Thailand culture and beach holiday
Price
£4400 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Duration
14 Days
Type
Tailor made
More info
This itinerary is priced per person and designed to give you an idea of what can be included on your bespoke luxury tour of Thailand, tailor-made to suit your personal tastes and preferences.
Description of Thailand culture and beach holiday
On this incredible 14-day Thailand holiday you'll experience the history and culture of Thailand, plus you'll have time to relax on the palm-fringed beaches of Koh Samui.
Your adventure starts in Bangkok, where you'll discover sacred temples, vibrant street life and floating markets, all with a local guide. Explore the Grand Palace, and visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Then, head west to the town of Kanchanaburi to visit the famous bridge on the River Kwai, built by prisoners of war during World War II. Kanchanaburi is also the gateway to Erawan National Park, an area of incredible natural beauty, including fairy-tale waterfalls.
Next, you'll discover the spectacular hill-tribe region near Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and visit Elephant Nature Park - a verified ethical elephant sanctuary committed to the rescue, treatment and rehabilitation of abandoned elephants.
Finally, you'll end your adventure with a few days relaxing on the tropical island of Koh Samui, on Thailand's east coast. Enjoy the island's gorgeous beaches, island-hop around the Gulf islands and encounter vibrant marine life under the waves.
This cultural tour of Thailand gives a taste of the country beyond the popular tourist spots, with local guides and authentic experiences to add real flavour to your tour - ideal for an activity-packed family holiday. End with relaxation on the peaceful shores of Samui, reflecting on your Southeast Asian adventure.
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Bangkok - Upon arrival at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, you will be met by a representative and transferred to your chosen accommodation. Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the evening to brief you about your itinerary and recommend some great places to eat in this exciting city. |
| Day 2: | Bangkok - Your day will start with a guided tour of Bangkok. You’ll travel like a local using transport including klong (canal) boat, public bus, the Chao Phraya River public ferry and the elevated BTS or Skytrain. Your friendly and knowledgeable local guide will take you to Bangkok’s magnificent temples and palaces, including Thailand’s most sacred sites: the opulent Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Grand Palace is without doubt the city's most famous landmark and Wat Phra Kaew, known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. |
| Day 3: | Damneon Saduak Floating Market - This morning you’ll visit Damneon Saduak floating market, approximately 12 kilometres south of Downtown Bangkok. This is the most popular floating market in Thailand and here you’ll see hundreds of longtail boats along the narrow canals with vendors selling everything from exotic fruits, to traditional desserts and noodles cooked right on the boat. In the afternoon and evening you’ll have free time to discover the wonderful city of Bangkok. A boat cruise on the Chao Phraya is a wonderful way to view the city’s main attractions, including the Grand Palace and Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). |
| Day 4: | Kanchanaburi - Today you’ll be driven west to the town of Kanchanaburi, which is known for the Death Railway, built during World War II. You’ll visit the famous bridge on the River Kwai and Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, before boarding the train along the Death Railway. There is a fantastic museum, the Thai Burma Railway Museum, where you can learn more about the POW’s experiences, as well as viewing a section of the infamous Burma Death Railway. Later in the afternoon, you’ll board a longtail boat to your accommodation which is a stylish tented camp set on a cliff overlooking the famous River Kwai and relax in the beautiful camp among nature. |
| Day 5: | Erawan National Park - This morning you’ll head to the beautiful Erawan National Park, near the Myanmar border. The park is known for its picturesque waterfalls, particularly Erawan Falls, which cascades down seven tiers. It's also known for its limestone caves including Phartat Cave, which has stalactites and stalagmites, Ta Duang Cave which features rock paintings, and Wang Bah Dan Cave which has two levels with a stream in its lower chamber. Have another peaceful night on the river Kwai and relax or take some kayaks out on the river. |
| Day 6: | Chiang Mai - This morning you’ll check out of your Kanchanaburi accommodation and then you’ll be driven to Bangkok airport to board a short flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, you will be met by a local guide who will accompany you to your hotel to settle in and drop your bags. Later in the afternoon, you’ll explore the old town by trishaw and you’ll finish your tour with a walk around the famous Chiang Mai night market. |
| Day 7: | Elephant Nature Park - Today you’ll visit the Elephant Nature Park. The Elephant Nature Park focuses on education and conservation, and offers the opportunity to see ex-working elephants up close without exploiting them. You will be able to learn about the elephants and the important work the Elephant Nature Park does. Your visit helps to improve the lives and conditions of elephants. This evening your guide will take you out for a traditional Kantoke dinnerand served the best Thai cuisine. |
| Day 8: | Explore Chiang Mai - It's an early start this morning as you’ll head to the base of Chiang Mai Hill to watch the Buddhist monks descending into the city as the sun rises, to collect their alms for the day. If there is sufficient time you can walk up the mountain to Wat Prah That Doi Suthep. You’ll then visit a local farm outside Chiang Mai where you’ll collect the ingredients that you’ll need for your Thai cookery lesson, and then you’ll prepare an authentic Thai meal for your lunch. After lunch, you’ll head into the hill tribe region outside of Chiang Mai, taking in spectacular views before arriving at your accommodation. This evening you’ll enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and a traditional Hmong song and dance performance by local villagers. |
| Day 9: | Surat Thani - After breakfast, you’ll check out of your lodge and you’ll be transferred to Chiang Mai Airport. En route you’ll stop at the famous Doi Suthep Temple where you can take photos of the spectacular views over Chiang Mai. This afternoon you’ll take a flight to Surat Thani in southern Thailand and from here you’ll take a boat to the idyllic island of Koh Samui. |
| Day 10-13: | Explore Koh Samui - You have three days to explore Koh Samui at your leisure. You may wish to discover the beautiful beaches of Chaweng, Maenam, Choeng Mon, Lamai, and laid-back Haad Bophut (Bophut Beach) which is located on the north coast. Bophut Beach offers great swimming, stunning views across to Koh Pha Ngan and an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and bars in the Fisherman’s Village. There are also a number of dive schools offering scuba lessons or day trips to Ang Thong Marine Park, Sail Rock or Koh Tao Island. Alternatively you may wish to take a ferry over to the island of Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is famous for its full moon parties which take place on Sunrise Beach in Haad Rin, however there’s much more to this beautiful island than its world-renowned monthly parties. You can hike through the lush tropical jungle mountains and visit beautiful waterfalls, or if you’re feeling adventurous you can trek to the top of Khao Ra at 627 metres. You can also hire a long-tail boat and visit some of the island’s 30 beaches, and you can snorkel or dive on the colourful coral reefs. |
| Day 14: | Sadly, your Thailand cultural tour and beach time on Koh Samui is drawing to an end. After breakfast this morning you’ll check out of your accommodation and you’ll be driven to Koh Samui airport for your flight home. |
Price information
£4400 excluding flights
Convert currency:
This itinerary is priced per person and designed to give you an idea of what can be included on your bespoke luxury tour of Thailand, tailor-made to suit your personal tastes and preferences.
Departure information
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel guides
Sanuk is a very Thai concept of deriving pleasure from whatever you are doing – at work or play. It forms the basis of Thailand’s exceptional hospital...
Asia is massive: a whopping great sprawl of a continent with some 4.5 billion people living across it – that’s more than the population of every other...
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet
As with all of our luxury holidays, this itinerary has been crafted to ensure that it positively effects the local communities and environments visited.This itinerary includes trips to some of Thailand's protected areas of natural beauty, including Erawan National Park and the UNESCO-listed city of Chiang Mai. By visiting these sites (all entrance fees are included in your luxury tour), you are supporting the protection of these areas, and indicating to authorities that tourists are interested in protecting Thailand's incredible natural environments.
Whilst exploring areas of natural beauty, such as national parks and beaches, please ensure that you don’t leave any litter – everything you carry in, you must carry out. Aside from the environmental damage, litter can be harmful to wildlife.
We also make a special effort to recommend activities and accommodation providers which have responsible and sustainable initiatives. For example, Elephant Nature Park is an ethical elephant sanctuary which rescues, treats and rehabilitates elephants previously used for logging, riding and entertainment purposes. A trip here helps provide much-needed funds for the elephants (many of which suffer health problems as a result of their mistreatment, leading to them being abandoned by their previous owners) and makes you an ambassador for elephant welfare, educating friends and family about your trip and the ethical ways to interact with elephants in Southeast Asia.
People
All the local guides referred to in this itinerary are paid a fair wage. We believe that using local guides is important, as it helps generate local incomes and creates jobs, plus it offers a more authentic travel experience for travellers.We recommend independent local hotels, lodges, guesthouses and campsites, rather than international chain hotels, which helps support local communities and allows you to experience true Thai hospitality. For example, at Raming Lodge in Chiang Mai, guests can learn about traditional Thai cuisine by joining a cookery course at the Cooking School, which uses organic food, made from ingredients grown locally.
This Thailand holiday also includes the option for cultural experiences learning about local traditions with trips to hill tribe villages, where you can engage in cultural exchange. What's more, getting to know a destination and the diverse people who live there means that you will have a more authentic and meaningful travel experience.
Popular similar holidays
Thailand tailor made holiday, elephants, jungle & beach
From £1699 14 days excluding flights
Elephant encounters, jungle treehouses and stunning Thai islands
Thailand adventure holiday, self drive Tuk Tuk
From £1395 - £1695 11 days excluding flights
A Tuk Tuk Adventure in the stunning mountains of Thailand
Family adventure holiday in Thailand
From £1700 14 days including domestic flights only
Private family tour of Thailand - May to October
