Thailand Passion: Temples, Hills And Islands – 14 Days

Start at the Grand Palace, the most revered site in the city, where the royal family still holds its ceremonies. Within the same walls stands Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha. Then walk to Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples, to see the Reclining Buddha, around 46 metres long, its feet inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

Lunch is at a local restaurant, at your own choice. Afterwards, wander Chinatown, the busiest quarter of the city, packed with food stalls and specialities from across the region, and visit Wat Traimit, home of the Golden Buddha.

Board a long-tail boat on the Chao Phraya River and slip into the lively canals of the Thonburi bank, where houses, shops and temples line the water. You can stop along the way for a snack or a little shopping, and you call in at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn.

Back at your hotel, the evening is at leisure.

Leave the high-rises behind for the green countryside of Samut Songkhram province. At the Maeklong Railway Market, stalls line the tracks, and when a train approaches the vendors fold away their awnings and goods, only to set them back out moments after it passes. Continue to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Busy as it is today, it still shows how a floating market once worked, and a paddle boat ride takes you through the older canals before you stroll among boats piled with tropical fruit.

Drive to Kanchanaburi to visit the Second World War memorials, including the JEATH War Museum and the war cemetery. Then take a short train ride along the railway from Wang Pho, with views over the river and countryside, before your driver collects you for the hotel.

Head into Erawan National Park and walk up beside Erawan Falls, a cascade of seven tiers, each with its own clear, turquoise pools. You can swim in the natural pools if you wish.

Drive on to Ayutthaya, ringed by the Chao Phraya and its tributaries, which earned it the name ‘Venice of the East’. Founded in 1350 by King U Thong, it was the capital of Siam for over four centuries, and its ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hop aboard one of Ayutthaya’s frog-faced ‘Kermit’ tuk-tuks, found only here and in Trang. Ride between the temples of the old city: Wat Yai Chaimongkol, Wat Mahathat, where a Buddha head peers out from the roots of a tree, and a local market on the way to Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Then visit Bang Pa-In Palace, a royal summer retreat dating back to the Ayutthaya era, with buildings in an eclectic mix of European, Khmer, Thai and Chinese styles.

Return to Bangkok for your flight to Chiang Rai, where you are met and taken to your hotel.

The evening is at leisure.

Browse the local market for northern produce, then visit Wat Phra Kaew, where the Emerald Buddha was once kept, and Wat Phra Singh, home to one of Thailand’s most beautiful Buddha images. A short drive brings you to Baan Dam, the Black House, created by the national artist Thawan Duchanee: part studio, part museum, part home, mixing traditional northern buildings with startling modern designs.

Lunch today is at your own choice.

Take a boat up the Mae Kok River from Chiang Rai to a Karen village, then return to Chiang Rai by road.

Head into the wooded mountains of the far north on the road to Mae Salong, climbing over green hills covered in tea plantations. Stop at one of the estates to taste the local tea. From Doi Mae Salong, visit the Akha village of Loyo.

Walk through the Mae Fah Luang botanical garden, then continue to the Golden Triangle, where you take a boat on the Mekong to the point where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet.

Drive towards Thaton, stopping at the village of Patai to meet the Padaung (Kayan) Karen, known for the women who wear brass coils around their necks. Then visit a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy, where an expert explains the herbs, roots, plants and ointments on the shelves.

Take the road to Chiang Mai, the capital of the north, stopping on the way to explore the maze of cave passages at Chiang Dao.

Walk the old town, past the old walls, the moat and one of the ancient gates. Visit three of Chiang Mai’s finest temples, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phan Tao and Wat Chedi Luang, then take a rickshaw through lanes lined with traditional houses.

Stroll through Warorot, the city’s central market, before heading up to Doi Suthep, the mountain that watches over Chiang Mai.

At leisure: browse the Night Market at your own pace.

Visit the Elephant Poopoo Paper Park, an eco-friendly outdoor museum where eight pavilions follow the process of turning elephant dung fibres into paper. You get to try making a sheet yourself.

Lunch is included today.

Spend around two hours on a boat along the Mae Ping River, watching the scenery change from city to countryside, with traditional teak houses and green fields along the banks.

Board the overnight train to Bangkok in a second-class sleeper, travelling without your guide.

Arrive in Bangkok, where a driver meets you at the station and takes you to the airport for your flight to Trat.

On arrival, transfer to the pier for the ferry to Koh Chang in the Gulf of Thailand. Steep, jungle-covered peaks rise behind sweeping west-coast bays, most with fine sand, a few with pebbles, and the island pairs easy-to-reach wild country with a lively nightlife.

The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy the beach and your resort.

Your days on the island are yours to shape: swim and read on one of the west coast bays, or ask your resort to arrange a boat trip or a walk into the jungle-covered hills.

Spend another unhurried day by the sea, with time to try a different beach, a long lunch of fresh seafood or simply the quiet of your resort.

Your driver collects you in the morning for the ferry and the transfer to Trat airport, for your flight to Bangkok and your onward journey.