13 Days Thailand Cultural Discovery

Tour Overview

This 13-day cultural discovery tour will take you through Thailand’s north and south to experience authentic exotic culture at its most, from modern cities to ancient capitals, from hidden jungle homestays to secluded white sand beaches. Start in Bangkok, where you can’t miss the sights and explore the bustling floating markets. Head north to Chiang Mai to interact closely with elephants and visit a Raunkawa-Yanon family. Then head south to experience everyday life with local families. Finally, rest and relax on the tropical coast of Krabi.

Highlights of This Tour

• Touring around some of Bangkok’s best sights: The Grand Palace, Wat Suthat, Emerald Buddha Temple, and City Pillar Shrine.
• Take a long-tail boat ride to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market to experience the bustling atmosphere.
• Experience a blessing from a monk at Wat Prathat Doi Suthep – one of Chiang Mai’s holiest pilgrimage sites.
• Feed fruit up close to elephants and scrub them under the guidance of the nursing staff in Kanta Elephant Sanctuary.
• Visit a Lanlay family to get a glimpse into their culture and lifestyle by joining a cooking class.
• Enjoy swimming in a natural pool and take short hikes along mysterious jungle trails in Thanbok Khoranee National Park.
• Relax on the sun-kissed beaches and experience various water entertainment projects, such as kayaking, snorkeling, and sailing in Krabi.

Itinerary

Day 1: Bangkok Arrival

Welcome to Bangkok, the second-largest metropolis in Southeast Asia! Upon arrival, meet your guide and driver at the airport and then drive to the well-selected hotel for check-in. The rest of the time is up to you.

Meal: N/A

Accommodation: Bangkok

Day 2: Bangkok City Tour
Wat Suthat, City Pillar Shrine, Grand Palace Complex, The Artist’s House

Start your Bangkok city tour with Wat Suthat. The temple, one of the oldest and largest in Thailand, took 40 years to complete. Here you can admire the promenade of gilded Buddha statues and exquisite murals. Next, visit the City Pillar Shrine, which is dedicated to the patron saint of Bangkok.

And then, head to the Grand Palace complex, a total of 22 buildings. The main buildings include four distinctive palaces and an Emerald Buddha Temple. Lunch at a riverside restaurant is followed by boarding a long-tailed boat to explore the maze of canals and waterways. We’ll stop off at The Artist’s House to see local photography and art, as well as a puppet theater.

After all visits, transfer you back to the hotel.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Bangkok

Day 3: Bangkok – Village Market
Maeklong Railway Market, Wat Bang Kung, King Rama II Memorial Park, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Today, we’re visiting one of Thailand’s most unusual markets. After breakfast, drive one and a half hours to Maeklong Railway Market, where you will see a surprising scene – vendors quickly move out of their stalls just before the train arrives, and then re-set up their “shops” after the train leaves.

Afterwards, take a long-tail boat along the Mae Klong river to Wat Bang Kung, a 200-year-old temple surrounded by a 400-year-old tree with lush roots. Then visit the King Rama II Memorial Park and museum, which houses exhibits on Thai court life and early art.

After lunch, take a guided trip to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, where dozens of boats shuttle back and forth on the river, enthusiastically selling fresh flowers, fruits, handicrafts, and traditional snacks like Phat Thai and Chicken Satay. Drive you back to your hotel late afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Bangkok

Day 4: Bangkok – Chiang Mai
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, Tree Nursery of FORRU

Catch a morning flight to Chiang Mai. A local guide will meet you at the airport and then transfer you to Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. We will start our exploration from the observatory and wander through the lush evergreen forest to enjoy the fresh and cool air.

Walk up more than 300 seven-headed serpent steps to the mountainside to visit Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, one of Chiang Mai’s holiest pilgrimage sites, where you can experience a blessing from a monk. Continue your exploration through giant fig trees at Tree Nursery of FORRU, Chiang Mai University’s Forest Restoration Research Unit.

After that, you will be transported to your hotel in Chiang Mai.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Chiang Mai

Day 5: Chiang Mai – Kanta Elephant Sanctuary
Kanta Elephant Sanctuary

Today, spend a delightful day with elephants at the Kanta Elephant Sanctuary on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. Established in 2015, this reserve is a sustainable ecotourism project devoted to creating a free natural living environment for elephants.

Here you will learn the stories of rescued elephants and get an insight into their history and behavior.

You’ll get a unique opportunity to feed fruit up close to elephants on an observation deck. After a sumptuous buffet, scrub the giant elephants under the guidance of the nursing staff. Don’t worry, you will first listen to a short guide on how to help an elephant bathe.

You need to bathe the elephants in the river, and if you want to stay dry, just stay on the bank and watch the fun process. Drive back to Chiang Mai in the evening.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Chiang Mai

Day 6: Chiang Mai – Lanna Family Cooking Class
Raunkawa-Yanon Family

Today, we are going to true glimpse into traditional Thai culture & way of life in a local family. After breakfast, drive to a house belonging to the Raunkawa-Yanon family, a Laner family that has been building and maintaining homes out of teak for generations. Take a guided tour of their unique architecture and see how they weave a small bamboo basket.

Join the host for a traditional Lanna-style lunch. Prepare your ingredients from their home orchards like mangoes, coconuts, bananas, and herbs grown in the garden. Enjoy your meal and listen to their family history.

Escort you back to your hotel in the afternoon and enjoy the rest of the evening exploring on your own.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Chiang Mai

Day 7: Chiang Mai – Phuket

After breakfast, pack your bags and leave for the airport, where you will catch your flight to Phuket, the largest island in Thailand.

Your private driver will wait for you at the airport exit in advance according to your flight time. After meeting you, he will escort you to your beach hotel to check in.

Feel free to explore Southeast Asia’s most iconic island resort.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Phuket

Day 8: Phuket Old Town Sightseeing
Thalang & Soi Romanee Streets

Head to Phuket Old Town for an early morning cultural walking tour. While listening to your guide, visit the local shrine and the town’s oldest herb shop, where you can learn about the medicinal properties of various herbs.

Continue walking along the streets of Thalang and Soi Romanee to admire the historic Chinese shops and visit the old-fashioned barbershop. You will get a sense of nostalgia in the old town. Today’s walking tour will last 3 hours, after which you will be chauffeured to your hotel. You can relax on the beach in front of the hotel.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Phuket

Day 9: Phuket – Lanlay Home Stay
Laem Sak

After breakfast, head to Lanlay Home Stay, your accommodation for the night. Head to Laem Sak, a small peninsula that combines three different cultures and is home to a stunning karst island landscape.

Lanlay Stay Home takes warmth and life as its theme, with every room beautifully furnished and spotless. Wish you a comfortable evening here. You’ll enjoy a late afternoon dinner, a specialty of Southern Thai cuisine featuring spices and curry.

Meal: Breakfast & Dinner

Accommodation: Lanlay Home Stay

Day 10: Lanlay Home Stay
Thanbok Khoranee National Park

Early in the morning, the clear chirping of birds will wake you up. Enjoy a home-cooked breakfast, then head to Than Bok Khorani National Park, which features a series of limestone mountains, evergreen forests, mangroves, and numerous islands.

Enjoy swimming in the natural pool, take short hikes along mysterious jungle trails, or join the optional activity of kayaking along the river, or paddling under the cave. After that, drive back to Lanlay later this afternoon for a family dinner.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Lanlay Home Stay

Day 11: Lanlay Home Stay – Krabi

Say goodbye to the host family and head to the pier to explore the islands off the coast of Krabi by boat. Located in southern Thailand, Krabi is a paradise tropical peninsula of soft white sand, warm, clear waters, swaying palm trees, cascading waterfalls, and free-flowing wildlife.

Huge karst peaks rise from the turquoise waters of the Andaman, making you and your boat seem so small. Stop on a sunny beach to sunbathe, and swim in the shallow water at the beach’s edge. Finally, head to Krabi and spend the night in a hotel.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Krabi

Day 12: Krabi

Today is yours at leisure. You can take part in several optional activities, including kayaking, snorkeling, sailing, and rock climbing at Railay beach. Or you can just explore the island at your own pace.

Meal: Breakfast

Accommodation: Krabi

Day 13: Krabi Departure

After breakfast, pack your bags. Your driver will pick you up at the agreed time to escort you to Krabi Airport for your flight back to Bangkok, and then transfer your back to your home country.

Meal: Breakfast

Accommodation: N/A