly talk with the monks and nuns at a nearby pagoda. After the sunrise tour, breakfast either at the hotel or takeaway is available. 

Start the day by visiting Banteay Srei Temples, nearly everyone's favorite site. The special charm of this temple lies in its compact size, remarkable state of preservation, and the excellence of it decorative carving. Continue to visit Banteay Samre, Its rose-colored sandstone walls are decorated with carvings and bas-reliefs, which are among the most accomplished Angkor has to offer. Have lunch at a local restaurant for exotic cuisine. Ta Prohm temple and Banteay Kdei are your next stops before some leisure time in the late afternoon. 

Your private guide will escort you to Siem Reap international airport for your onward flight.

សួស្ដី Sua s'dei! Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Your private guide will meet with you at airport and take you to the hotel for check in.

Tour duration: 08:30 am - 05:00 pm

Today you will visit the Royal Palace. Nearside the Royal Palace is Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), displaying plenty of Buddha Statues that were decorated and made of diamond, emerald, gold, and silver. Travelers will proceed to visit Independence Monument which was constructed in 1954 after Cambodians took their country back from the French colony, continuing visit to National Museum, We pass through the River Front park whose scenery is much worth shooting, and continue to the only one hill in town with sacred sites called Wat Phnom. Your tour will end up with a visit to the Central Market which is an Art Deco landmark of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The bright yellow building completed in 1937 has a 26m high central dome, with four tall arch-roofed arms branching out diagonally across the block, creating vast hallways housing countless stalls and all kinds of goods.

You will visit Tuol Sleng prison (Genocide Museum) which was the most secret organ of the Khmer Rouge regime. S-21 stands for "Security Office 21." was Angkar's premier security institution, specifically designed for the interrogation and extermination of anti-Angkar elements. Continue to visit Choeung Ek museum, between 1975 and 1978 about 17,000 men, women, children, and infants detained and tortured at S-21 prison were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek.

Enjoy your free time until your guide come and escort you to airport for your onward flight.