Cultural Odyssey of Northern Thailand Tour 15 Days

Morning

After breakfast, start your day by visiting the Tha Pae Gate in the center of Chiang Mai. This gate, the only one to be entirely reconstructed, was formerly one of five gates that provided entry into the walled city and now serves as the main entrance. It’s a great starting point for discovering Chiang Mai’s history.

You will travel from this point to Wat Phra Singh in a pedal-powered trishaw, making a quick stop at the Three Kings Monument on the way. Wat Phra Singh is one of the most respected temples in the city and is known for its exquisite Phra Singh (Lion Buddha) image, dating back to the 1360s.

After the palace, visit Wat Chedi Luang. It was one of the tallest structures in ancient Chiang Mai and suffered extensive damage, but the exterior has been renovated, and new sculptures and statues have been added. A jade copy of the Emerald Buddha, now in Bangkok, was donated in 1995 to commemorate Chiang Mai’s 700th anniversary, with the original housed in this temple.

Head towards the city’s silver craft district, where you can see silversmiths working on exclusive paintings typical of northern Thailand. Wat Sri Suphan is just a short drive away. The temple, first built in 1502, is often referred to as the Silver Temple due to the intricate silverwork covering its walls.

Note: The tour lasts around 4 hours. You will need to cover your knees and shoulders when visiting temples, and there will be occasions when you must take off your shoes.

Enjoy a dynamic evening at the bustling street food market in Chiang Mai while indulging in the fantastic selection of regional specialties and traditional meals.

Evening

In the evening, explore the market with your own English-speaking guide, who can recommend must-try local dishes. Some popular dishes include Khao soi and sai oua. Visitors can also try regional rice whisky. The trip will begin at around 18.30 and typically end at approximately 21.30 because the street food market starts in the evening.

Spend the night in Chiang Mai.

Around 8.30, we will pick you up from your hotel (extra fees will apply if you are picked up outside of the middle ring road).

Let’s visit the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park to see the process of creating paper from elephant poo. The route might take one hour. When you reach the destination, you are given lovely uniforms to start the journey.

After a brief introduction, you can chop and prepare food for the elephants and learn to prepare herbal medication for them. Meet, feed, and interact with our elephants. Enjoy a carefully prepared meal at our park, take a stroll alongside the elephants, and visit our elephant bathing spot to bathe and groom them.

After taking a shower and getting dressed, have a snack and some fresh coconut juice. At 17.30, return to your accommodation.

Spend the night in Chiang Mai.

After breakfast, head to Lisu Lodge. You’ll be greeted with a traditional welcome drink. Then, hop on a local open-air truck to a spot near Pha Mieng. From there, you’ll start a 1.5-hour jungle trek to reach the remote Hmong Pha Mieng community, where you can meet the people living in this small hill tribe village in the forest.

Have a picnic in the forest for lunch. Then, take a 1.5-hour walk up the mountain to reach Red Lahu Village. After trekking for an hour, you’ll reach the Lahu village of Kup Kap, where you’ll be treated to a breathtaking view of the Mae Taeng region and the nighttime sparkle of Chiang Mai town, with Myanmar (Burma) located to the west.

You can enjoy dinner at Lahu Outpost, designed like a traditional Lahu home. The amenities include mosquito nets, blankets, towels, bed linens, mattresses, pillows, a shared shower, and two Western-style restrooms.

Overnight in Lahu Outpost.

After an early breakfast, let’s have a 90-minute hike, passing the Huay Sadharn Waterfall, to the elephant mount area. From there, we’ll ride for an hour to reach the river, where we’ll have a picnic lunch on the picturesque riverbanks.

After lunch, we’ll go rafting for 45 minutes. When we return to Lisu Lodge, you’ll get a welcome drink and check into your room. Then, there will be a briefing to plan activities for the next morning. You can also take a guided stroll from Ton Lung temple to an herbal garden with a Lisu villager. After that, you can visit the home of the village shaman to learn about Lisu shamanism.

Overnight in Lisu Lodge.

After breakfast at the Lodge, you will have some options for the interesting activities:

• Guided bike tour around the Lisu Lodge area
• Steam bath
• Massage
• Ox-cart ride through farmlands and orchards to the Thai village of Baan Pang Mai Daeng. The ride takes about an hour and ends back at Lisu Lodge.

Notes: You can book a second 1-hour activity with a fee, and also enjoy complimentary cycling with a provided road book of recommended routes.

After leaving Lisu Lodge, head to a Palong hamlet in Chiang Dao. Enjoy a picnic lunch along the way and then take a three-hour walk to reach Akha Outpost. Once there, you’ll be surrounded by breathtaking views and help your guide prepare a delicious alpine supper.

Have dinner in the Akha Outpost, which is fashioned after a traditional Akha home. The standard facilities include mosquito nets, blankets, towels, bed linens, mattresses, and pillows. There is a shared shower and two Western-style restrooms available.

Overnight in Akha Outpost.

Have breakfast at Akha Outpost. To reach another Akha settlement, walk downhill past a waterfall. Then, drive a short distance to Khum Lanna.

Upon arrival at Khum Lanna, guests are welcomed by the local Lanna people and offered a welcome beverage.

At 10:00, tour the gardens, join in preparing a Lanna-style BBQ lunch, and gather seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs for your meal.

Before the 11:00 Thai cooking session, you’ll get a free “Khum Lanna Thai Recipe Book.” Enjoy a Lanna-style BBQ meal with your host and pick up some Thai language tips for market shopping in the next day.

Guest are free to choose their favorite one-hour activities this afternoon:

• Guided biking tour around Khum Lanna
• Fruit (or vegetable) carving
• Local style personal herbal steam bath
• Hot-pressed herbal massage (consisting of 8 kinds of herbs: ginger, zingiber, lemongrass, plantain, tamarind leaves, soap pod, camphor and Aom Kiew)

Notes: A second one-hour activity can be scheduled for a small fee. You are welcome to go riding on your own, as it is a free sport. We’ll provide you with a road guide with suggested routes.

You’ll have free time in the late afternoon, followed by a Thai culinary session at 16.30. After cooking, enjoy a 4-course Thai supper with your host and friends, and then relax by the backyard bonfire.

Overnight in Kum Lanna.

You will receive coffee or tea at 05:30 before starting a sunrise biking trip from San Kwang village to Phrao, where you can visit a local market. You will also have the opportunity to visit a farmer’s rice and traditional tool shop, stop at Wat Pa Gee, and ride alongside the local canal through the rice fields back to Khum Lanna.

After freshening up, enjoy a local Lanna-style breakfast by the riverside at 09:00. Then, go for light biking to a nearby rural village. You’ll see a sacred tree with an amazing accumulation of beehives at Ban Nam Phrae and learn about the importance of bees and local conservation efforts.

After that, keep biking to Wiang Phrao Wung Hin, an ancient city 30 years older than Chiang Mai. Explore a temple and Phra Chao Lan Tong, the most important Buddha Image in the Phrao district. It’s the place where King Mengrai (1259-1317) trained soldiers to defend the city.

Continue to visit Wat Tham Dork Kum to see Buddha stucco figures and a large reclining Buddha. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the orchard hill with a fantastic view of the Phrao valley. Then, return to Khum Lanna, refresh, and check out.

In the afternoon, transfer to Chiang Rai, and reach Chiang Khong, a small border town on the Mekong River. You will continue to Lanjia Lodge, where you will be served herbal local juice during check-in and enjoy dinner while watching traditional Hmong performances.

Overnight in Lanjia Lodge.

At around 9.00, you will see a presentation about the Mekong River’s giant catfish, also known as Pla Buek, the largest freshwater fish in the world, the Hmong and Lahu tribes, and the Golden Triangle region after breakfast.

After that, explore the Hmong shaman’s home and tour the Lahu and Hmong hill tribal villages. Learn about the Hmong tradition of burying newborn infants’ umbilical cords and placentas, and enjoy a cup of tea with the shaman.

At the charming patio with views of Laos and the Mekong River, lunch will be served.

In the afternoon, spend around 45 minutes learning how to make a Hmong batik handkerchief from scratch with Hmong women. As an alternative, you might learn how to construct and set traps for animals.

Next, at the Herbal Plant Nursery Project, you will assist the locals in planting trees. After that, you’ll be transferred to Chiang Rai.

Overnight in Chiang Rai.

After breakfast, take it easy until it’s time to check out. You will go to Chiang Rai Airport with your own driver so you can catch a quick flight to Krabi.

When you arrive, our local driver will pick you up at the airport in Krabi and transport you to the private speedboat pier in an air-conditioned car. Following that, you take a picturesque 15-minute motorboat journey to Ko Lanta.

When the speedboat arrives, your local driver will be there to take you from the port to your Ko Lanta hotel.

Overnight in Koh Lanta.

You have the entire day to relax. As long as the water conditions permit this morning, you have a lot of alternatives to select from, including joining a snorkeling tour.

Overnight in Koh Lanta.

Unwind and make the most of a full day on your terms.

Overnight in Koh Lanta.

Leisure time before returning to Krabi on a speedboat. At the pier, our driver will be ready to take you to Krabi Airport, where you will take a quick flight to Bangkok. After being greeted at the airport in Bangkok, get a transfer to your accommodation.

Overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast, meet your private guide to explore Bangkok’s ancient district. Enjoy a Tuk Tuk trip, a popular mode of transportation in Bangkok. Visit the Flower Market to see various flowers, including the traditional lotus flower, which holds a unique position in Thai culture. Don’t forget to visit a temple by the river, meet turtles, enjoy a neighborhood lunch, and quench your thirst!

Then, take a boat ride to Jim Thompson’s home. The tour ends in the late afternoon, leaving you with the entire evening to yourself.

Overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast, your private vehicle will meet you at the hotel and take you to Bangkok International Airport, where you may catch your next trip.