This is a get-out-and-do-it-yourself tour. Peddle, paddle and plod your way through these amazing countries. This is a great tour for people on their first trip to Southeast Asia that don’t want to just see the highlights, but also want to get out and get active. From cooking classes to bike rides to elephant adventures, kayaking and trekking this is an amazing way to see Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. You’ll go home having seen all the highlights, but also having gone beyond!
Day 1 Bangkok – Arrival
Catch your flight.
Arrive in Bangkok where you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel.
Meals Included: None
Overnight at Tenface Hotel – 1-Bedroom Suite Room
Day 2 Bangkok – Public Transport Tour
You will be met by your guide at your hotel at 9 a.m. and set off on the Skytrain. Enjoy the elevated view of central Bangkok as you speed across town to the river where you will board a river express boat to the Flower Market. Take in the sights and smells as you wander past stalls piled with flowers and then head off on an exciting tuk tuk ride to Wat Pho to see the famous Reclining Buddha.
Enjoy a thirty minute massage at the temple’s traditional Thai massage school followed by lunch at a local restaurant; then head to the pride of Thailand, the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew housing the Emerald Buddha. Take a stroll down the street to a local Buddhist amulet market before boarding a river express boat to the Skytrain station and returning to your hotel.
Meals included: Lunch
Overnight at Tenface Hotel – 1-Bedroom Suite Room
Day 3 Bangkok – Cooking Class at Blue Elephant
Your guide will meet you at 8 a.m. and take you to the Blue Elephant Cooking School. There you will be welcomed with a fresh Thai herbal drink and will discuss with the chef the 4 course meal the group will prepare. Once ready you will all take a ride by Sky Train to the Bang Rak morning market. Your instructor will advise the group and guide you in discovering how to choose and use Thai fruits and vegetables plus the multicolored spices!
Once back at the school your instructor will present a cookery demonstration of the dishes that you will prepare. Each student will receive a booklet with the recipes of the day. Now it’s your turn! Assisted by your instructor you will learn and practice the culinary techniques of Thai cuisine. The best part is last as you all sit down to enjoy what you made in the lovely Blue Elephant restaurant!
You will be met by our Bangkok director Jeab and she will take you to Silom Road and to her favorite local restaurant for dinner. The main dish is papaya salad, but she will be able to recommend many different dishes for you to try. After dinner anyone interested can head on to a local nightclub with Jeab for a fun evening drinking and dancing.
Meals included: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Tenface Hotel – 1-Bedroom Suite Room
Day 4 Ayutthaya Ride to the Green Day 1
You will be met in the morning by your guide and taken by private air-conditioned car to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. The tour starts with an exploration of the ancient city, experiencing the highlights of the historical park by bicycle. Before heading out on your bicycle you can watch an informative overview of Ayutthaya at the multimedia information complex in the exhibition centre at the Old City Hall. Then ride to visit Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bopit, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and the Ancient Palace and Wat Na Phra Nain as well as Wat Mahathat.
After lunch, ride along back roads enjoying the green scenery of the rural heartland of Thailand’s central plain. Explore the local communities you pass thru and the beauty as you cruise along a peaceful and ageless canal. In the evening you will head back to your hotel.
Meals included: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Tenface Hotel – 1-Bedroom Suite Room
Day 5 Ayutthaya Ride to the Green Day 2
In the morning wake up early and join the local people in a merit-making ceremony by offering food to the Buddhist monks who make their morning alms round in small paddle boats. Return to your homestay for a traditional breakfast.
After breakfast, explore the local village before finally arriving back in Ayutthaya in the late afternoon. Your guide will then take you back to Bangkok by private air-conditioned car.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Tenface Hotel – 1-Bedroom Suite Room
Day 6 Chiang Mai – Doi Suthep and City Temple Tour
You will be transferred to Bangkok Airport for your flight.
You will be met at Chiang Mai Airport and transferred to your hotel.
This afternoon visit Doi Suthep, the most important Wat in Chiang Mai. Perched high above the city, it offers wonderful views of the city and countryside below.
Enjoy lunch with your guide a local restaurant.
Visit some of the more famous Wats, within the city walls of Chiang Mai. Your guide will discuss Buddhism and the role it plays in everyday life as well as showing you the many details of each temple.
Meals included: Lunch
Overnight at Yaang Come Village Hotel – Superior Room
Day 7 Chiang Mai – Patara Mahout Training at Patara Elephant Farm
You will be met in the lobby of your hotel at 7:30 a.m. and transferred to the Patara Elephant Farm outside of Chiang Mai. At the farm you will be given your mahout outfit and a brief talk on working with elephants before heading into the bush to find them. As the day goes on you will hear all about elephant farm management and the breeding program taking place here. You will meet the elephants and learn to approach them and work with them from the ground and to take them to the river for their morning bath. After a short ride to a local temple you can learn about elephants in Buddhism and the Thai’s ancient relationship with these traditional beasts of burden.
Around mid-day you will set off for a ride through the jungle to some waterfalls where you will enjoy a picnic lunch and a swim with your elephant in the falls. Return to the camp in the afternoon and say goodbye to your new friends before being transferred back to your hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Yaang Come Village Hotel – Superior Room
Day 8 Chiang Mai – Flight of the Gibbon
You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Ban Mae Kampong to start your adventure. Your guide will take you on a short jungle trek to the start of the “Flight of the Gibbon” – a 3 hour, 2km air trek high up in the rainforest canopy using zip lines and sky-bridges taking in the glory and majesty of old growth, high altitude pristine rainforest.
Lunch is served on your return to land and then you can take a spectacular trek up beside the impressively beautiful Mae Kampong Falls where you will be offered a herbal juice drink. Enjoy an afternoon snack with locally grown organic Arabica coffee before it is into the VIP minivan and back to civilization.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Yaang Come Village Hotel – Superior Room
Day 9 Chiang Mai – Bua Thong waterfall – Chiang Dao
You will be met at your hotel at 8 a.m. and you will start your ride at the Bua Thong Waterfall from where you will take country back roads to Chiang Dao. The scenery is breathtaking and your guide will point out flora and fauna along the way. There are no major hills, but an undulating path that will allow you to enjoy the villages and scenery you’re passing. Spend the night at a lovely eco hotel with much-needed swimming pool.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 10 Bike ride to Visit Chiang Dao Caves
Today you will start your ride through ethnic hill tribe villages and a visit to the Chiang Dao Caves. Continue on to a new eco-lodge for the night.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11 Bike Ride to Mae Salak and Mae Kok River
This morning you will follow the scenic Mae Kok River as it winds its way through villages and past villages.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12 Bike ride to Chiang Rai
Today you will ride bikes, but also elephants and boats to the final destination of Chiang Rai. You will be dropped at your hotel around 5 p.m. where you can relax with a cocktail by the pool.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at The River House Resort & Spa – Deluxe Room
Day 13 Chiang Rai – Golden Triangle and Opium Museum
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to the Queens Opium Museum, a fascinating look at the history and culture of the opium trade in the Golden Triangle. Continue on to the Golden Triangle itself from where you can see three countries: Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. In the afternoon head to the Thai Burma border and visit the market there before returning to your hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at The River House Resort & Spa – Deluxe Room
Day 14 Chiang Rai – Pakbeng on Luangsay Cruise
You will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Mekong where you will check out of Thailand before crossing by boat to the Laos Immigration point at Houeisay. After checking in to Laos take a short drive to board the beautiful LuangSay.
Fitted out for comfort this 34 meter boat will provide a little luxury for this stretch of your travels and enable you to relax and watch the countryside slide past, read a book or get to know your fellow travelers a little better. You will stop and visit a local village before lunch is served on board. Late afternoon the boat arrives at the delightful Luangsay Lodge. Dine on the beautiful terraced dining room over looking the Mekong.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Luangsay Lodge
Day 15 Pakbeng – Luang Prabang on Luangsay Cruise
After breakfast stroll thru nearby Pakbeng before joining the Luangsay again to continue downstream. You will stop at a Hmong village before lunch and the famous Pac-Ou Caves – the caves of 1000 Buddhas – and a local village where traditional rice alcohol has been brewed for centuries, before arriving at Luang Prabang.
Your boat will pull up to the ancient Royal Steps and you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang is a delight to walk around, choose your dinner spot from the many restaurants and visit the evening market.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Lotus Villa Hotel – Frangipani Room
Day 16 Luang Prabang – Sunrise to Sunset
Wake-up at sunrise to participate in giving the local monks morning alms. You’ll be accompanied by your guide who can demonstrate the proper method of alms giving and explain this daily Buddhist ceremony. Return to your hotel for breakfast, after which your guide will take you on a tour of the city, including visits to The National Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visun and Wat Sen.
Enjoy lunch in town at a restaurant of your choice. After lunch your guide will meet you and you’ll continue your tour, finishing with a hike up Mt. Phou Si in the late afternoon to see a sweeping view of Luang Prabang and watch the sunset.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Lotus Villa Hotel – Frangipani Room
Day 17 Luang Prabang – Tamarind Cooking Course
Spend your day learning about the secrets of Lao cuisine, including how to make the local staple – Lao sticky rice. You will be instructed by the owners of Tamarind Restaurant in the lush surroundings of their new cooking center just outside of town. After you learn about local ingredients and preparation methods, you’ll cook your own version of these local dishes that you’ll all enjoy as your well-deserved lunch.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Lotus Villa Hotel – Frangipani Room
Day 18 Luang Prabang – Trekking with Village Homestay Day 1
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and you’ll be driven to Ban Long Lao, the starting point of your trek. From here your guide, along with a local village guide, will lead you through the mountainous surroundings. You will pass small Hmong villages on your way and stop along the path to enjoy a picnic lunch.
After lunch, continue your trek arriving at your final destination, Ban Nong Khouay, in the late afternoon. Ban Nong Khouay is a shared Hmong/Khmu community and the locals will make you feel right at home. Enjoy dinner cooked by your hosts and stay overnight with your village family, sleeping Lao style on a small mattress with a mosquito net.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 19 Luang Prabang – Trekking with Village Homestay Day 2
Your host family will cook you a simple breakfast before your early morning departure. Continue your hike for another 4 or 5 hours, enjoying local life and peaceful scenery as you go. In the afternoon you will meet your driver and have lunch at a small local waterfall. After lunch you will be transferred by private van back to Luang Prabang.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Lotus Villa Hotel – Frangipani Room
Day 20 Luang Prabang – Vang Vieng
Enjoy an overland drive to Vang Vieng District which is known for its stunning landscape. Have the afternoon at leisure exploring this unusual area and spend the night at the Riverside Resort beautifully set on the banks of the river.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Thavansouk Resort BanLao – Bungalow Room
Day 21 Vang Vieng – Kayaking
In the morning you will be transferred from Vang Vieng to the Khmu village of Vieng Samay, about 10 km north of Vang Vieng. After an introduction to the basics of kayaking, the Nam Song offers various small but fun rapids on the way to the first stop at the cave of Tham Nam Thaem. This cave cuts straight through the mountain, so one emerges on the other side of the range for some panoramic views of the Nam Kouang valley. A trek back over a small pass leads up to a Lao style picnic lunch on the riverside.
The next paddle stop is at the Organic Farm, where mulberry tea and a variety of fruit wines are produced. The Tham Non Cave lies further downstream. As one of the biggest caves in Vang Vieng, it served as a rescue shelter for the villagers during the Second Indochina War. Today it is home to a bat colony and ‘The Magic Stone of Vang Vieng’. The final leg is a gentle paddle – before returning to Vang Vieng in time to catch the sunset from the terrace of the Ban Sabai Riverside Bungalows if desired or a short walk back to the resort.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Thavansouk Resort BanLao – Bungalow Room
Day 22 Vang Vieng to Vientiane
Enjoy the onward drive through this beautiful landscape. Once you have reached Vang Vieng check in to a quaint riverside bungalow. Enjoy lunch before bicycling through the countryside across the river. Your first stop will be at one of the most famous caves,
Tham Jang. It was used as a bunker during defense against the Chinese in early 19th century. The view from the cave, surrounding landscape and tranquil pools make this a must see.
Then you will head out through the village of Ban Na Thong on a scenic dirt road for approximately 6km until you reach Tham Phu Kham. The Lao consider this the most sacred of the caves in Vang Vieng and contains a bronze reclining Buddha. After your decent from the 200m climb cool off with a dip in the inviting blue lagoon before heading back to town for the evening.
After lunch hit the town and take a guided city tour including Haw Pha Kaeo, Wat Si Saket, Pha That Luang, and Patuxai. In the evening you will be picked up for a traditional dinner including a Lao music and dance performance.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Green Park Boutique Hotel – Classic Room
Day 23 Siem Reap – Arrival
You will be transferred to Vientiane Airport in time for your onward
flight –
You will be met by a Journeys Within representative and taken to Journeys Within Boutique Hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel
Day 24 Siem Reap – Angkor Wat
This morning head to Angkor Wat in an air-conditioned car, or if you choose by bike, with your guide. Explore this majestic temple throughout the morning while it is still cool and has fewer tourists.
Return to Journeys Within for lunch and a nap or refresh with a swim. In the afternoon head to Angkor Thom, the famous walled city and see the many temples within its borders, including the fascinating Bayon temple with its many magnificent faces smiling out. There are several beautiful spots from which to watch the sunset. Discuss with your guide where you would like to be and then relax and enjoy a memorable end to your day at the temples.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel
Day 25 Siem Reap – Sunrise Kbal Spean & Banteay Srei
Wake up early and head out to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat, then enjoy a traditional breakfast of tasty noodle soup with the locals at one of the many food stalls.
After breakfast you will head out of town continuing on a dirt road to Kbal Spean. Once there hike for about two hours to get to the “River of a Thousand Lingas.” In ancient times if water ran over lingas it was said to be holy water. The ancient Khmers therefore made thousands of lingas along this riverbed so the water that flowed to their rice fields was blessed. The lingas and other stone carvings remain today. Have fun exploring the surrounding jungle. Enjoy lunch at the local restaurant. Return to Siem Reap stopping at Banteay Seri, an intricately carved temple known as the Lady Temple.
Later in the afternoon head back to the temples where you will visit Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm, two of the prettiest temples in the complex. Watch the sunset from inside Ta Prohm or from the Angkor Wat promenade.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel
Day 26 Siem Reap – Kayaking
Experience a unique Journeys Within day kayaking on the Tonle Sap. You will set out with the rest of the group around 8 a.m. and drive for about an hour before boarding a boat for a 40 minute ride to one of the lake villages. Here the homes are built on stilts because, while in the dry season the surrounding area is dry, in the rainy season it is flooded and so they rise above the water level.
You will arrive at the local home that stores our canoes and after a short safety briefing head off with your guide who will lead you thru waterways, flooded forests and out into the Tonle Sap lake where you can take a dip if you wish. Then back to wind thru the village experiencing how the locals live in this watery environment before returning to the home for lunch and a leisurely boat and car ride back to town.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel
Day 27 Siem Reap – Visit Well
Today visit the well you have generously donated through Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC).
A JWOC representative will take you into the community to meet the villagers benefiting from the well and you will be able to see the clean water they are now using.
Visit one of Journeys Within Our Community’s (JWOC’s) free schools to help in an English class. JWOC offers a wide variety of free classes to students who have the desire to learn, but lack the financial means to do so.
Our English program for children and adults welcomes the participation of native English speaking volunteers who play an extremely useful role assisting the teachers with speaking activities, providing a model for students who often have limited opportunity to hear and speak English in their everyday lives. No experience is necessary – your ability to speak English is the only qualification you need to help. You will arrive at least 10 minutes before the class starts to meet the teacher and find out what you will be doing.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel
Day 28 Phuket – Arrival
Transfer to the airport in time to catch your flight.
You will be met at Phuket Airport and transferred to your hotel. Once you have checked in relax and enjoy your resort. There are restaurants in the hotel and in the surrounding area, pools to enjoy and of course the beach!
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Mom Tri’s Boat House Hotel – Superior Room
Day 29 Phuket – Day at Leisure
Have a free day to explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Mom Tri’s Boat House Hotel – Superior Room
Day 30 Phuket – Hongs by Starlight
You will be met at your hotel between 12:30 and 1 p.m. and driven with the rest of the group to the Ao Po Pier to board your boat. Cruise towards the National Park while you enjoy a light Thai lunch and listen to a briefing on the wildlife and your schedule. In the afternoon you will be taken by kayak into various hongs and caves, enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
In the evening enjoy a Thai Seafood dinner and then make your own krathong to float for luck that evening. Enjoy the sunset on board before returning in the dusk to a hong where you will launch your kratong, experiencing a magical moment! At around 8 p.m. you will start your return to the island. Relax on the Starlight Deck and enjoy the amazing boat ride back your way lit by the stars. You will return to your hotel around 10 p.m.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Mom Tri’s Boat House Hotel – Superior Room
Day 31 Phuket – Day at Leisure
Have a free day to explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Mom Tri’s Boat House Hotel – Superior Room
Day 32 Phuket – Departure
Transfer to the airport in time to catch your flight.
Meals included: Breakfast
Tour Rate Starting at: $7,240 per person (with double occupancy), with $3,810 single supplement
Price includes:
- Air tickets Bangkok – Chiang Mai / Vientiane – Siem Reap – Phuket – Bangkok
- Boat tickets as specified above
- Accommodation as specified above
- Air-conditioned car/van with driver
- Licensed English speaking guides
- Tours and admission fees as mentioned above
- Meals as specified in itinerary, including water
Price excludes:
- Personal expenses
- Visa fees
- Airport tax
- Drinks (except water) and meals not mentioned in itinerary
- Tips
