Authentic Thailand Classics: North to South

From $3,130 pp

  • Duration

    12 days
  • Bookable From

    November - February
  • Trip Style

    Privately Guided
  • Country

    Thailand
  • Physical Rating

    Average

Overview

Discover the authentic classics of Thailand from the traditional cuisine and elephants near Chiang Mai in the north to the sparkling beaches of Krabi in the south.

This 12-day adventure through Thailand's enchanting landscapes and vibrant cultures is an expertly crafted blend of traditional experiences, tasty cuisine, and relaxing beach time.

After arriving in Bangkok, your trip will truly begin once you reach the northern haven of Chiang Mai. Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing Loy Krathong festival*, crafting traditional decorations and witnessing the breathtaking river lantern ceremony. You'll also be able to interact responsibly and ethically with elephants at the Elephant Rescue Park and savor a special Khantoke dinner.

Next, you'll journey to the picturesque Krabi, where you can enjoy days at your leisure by pristine beaches. You'll also have a private speedboat excursion to visit the idyllic Phi Phi Islands.

Ending your trip to Bangkok, you'll explore hidden scenes of this bustling and energetic city. For example, you'll go along the River of Life and experience the unique Damnoen Saduak and Talad Rom Hoob markets before enjoying a special gastronomic experience. Foodies will further delight in a Chinatown walking tour and a feast amid Bangkok's Dragon Belly to round out your time in Thailand.

*The Loy Krathong festival takes place on November 16th, 2024. If interested in this itinerary outside of the festival, we will modify it for you accordingly.

Highlights

  • Loy Krathong workshop
  • Festival celebration of Loy Krathong and Yi Peng
  • Tuktuk city tour of Chiang Mai
  • Traditional Khantoke dinner with dances and music
  • Responsible elephant experience at the Elephant Rescue Park
  • Private speedboat tour of the Phi Phi Islands
  • Free time to explore Krabi and Chiang Mai at your leisure
  • Boat tour along the 'khlongs' (canals) to discover the hidden scenes of Bangkok
  • Traditional markets on boats and along railway tracks
  • Unique gastronomic experience with a friendly local chef

Seasonal Notes

November through February is a fantastic time to visit Thailand. Temperatures are pleasant and mild, and the humidity is lower which makes outdoor activities more enjoyable. December and January are the peak months with the most visitors. We recommend November or February to assist with tourism dispersal and help combat overtourism.

Special times to visit:

  • November is a special time to visit as one of Thailand's main festivals, Loy Krathong, typically falls during this month and is celebrated country-wide. In 2024, this festival falls on November 16th. In 2025, it will fall on November 6th.

Itinerary

Day 1 Bangkok [Thailand] (arrival day)

Welcome to Bangkok!

Upon arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by a local guide and driver who will take care of your transfer to the hotel.

After checking in at the hotel, you'll have free time at leisure to rest after your journey..

Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok
Hotel room available from 14:00

Day 2 Bangkok - Chiang Mai; Tuktuk Tour & Traditional Dinner

Today, you will be transferring with a guide to the airport for a flight to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand.
Flight: TG104 BKK-CNX 10:50 - 12:05 (with this flight, pick up time at 7:30)
Upon arrival at the Chiang Mai airport, you will be warmly welcomed by a guide and driver who will take care of your transfer to the hotel. After check-in at the hotel, rest up for the afternoon and evening activities. 

Loy Krathong Workshop and Tuktuk City Tour

Pick up time: 15:00
Duration: 15:00 - 18:30

In the afternoon, around 15:00, the guide will pick you up at the hotel, and you'll hop on a tuktuk to head to a nearby local coffee shop. Here, an instructor will guide you through a traditional Loy Krathong workshop. You will create your own traditional floating decorations and immerse yourselves in Thai culture as you prepare to launch them on the water this evening.

After the workshop, hop on your tuktuk to explore the town on the first main night of the Loy Krathong festival. As the procession moves through the streets of Chiang Mai, you can witness traditional performances, cultural displays, and various forms of artistic expression. Tha Phae Gate is a popular location for the Loy Krathong celebration in Chiang Mai, known for its vibrant atmosphere during the festival. You can enjoy live music and traditional dances, explore the bustling street market to enjoy local street food, and participate in or simply enjoy traditional contests including beauty pageants, krathong-making competitions, and cultural showcases. Next, head to Three Kings Monument, where you can expect to find various traditional activities and performances during the Loy Krathong celebration. These may include Krathong-making workshops, traditional dance performances, lantern lighting, food stalls, and cultural exhibitions.

The highlight of the festival is undoubtedly when people gather to float their krathong into the Ping River, symbolizing letting go of negative energy and making wishes for the future. Join locals and fellow travelers at the picturesque Ping Rivers, where the banks come alive with twinkling lights and vibrant Krathongs. 

 

Khantoke Dinner
Duration: 19:00 - 21:00

In the evening, around 19:00, you will be taken to dinner, where you will have the opportunity to enjoy some Northern Thai dishes accompanied by traditional dances and music. While many believe this northern Thai dinner with music and dance was invented for tourists, the Khantoke dinner dates back many centuries. Nowadays, Khantoke dinners are still organized for big parties and special events and there are a couple of places in Chiang Mai that put on daily shows to promote the history and culture of the ancient northern kingdom of Lanna. You will be comfortably sitting on cushions on the floor to enjoy delicious food served in a traditional Thai Lanna style while watching a spectacular performance of traditional northern Thai dances. This is a must-see for every trip to Chiang Mai!


Accommodation: Hotel in Chiang Mai
Hotel room available from 14:00

Meal included: Dinner

Day 3 Chiang Mai; Elephants & Festivals

Special Elephant Experience in the Jungle
Pick up time: 7:45
Duration: 7:45 - 14:00

In the early morning, you will be picked up by another guide and driver, and then head for the lush countryside surrounding Chiang Mai and the Elephant Rescue Park. This institution collects elephants in distress who have either been exploited or injured. The Elephant Rescue Park provides the gentle giants with the shelter, attention, and respect they deserve.

After putting on your Mahout outfit, you will meet your hosts for the day. Here, forget about climbing on their backs: this practice has been intentionally prohibited by the camp! Instead, you can enjoy a proper meeting with the pachyderms. You’ll learn to feed, observe, and interact with them. You can then escort them into the green hills before going down for their favorite game: a bath in the river. After such exciting activities with your new friends, it’s your turn for a good shower and a well-deserved home-cooked meal!

You will be arriving back to your hotel in the early afternoon. 

 

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Celebration
Pick up time: 16:30
Duration: 17:00 - 21:30

This afternoon, around 16:30, your guide will pick you up and transfer you to the Loy Krathong celebration venue. After arriving at the venue, you will receive a Krathong as a souvenir. A Krathong is a traditional Thai floating decoration, typically made from banana leaves, flowers, candles, and incense. Yi Peng corresponds to the 12th full moon of the lunar year and helps celebrate the end of the monsoon season.

Then freely explore the festival from 17:00 - 19:00:

- Enjoy food and beverages in the Lanna Thai style, typically using flavors like galangal (Thai ginger), lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves

- Enjoy the activities at the ground show and watch the Lanna show  

- Join playing games and performances

- Loy Krathong

Around 19:00, you will enter the lantern area, listen to the monks chanting, and start the ceremony of releasing lanterns, saying blessings, and floating lanterns in unison.

Accommodation: Hotel in Chiang Mai
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 Chiang Mai; Free Day

Free day at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel in Chiang Mai
Meal included: Breakfast

Day 5 Chiang Mai - Krabi

This morning, you will be escorted by a guide to the Chiang Mai airport for your flight to Krabi, where you will arrive in the afternoon.
Suggested flight: FD3074 17:05-19:05 (with this flight, the suggested pick up time at 14:00. Your hotel room in Chiang Mai is at your disposal until noon.)

Upon your arrival at the Krabi airport, there will be a guide and driver waiting for you to take care of you and transfer you to the hotel. After check-in at the hotel, you have the rest of the day at your leisure.

 
Accommodation: Hotel in Krabi
Meal included: Breakfast

Day 6 Krabi; Phi Phi Islands by Private Speedboat

Private Speedboat Tour of the Phi Phi Islands
Pick up time: 9:00
Duration: 9:00 - 16:00

Board a speedboat on the emerald waters of the Andaman Sea, for a full-day excursion including a guided boat ride and lunch!

After being picked up at your hotel, hop on a speedboat for a short 45-minute ride. You'll arrive at the clear turquoise waters surrounding the Phi Phi Islands, where you can enjoy several stops for swimming, snorkeling, and sightseeing. We'll provide you with the life jacket and snorkeling equipment.

You will arrive at the first island, Koh Pai (Bamboo Island), where you will have time to relax on its beautiful white sandy beach or swim and snorkel with the multi-colored fish! In the lively village of Tonsai Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Don, your buffet lunch will be served at a lovely beachfront restaurant. Later, you will continue to the crystal-clear waters of Monkey Beach. Your boat will then head towards Viking Cave, a natural cavity located at the bottom of a tall limestone cliff. The place owes its name to 400-year-old paintings found there, representing boats, perhaps Chinese junks, that look like Scandinavian drakkars. You will notice the prominent bamboo scaffolding, sometimes stretching a hundred meters up to the roof of the cave, and built to reach the precious bird nests that some intrepid harvesters take to sell to Chinese restaurants.

Afterward, depending on the tides, your boat will take you to the pristine shore of Pileh Lagoon where you will witness in succession all of what the natural beauty of the Andaman Sea has to offer: paradisiacal white sandy beaches, clear waters, green jungle, and amazingly shaped rocks rising from the water. Your tour will end with a last stop at Koh Rang Yai, a peaceful island about 5 kilometers from Phuket, with a long golden sandy beach - the perfect place to end your day lounging around or swimming before the captain takes you back to Phuket for you to return to your hotel.


Accommodation: Hotel in Krabi
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Days 7-8 Krabi; Free Days

Free day at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel in Krabi
Meal included: Breakfast

Day 9 Krabi-Bangkok; Hidden Scenes Boat Tour

This morning, you will transfer without a guide to the airport for your flight to Bangkok.
Suggested flight schedule: PG262 KBV-BKK 10:05 - 11:35 (with this flight, suggested pick up time around 7:00)

Upon arrival at the Bangkok airport, another guide and driver will be waiting for you and transfer to your hotel for check-in. You'll have couple of hours to rest before your afternoon activity.

Hidden Scenes of Bangkok Along the River of Life
Duration: 2 hours

At 15:00, your guide will pick you up at your hotel for a boat trip on the 'khlongs' (canals), an absolute must-see when exploring the city that was once referred to as the ‘Venice of the East’!

A boat tour on the khlongs in Thonburi, the old Bangkok capital will unveil another one of the many faces of Bangkok. Far away from the skyscrapers and dense traffic jams of the new part of the city, Thonburi reveals a more traditional side of Bangkok with old wooden townhouses, improbable floating kitchens, charming and glittering temples, and a simpler way of life. The long-tail boat tour will culminate with a visit to the remarkable Wat Arun, which stands magnificently on the Chao Phraya River.

You will return to your hotel in the evening, and then have free time at your leisure. 

 
Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

Meal included: Breakfast

Day 10 Bangkok; Traditional Markets & Gastronomic Experience

Bizarre Traditional Markets near Bangkok – Damnoen Saduak and Talad Rom Hoob

With an early morning departure (7:30 AM pick up), you will travel from Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak. (This transfer is about 60 miles/95 kilometers and will take about 1 hour and 50 minutes each way.) Here, local people sell their wares from boat to boat or boat to shore. You will be startled by the variety of goods and products that can be purchased and you may even put in some practice of your bargaining skills!

Continue to Talaad Rom Hoob, better known as the Train Market. This market is located along the railway tracks and, if you are lucky, you will get to see the train pass within inches of the goods and produce on sale! The train announces its arrival with great blows of its horn, leaving just seconds for the merchants to repack the goods and then reinstall them just as quickly once the train has passed.

Then, you will transfer to Nakhon Pathom for an experience fit for foodies where a homely restaurant nestled along the river awaits...

Encounter and Gastronomic Lunch Experience Along the River

Away from the noise and hustle and bustle of Bangkok in a peaceful tropical garden on the riverbank, you will have the chance to enjoy a unique gastronomic experience. What’s more, you will have a nice encounter with a unique character. Your chef and her friendly team, will welcome you to her universe of flavors, flowers, and fruit, and prepare for you a delicious meal worthy of the greatest chefs!

Telling stories and anecdotes about her life, her passion for food and yoga, your host will introduce you to a real journey through flavors, and also Thai culture. She will be more than happy to listen to stories of your homeland and learn about your customs too. You are sure to have some unique conversations between the laughs, emotional highs, and, of course, dishes that only she knows how to prepare.

You will arrive back at the hotel by the afternoon, and have the remainder of the day free at your leisure. 


Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 11 Bangkok; Chinatown Walking Tour

Enjoy a free morning at your leisure.

A Feast in the Dragon Belly – Chinatown Walking Tour
Pick up time: 11:30
Duration: 12:00 - 16:00

Today, you will explore the hidden alleys of Bangkok's Chinatown. (Chinatown is only open from Tuesday to Saturday.) Restaurants owned by the same families for decades and streetcars will be bustling away, far from the attention of the popular guidebooks and tours. Queue with locals who dine there daily to try their signature dishes that are difficult to find anywhere else!

You will learn the difference between Buddhist and Chinese temples and discover traditional customs that are still preserved in the local neighborhood of Yaowarat - Bangkok’s Dragon Belly. You will conclude your tour with a last walk to an expected place with a magnificent view of the Chao Phraya River.


Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch (street food tasting)

Day 12 Bangkok (departure day)

Pick up time: 5:00

This morning, transfer with guide to the airport for return flight departing at 08:05 AM.

Meal included: Breakfast

Customization

This trip was custom-designed for clients traveling together, each staying in private rooms at 4* accommodations during November 2024 for the Loy Krathong festival.

If you're interested in a similar itinerary with more or less time in each part of Thailand, different locations or activities, or a different accommodation type, contact us!

Route Map

A route map showing Chiang Mai, Krabi, and Bangkok for the Authentic Thailand Classics trip.

Inclusions & Exclusions

  • 1 night shared-double room in Bangkok (Day 1) in a 4* hotel

  • 10 nights private room accommodations in 4* hotels (Days 2-12)

  • Meals as mentioned in program

  • Transportation by private minivan with A/C

  • Transfers and transportation by private/public boat as mentioned in program

  • Local English-speaking guide

  • International flights to/from Thailand

  • Regional and domestic flights within Thailand

  • Visa fees upon arrival in Thailand

  • Hotel porters, tips, and personal expenses

  • Travel insurance

  • Any services not clearly mentioned in program

Pricing

Prices exclude flights to/from the destination.

Prices are for double room occupancy unless indicated otherwise.

  • Deposit per person

    20% of the trip price

  • Private Room - sleeps 1 - price per person

    $3,130 pp

Optional Add-ons

We can help you coordinate regional and domestic flights. Below prices are approximations are are subject to change; confirm before booking.

  • One-way flight Bangkok-Chiang Mai: $100
  • One-way flight Chiang Mai-Krabi: $180
  • One-way flight Krabi-Bangkok: $150

Sustainability

Our tours follow sustainability guidelines developed in collaboration with ChildSafe and Travelife. We only offer certified tours with a controlled impact on our destinations and communities, reducing the negative environmental impact and generating a positive economic and social impact. 

Since 2020, we decided to stop the distribution of single-use plastic bottles and replace them with the Refill not Landfill Project with water stations at the various hotels and vehicles.

Health & Safety

Be sure you have traveler's insurance.

  • For the safekeeping of your passport, air tickets, cash, and other valuable items we advise the use of a neck wallet or money belt while traveling.
  • We recommend you leave valuables at your home. A lock is suggested for securing your luggage.
  • It is advised to consult or get professional advice from a travel doctor about vaccinations and medical travel information beforehand.
  • Avoid consuming ice, salad, raw vegetables, and deep-fried, spicy, and greasy food. Be cautious with street food.
  • Drink bottled or boiled water.

FAQs

What does the Physical Rating of "Average" mean?

It means the trip involves cultural sightseeing tours, local interaction, and local experiences. Guests should be prepared short regional and domestic flights lasting 1-2 hours, one activity that is about a 2-hour drive away, and other transportation by tuktuk and speedboat.

What are the accommodations like?

You'll be staying in 4* accommodations. If you prefer to upgrade or downgrade accommodations, contact us for pricing.

Is this a guided tour?

This is a partially guided tour. We've labeled it as "Privately-guided" as you will have guides throughout taking care fo your transportation and leading you through activities. That said, this itinerary also includes several days unguided that are completely at your leisure, and one transfer to Krabi airport that is not included.

What should I pack?

Some key items to remember:

  • Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
  • Mosquito repellent
  • Beach ware
  • Modest clothes for visiting temples and religious sites

Do I need a visa?

American citizens need a visa to visit Thailand and this is not included in your trip price. Price can vary a bit, generally it costs between $30-$50. You can visit the Thai embassy site directly or request a visa through our partner, iVisa.

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