Thailand Panorama – 21 Days

Arrive at Wat Pho while the monks are chanting their morning prayers, a calm and often private moment before the crowds. Then walk the temple grounds to the famous reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf and stretching the length of its hall.

Continue to the Grand Palace, Thailand’s most important landmark, with its gilded spires and grand throne halls. Inside the palace grounds, the small Emerald Buddha is the most revered Buddha image in the country.

Board a long-tail boat up the Chao Phraya River and turn into the khlongs, the canals that carry you well away from the usual tourist trail. Stop at Wat Khun Chan, a temple few visitors ever see, then cross a small footbridge into old alleys for an iced coffee before visiting Wat Paknam and its great white stupa, which hides a museum inside.

Back on the water, glide past old wooden houses and new mansions to an orchid and fruit farm, with time to walk among the many orchids on display. On the way back to Saphan Taksin pier, stop to feed the sacred catfish that gather in the canal.

Leave the high-rise city behind as the landscape turns to palms, orchards and canals. At Mae Klong, a market runs right along the railway tracks: when a train comes through, the vendors fold back their awnings and baskets, then set everything out again the moment it has passed.

Continue to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It is busy with visitors today, but it is still the best place to see how a floating market once worked. A paddle boat takes you through the canals to the older part of the market and past homes along the water, then you stroll among boats piled with tropical fruit and snacks.

Drive on to Kanchanaburi and pay your respects at the Second World War memorial and cemetery. Then ride a short stretch of the ‘Death Railway’, built by prisoners of war and labourers during the war, with lovely views over the river from the carriage window, before you transfer into town.

Drive to Bang Pa-In and the royal Summer Palace, first built in the Ayutthaya period. Its buildings mix European, Khmer, Thai and Chinese styles around ponds and lawns, and it has long been a favourite retreat of Thai kings.

Continue to Ayutthaya, capital of the Siamese kingdom for over four centuries and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hop into a Kermit tuk-tuk, the frog-faced little vehicles found only here and in Trang, and ride between the great temples: Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Mahathat with its stone Buddha head held in the roots of a tree, and on through a local market to Wat Phra Si Sanphet.

Head north to Lopburi and King Narai’s Palace. King Narai the Great, who ruled Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688, made Lopburi his second capital and spent most of each year here, hunting, holding court and receiving foreign envoys.

Continue towards Uthai Thani, stopping at Ban Khok Mo, a village where traditional weaving is still part of daily life. Then visit Wat Tha Sung and its dazzling crystal hall, and take a boat along the Sakae Krang River, lined with floating houses.

Arrive in town and wander the colourful night market, a good place to try local snacks.

A short drive brings you to Hup Pa Tat, where you walk through a cave that opens into a small hidden valley. Then continue to Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see Wat Phra Kaeo, Wat Phra That and the forest temples of the Aranyik area.

Follow quiet country roads to Phitsanulok. Visit the Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum, full of everyday tools from old rural Thailand, and the riverside temple of Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, home to the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, one of the most revered Buddha images in the country. Then drive on to Sukhothai.

Collect your bicycles and ride into Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where around two hundred ruined chedis stand in remarkable condition. Start at Wat Si Chum and its huge seated Buddha, Phra Achana, the subject of a legend about a Buddha that spoke.

Pedal on to Wat Phra Phai Luang, the centre of the community even before the Sukhothai kingdom began, then to Wat Si Sawai, Wat Sa Si on its island in the lake, and Wat Traphang Ngoen.

Transfer north to Lampang, a small and friendly city, for the night.

Visit Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, founded in the 13th century and one of the finest examples of Lanna architecture in Thailand. Its open-sided viharns are typical of early Lanna style, and unlike many temples it has kept its original form rather than being rebuilt with modern materials.

Climb aboard a horse cart for a gentle ride through the town and nearby villages, the way Lampang has been known for generations.

Continue north to Chiang Rai, stopping at Phayao Lake for a coffee and the wide views across the water. You arrive in Chiang Rai at the end of the day.

Drive into the wooded mountains towards Doi Mae Salong, where the road rises and falls through hills lined with tea plantations. Stop at one of the estates to taste the local tea.

From Doi Mae Salong, visit the Akha village of Loyo to learn a little about the hill-tribe way of life, then continue to the Mae Fah Luang botanical garden.

At the Golden Triangle, take a boat on the Mekong River to see where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, then settle in for the night at Chiang Saen.

Visit the opium museum, which tells the story of the poppy trade that once defined this border region. Then drive to Thaton, a pleasant riverside town watched over by a large white Buddha, and visit Wat Thaton.

Continue through the mountain district of Fang and up to Doi Ang Khang. At the Royal Agricultural Station, see the flowers and fruit that thrive in the cool climate, then visit the hill-tribe village of Ban Khum.

Drive south via Chiang Dao to explore Chiang Dao Cave. Four connected caverns run deep into the mountain, and in places you bend low, or even crawl, between remarkable stalactites.

Arrive in Chiang Mai and join a Thai cooking class. Learn the balance of flavours behind dishes such as yellow curry and mango sticky rice, then sit down to enjoy what you have made, with recipes to take home.

Explore the old town on foot, starting at the old walls, moat and one of the city gates. Visit three of Chiang Mai’s most beautiful temples, Wat Phra Singh, the teak hall of Wat Phan Tao and the great ruined chedi of Wat Chedi Luang, then take a rickshaw through narrow streets of traditional houses. Finish with a walk through Warorot Market, the city’s busiest local market.

Head up Doi Suthep, the forested mountain that rises behind the city, for views back over Chiang Mai.

At leisure. The Night Market is an easy place to browse for crafts and street food on your own.

Visit the Elephant Poopoo Paper Park, an outdoor museum set among gardens. Eight pavilions walk you through each step of turning elephant dung fibre into paper, and you get to try making a sheet yourself.

Spend two easy hours on a boat along the Mae Ping River, watching the city give way to green banks and handsome traditional teak houses.

At leisure until your transfer to the airport for your flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket.

On arrival, your driver takes you to your hotel in the Patong Beach area. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy the sea and the sand.

Spend the day as you like: swim, read under a parasol, book a massage or explore the beaches along the coast.

Take the day slowly by the sea, or ask us to arrange an excursion if you would like to see more of the island.

At leisure until your transfer to the pier for the ferry to Koh Phi Phi.

Check in at your hotel on the island and spend the rest of the day at leisure, perhaps with a swim and a sunset over the bay.

Swim, snorkel, walk up to a viewpoint or simply rest. Koh Phi Phi is at its best when you slow right down.

Find a quiet stretch of sand, or ask us about a boat trip around the neighbouring islands.

Enjoy one more lazy day by the water before the journey home.

Enjoy a final breakfast and a last look at the sea.

Take the ferry back to Phuket, where your driver takes you to the airport for your flight home via Bangkok.