Day 1 - Depart U.K. The group will be met on arrival at Suvarnabhumi International airport and transferred to the hotel located in the bustling Chinatown district of Bangkok.
Day 2 - A fun and educational tour of Bangkok using the extensive canal network that runs through the city. This will be a great intro to life in a city like Bangkok and explain how the locals use the network for their daily lives. After lunch, the group will take to electric scooters for a safe, fun and fascinating tour of the city’s backstreets giving them a different insight to how life operates here. Following lunch, the group will be collected from the hotel for the VIP coach journey east to the province of Surin, arriving in the early evening.
Day 3 - On arrival in Surin we will board our traditional trucks, known as Song-teaw’s, that will drive us to a village located approximately 45-minutes away. On arrival we’ll meet our hosts and learn more about what we’ll be doing here for the coming days and will take a tour of the village community to learn more about the day to day in a remote farming area of Thailand.
Day 4 - An unforgettable, possibly life-changing experience as you’re introduced to the local elephants! They’ve have been living in these areas of Thailand for generations and were once used to help with farming land. As the use of elephants this way has been outlawed, these animals are now kept as pets. You’ll learn all there is to know about the health and welfare of these animals, help with farming their food and have lots of opportunity to get up close and personal with them.
Day 5 - This morning we’ll join the villagers in the common practice of offering alms to the local monks. This is the practice of donating food to the monks in return for Buddhist prayers and good fortune. Then we’ll take the local elephants out for some exercise and learn about how and why there are so many elephants here in this area of Thailand. Following lunch we’ll lead these majestic creatures to the local river for a swim! In the mid-afternoon we’ll have a group cooking lesson to create our own Thai food masterpieces that we’ll then enjoy for dinner.
Day 6 - Life in this part of Thailand revolves heavily around farming. Rice, watermelon, papaya, mango, and much more is cultivated here. Today we’ll be visiting a farm to learn how what you eat gets from here to your belly! In the afternoon you’ll head to the river to learn how the locals fish using large, weighted nets that are cast on to the river and hauled back in.
Day 7 - Surin is also well known in the fashion world as one of the finest producers of silk. From the mulberry bush to the silkworm to production, everything happens here and today you’ll be learning all about where silk comes from and how it’s still handmade here using generation old techniques and machinery. After a tasty lunch you will have the opportunity to create your own silk souvenir using the techniques you’ll have studied this morning.
Day 8 - Sadly, today we’ll be leaving Surin and heading west to the city of Buri Ram, just 1 hour away. We’ll take the elephant’s off for one more walk to the river and have fun organising their food before we have one final group meal with our hosts. In the afternoon we’ll board our coach that will take us to Buri Ram and to our next accommodation.
Day 9 - This morning we depart Buri Ram by train to head to the town Pak Chong – the gateway to Khao Yai National Park. We’ll be met on arrival by our transport that will deliver us to the park to begin our trekking adventure. Next on the itinerary is a walk in the jungle. Besides searching for wildlife, the guide might also explain more about specific trees or edible plants. After dinner, it is time for a night drive. With a large spotlight we try to spot animals that are active at night.
Day 10 - Another day of jungle trekking followed by a late afternoon safari drive before returning to Pak Chong and back to the hotel to recover!
Day 11 - Today we hop aboard the train for the gentle, scenic trip west to Thailand’s ancient capital, Ayutthaya. In the evening your guide will lead you on a leisurely walk through the town to show you some of the ancient sites under the lights.
Day 12 - Our leisurely cycling adventure will begin. Ayutthaya is a very flat town and so you don’t need to be an Olympic athlete to enjoy this trip. We’ll visit many of the ancient temple ruins, dating back almost 1,000 years and hear about this fascinating history of this ancient Siamese capital. We’ll also venture in to local neighbourhoods to experience how the locals go about their daily lives. We’ll return to our accommodation in the mid-afternoon to freshen-up and check-out before we transfer to the train station for the overnight train adventure north to Chiang Mai.
Day 13 - Once we arrive into Chiang Mai our transport will be waiting to whisk us off to our new hotel located on the edge of the beautiful Old Town. This afternoon we’ll travel slightly out of the city to what we’re sure will be one of the most memorable group activities, a traditional Thai cooking lesson! We’ll pick our own ingredients from the farm then be led by a local culinary expert who will show us how to create our very own masterpieces. Don’t mess it up as what you create will be your dinner!
Day 14 - Today we’re off to meet the elephants on an unforgettable overnight jungle experience. Not only will we have plenty of time to spend with these incredible animals, but we’ll also be helping out with tasks and work that needs to be completed to ensure the safety and the long-term healthy care of the animals. We’ll spend two days working alongside the local handlers, known as ‘mahouts’ who have dedicated their lives to ensure these animals are cared for, exercised and receive the best ongoing and sustainable support.
Day 15 - After breakfast we’ll continue with our tasks to ensure that we leave the location in a better, safer, cleaner state than we found it and so that we know we’re leaving a supportive legacy for those who visit after us. Following lunch, and our sad goodbyes to the elephants and the team, we’ll transfer back to the hotel in the city. Your afternoon is free time to re-organise, and you can relax at the hotel’s pool!
Day 16 - Today we’re heading back to the jungles that dominate this region for a medium level trek to learn more about the flora, fauna and wildlife in this region. We’ll visit remote villages, stunning farmland, waterfalls and our local expert guide will introduce us to simple jungle survival tips! Following lunch we’ll board handmade bamboo rafts for a leisurely drift down stream where you’ll be completely lost in the jungles, completely at one with your surroundings and completely at peace.
Day 17 - Following our time spent in the east and the north of Thailand, it’s now time to explore the south as we take a quick flight to the province of Krabi. Home to some of the most stunning beaches and incredible scenery, this is the perfect location for a bit of downtime, relaxation and fun.
Day 18 - Free time to enjoy the beaches
Day 19 - Free time to enjoy the beaches
Day 20 - Sadly, today marks the end of the trip but we’ve one last day to enjoy this amazing country. We’ll depart the hotel after breakfast for the quick transfer back to the airport for our flight north, back to Bangkok. Once we arrive in Bangkok it’s a quick transfer to our hotel located in the heart of bustling Chinatown. We’ll have time to check-in and organise ourselves before we meet up in reception and head off to explore the area, ultimately ending up in a wonderful local restaurant for a final night celebration dinner – the perfect way to end an unforgettable adventure!
Day 21 - Hopefully there will be time for a final group breakfast before your return to the airport for your flight home. Let’s make sure we get a lot of team photos before we finally say a sad “sawas dee krab”.
