Day 1 Chiang Mai
Introductory meeting; Dinner
Welcome to Thailand!  Our tour starts late afternoon with a get-acquainted meeting followed by dinner in a local restaurant.
Yaang Come Village Hotel (3 nights) http://www.yaangcome.com/

Day 2 Chiang Mai
Wat Doi Suthep
On our first morning together we’ll depart for the nearby mountain temple of Doi Suthep for panoramic views and the tour’s best Buddhist connection experience. Ring the prayer bells as we ascend or take photos of the sacred Bodhi tree, the view, or giant ceremonial drums. While listening to the musical tinkling of temple bells you can receive a monk’s blessing, learn your fortune from tossing joss sticks, join the ceremonial circumambulation of the stupa, or add oil to the sacred lamps (like lighting a candle in a Catholic church). Our guide will use Doi Suthep’s “Century Calendar Book” to teach you your birth sign, sacred animal, and ritual Buddha posture.

Day 5 Sukhothai
Sukhothai Historical Park
This morning we’ll have a guided visit of Sukhothai, one of Thailand’s World Heritage sites. Sukhothai was Siam’s first “national” capital, uniting its feudal kingdoms in the 13th century. Culture, art, and architecture flourished and today we can visit the remnants of that refined dynasty. The captivating temple ruins boast rows of columns, crumbling stupas, and many Buddhas displaying the enigmatic “Sukhothai Smile.” We’ll navigate the flat terrain by bicycle and indulge in a picnic lunch among the ruins. Your afternoon is free to relax by the pool or have a Thai massage - on the tour!

Day 6 Bangkok
Klong Tour; Riverside Dinner
After breakfast we'll depart Sukhothai, heading south to Thailand's bustling capital - Bangkok. Upon arrival we'll check into our hotel for some down time. In the late afternoon we'll embark on a tour of the city's canals (klongs). Bangkok is laced with hundreds of canals. A tour of these waterways is a journey into Bangkok’s heart and soul, and a fantastic water-borne photo safari. We’ll see people cooking, fishing, washing dishes, swimming, making merit, and playing. We’ll float past teak palaces side by side with ramshackle hovels and workaday wats. Afterward we’ll enjoy a classic Bangkok experience, a riverside dinner with the illuminated spires of the Grand Palace visible on the other side of the river.
Nuovo City Hotel (3 nights) https://www.nouvocityhotel.com/

Day 9 Ayuthaya
Ayuthaya Historical Park
After breakfast we'll travel north to Ayuthaya, Siam’s capital from the 14th to the 18th centuries. It is Thailand’s second World Heritage site and our favorite archaeological destination. We'll visit a Wat or two before lunch. In the afternoon we’ll visit Wats Mahathat and Si Sanphet, and finish with the saffron-sashed Buddha statues of Yai Chai Mongkhon. In the evening we’ll board a converted rice barge for dinner. Relax while some of Ayuthaya’s prime sights drift gently by.
Kantary Hotel (1 night) https://www.kantaryhotel-ayutthaya.com/

Day 10 Khao Sok
Khao Sok Excursion
An early morning flight jets us south to Surat Thani (included). Then it’s on to Chiaw Lan Lake in beautiful Khao Sok National Park. After checking in to our floating guesthouse we’ll enjoy a late lunch together. Afternoon activities include a boat excursion on the lake surrounded by soaring limestone karsts and cliffs, a short jungle hike, a bamboo raft ride, and a visit to a cave. In addition to the tropical flora and breathtaking landscape we hope to see gibbons, flying lizards, and a variety of birdlife. But the real magic begins at dusk as moon shadow creeps across the surrounding karsts creating a magical ambiance.
Phupha Waree Floating Guesthouse (1 night)

Day 14 Tour over
Our tour officially ends after a mid-morning flight back to Bangkok (flight included; Bangkok's Don Muang airport). We will help with transfer arrangements into the city or to nearby Suvarnabhumi international airport (BKK).

[Itinerary details & hotels subject to change]

Day 3 Chiang Mai
Craft Villages; Village Homestay Visit
This is a busy, blockbuster day! We'll begin our day with stops at several craft villages. Then it’s on to our homestay visit for a taste of rural life. We’ll take an easy countryside bike ride, visiting a local handicraft cooperative and a mushroom farm. Later we’ll partake in a traditional Kantok dinner with our village hosts. Traditional music and a dance performance will be provided by local students. The evening concludes with a Thai lantern ceremony.

Day 4 Sukhothai
Cooking Class
This morning we kick off our day with a cooking class. We will shop for ingredients at the local market, learn to prepare several simple Thai dishes, and then enjoy the results for lunch. In the afternoon we drive to Sukhothai.
Le Charme Resort (2 nights) https://www.lecharmesukhothai.com/
Nov Tour - Sukhothai Treasure Resort (2 nights) https://sukhothaitreasure.com/

Day 7 Bangkok
Grand Palace; Wat Pho
The Grand Palace complex with its flamboyant architectural style includes Wat Phra Kaew, a wonder of gleaming stupas, statues, and bots. This is Thailand’s premier sight and a fitting start to our Bangkok sight-seeing. Phra Kheo is home to the country’s most venerated religious object, the Emerald Buddha. The complex is surrounded by a galleried wall, displaying an electric mural series from the Ramakian, the Hindu epic of good vs. evil. Giant (18 ft) Yakshas, or mythical guardians watch over the entrances. Gilded garudas and multi-chromatic mythic warriors line the bases of chedis and other gilded statues populate the grounds.  Next door is Wat Pho, home to Thailand’s largest reclining Buddha. Pho has a more work-a-day feel. Engage the monks in conversation, check out the ancient massage school “instruction” panels, drop coins in the alms bowls, or photograph the whimsical guardian statues at Pho’s main gates.

Day 8 Bangkok
Tuk-Tuk tour
On this morning we’ll explore Bangkok’s less accessible sights on a tuk-tuk tour – the ubiquitous Asian 3-wheel transport.  Highlights include Wat Saket – the Golden Mount, Rama V monument, the flower market, and Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Your afternoon is free to explore on your own. Visit the amulet market, Dusit Park, or Wat Traimit with its 5.5 ton solid gold Buddha statue.

Day 11 Trang - Koh Ngai
Tharn Bokkaranee
A morning’s drive brings us to another natural jewel, Tharn Bokkoranee National Park. We’ll board kayaks and paddle through karst hongs (natural caves) and emerald pools surrounded by the verdant mangrove jungle. After lunch we continue south, by-passing over-developed resort areas to relatively undeveloped Trang Province. It’s longer and more complicated to get here, but the payout is spectacular! Note: There is no dock or jetty on Koh Ngai. We will be required to walk though shallow water for our arrival and departure.
Thapwarin Resort (3 nights) https://thapwarin.com/

Day 12 Trang - Koh Ngai
Free day
Today is a full-stop break from the demands of our tour itinerary. No planned activities. You decide how you want to spend your day in this tropical paradise. Options include snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, scuba, or just relaxing by the beach.

Day 13 Trang - Koh Ngai
Andaman excursion
After breakfast we’ll take a boat excursion to 3 or 4 of the most picturesque Andaman islands for a fun-in-the-sun snorkeling adventure. Our private boat will take us to pristine beaches and past dramatic karst islands. The day includes Ko Muk’s spectacular Emerald Cave. We swim through a 300-foot long sea cave to reach the secluded interior lagoon (actually a collapsed hong). A perfect sandy beach is surrounded by steep jungle-clad cliffs forming a perfect, round, natural chimney up to the blue sky. It is an amazing experience!