A Taste of Thailand

After checking in to your hotel, embark on a tour of the Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo. Thailand’s most famous landmark, this is a spectacular palace/temple complex housing the original Emerald Buddha. The Palace is located at the very heart of the city, just off the Chao Phraya River, and is best reached by river taxi.

From the Palace, continue to Wat Po, the oldest temple in the city, as well as its first university (teaching Thai medicine). It houses a huge reclining Buddha, one of the city's most striking sights.

As evening approaches, take a drive through the streets and avenues of Bangkok’s Old Quarter; the illuminated temples, Palace, and Royal Ground present a fabulous spectacle at night.

Your evening tour of Bangkok's culinary delights begins with a visit to the Krua Apsorn restaurant. This folksy, inconspicuous restaurant is located a little way outside of the city centre, and has become something of a best-kept secret among Thai foodies, thanks to its perfectly-cooked, old-fashioned Thai dishes! You'll only stop here briefly, however; just long enough to try the local speciality, “somtam”, a papaya salad typically served with raw crab.

For your main course, make a stop in Old Bangkok to sample a famous Thai speciality, ‘pad Thai’. The pad Thai at Long Pha is prepared in the traditional way, on charcoal, and is simply delicious.

End the evening with a stroll through the flower market with its many beautiful orchids. Time-allowing, you might like to visit the adjacent night market on Memorial Bridge for a bit of souvenir shopping. Return to your hotel late evening.

You'll travel to Samut Songkhram on the famous Maeklong Railway, disembarking at Talat Rom Hoop, a fruit and vegetable market that has developed around the railway tracks. In a remarkable display, the vendors at the market dexterously pack their stalls away minutes before the train approaches, only to unload them again once it's passed. Take the time to explore the market with your guide, before boarding a long-tail boat that will carry you along the busy canals around the market to a village on the coast.

Here you'll visit a homestay where you can learn how to make traditional Thai desserts such as coconut pudding, or khanom krok. Afterwards, stop for lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Bangkok on the train.

On your return, take the time to explore the narrow alleys of Bangkok's old town where you can sample the city's famous street food. If you're full from lunch, you might like to just try the traditional Thai coffee. Return to your hotel late afternoon, with the rest of the evening at leisure (dinner to own account)

Once one of the greatest cities in the world, old Ayutthaya is now a ruin, but walking the grounds of this medieval city you'll get a feel for just how magnificent it once was. On arrival, enjoy a short walking tour of the old city; then check-in at your hotel before heading out for lunch.

For lunch, visit a local restaurant where they serve an Ayutthaya specialty, spicy boat noodles, before continuing your explorations of the old city.

As well as visiting the temples and ruins of old Ayutthaya, you'll also have time today to stop in at a local blacksmiths, where you can learn how dab, or Thai swords, are made.

In the evening, enjoy dinner at a friendly restaurant situated on the river, which serves excellent seafood, followed by a walk through the night bazaar.

Enjoy a walk in the valleys and hills of the park, while keeping an eye out for wildlife. The park is rich in birdlife, and you may also see some larger mammals, including elephant (of which there are an estimated 200). Gibbon, bear and gaur are present in the park but only rarely seen.

Lunch is at a restaurant near the National Park.

In the afternoon, visit the Gran Monte winery, where you can sample Thai wine and enjoy a guided tour of the vineyard, followed by a supper of some of the best local food and wine!

Overnight in Khao Yai.

As you approach Khon Kaen, you'll have the chance to take an outdoors class in Issan cooking, and learn how the food of the north differs from that of the south (the short answer: it's spicier!)

Continue to Khon Kaen and visit the One Pillar Pagoda, a close replica of the famous Hanoi temple, built by Khon Kaen's substantial Vietnamese community. It's a great spot from which to watch the sunset.

In the evening, enjoy fusion cuisine at a local restaurant, Hua Hang, before checking in to your hotel for the night.

En route to Sukhothai, stop at the city of Phitsanulok for lunch (if you’re feeling brave you might like to sample the local treats on offer at the edible insects market; if not, you’ll be pleased to know that there are many restaurants serving traditional Thai favourites), and to visit Phra Si Ratana Temple, which houses one of the most impressive Buddha images in Thailand, dating back to the 14th-century.

Continue to Sukhothai, arriving late afternoon. Sukhothai's Historic Park is a world heritage site and undoubtedly the most impressive temple complex in Thailand. Enjoy a sundowner at the temple ruins, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

Leave Sukhothai late morning and continue north in the direction of Chiang Mai, Thailand's northern capital. It's a long drive (four hours). Expect to arrive at your destination, Saraphi, a small town just outside Chiang Mai, in the late afternoon. Here you'll enjoy a late lunch at a homestay, where you stay tonight.

In the afternoon, enjoy a relaxed hike in the surrounding countryside, taking you through small villages, past ride paddies and over rivers. Keep an eye out for the trees decked in orange ribbon, part of a curious local ritual to signify that they have been ordained into the monastic life, and thus protect them from being chopped down! Return to your homestay in the evening and enjoy a home-cooked barbeque as the sun sets.

Spend the rest of the morning at one of Chiang Mai's many food markets. Here you'll be accompanied by a Thai chef, who'll reveal the secrets of her trade as she guides you through the market, picking out the best of the local produce which you'll then use in your cooking class.

Once you've mastered the art of Thai cooking, say goodbye to your teacher and hop aboard a songtaew, or pick-up truck, and journey to the 700-year old underground temple of Wat Umong! Explore the temple, before returning to your hotel late afternoon.

The rest of the evening is at leisure; you might like to explore Chiang Mai's famous night bazaar, which is great for souvenir shopping. Ask your guide for advice on where to eat, or just take the time to explore the city centre yourself—Chiang Mai is full of fantastic restaurants.

It's a four to five hour drive, a section of which is through the beautiful Doi Luang National Park. You'll have the opportunity to stop along the way at an Akha hill village, where you can visit a homestay and get a feel for how the northern tribes live, their lives so far removed from the city dwellers of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, before stopping for lunch at a local restaurant.

You can also make a stop en route at a very special coffee outlet, where they serve another of Thailand’s unique specialities, elephant dung coffee. This is coffee made from beans that have been digested by an elephant, and then handpicked from the dung. For those with less rarefied tastes, ordinary coffee that hasn't arrived out of an elephant's bottom is also available.

Arrive in Mae Chan late afternoon and transfer directly to your hotel. The rest of the evening is at leisure (dinner to own account).