Essence of Northern Thailand

(11 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Bangkok, Golden Triangle, Chiang Mai

This private luxury tour includes the cultural highlights of Thailand and the country's very best luxury resorts.

Begin with comprehensive touring in Bangkok. With your own private guide, enjoy a fascinating, private long-tail boat tour through Bangkok's canals. Visit the most important temples. Learn about Buddhist practices and influences on daily life. Hear monks chanting at a morning ceremony. Explore colorful markets selling textiles, flowers, food and crafts. Visit small museums and interesting local neighborhoods. When not sightseeing, enjoy time at the world’s leading spa, shop for exquisite Thai silks and art work, and dine on some of Southeast Asia’s best cuisine.

Next, fly to the Golden Triangle for several nights at an exclusive safari-style tented camp. While there, tour the villages, mountains, markets and waterways where Laos, Thailand and Myanmar ( Burma) meet along the Mekong River. Spend time with a professional mahout (elephant handler) at an elephant camp and learn to ride and work with these fascinating animals. Take your pick from other activities included in the tour such as picnic lunch while cruising past villages on the Mekong, massages, fishing, bird watching, cultural activities with local experts, shopping at markets, sunset cocktails in scenic spots, relaxing by the jungle pool, yoga, fine dining, and more.

Next, you will be privately transferred to Chiang Mai for a stay at one of Asia’s most luxurious and atmospheric resorts, surrounded by mountains and lush fields of terraced rice paddies. Browse craft districts specializing in celadon ceramics, silver, teak furniture, paper umbrellas, and beautiful silk weavings. Visit a revered mountaintop temple and the royal family’s Winter Palace, and spend a morning attending a Thai cooking class and tour of a local market.

Return to Bangkok for some last minute shopping or touring before departing Thailand.