Day 1-2 Bangkok With towering skyscrapers pressed up against Chinese shop-houses and brand-new Mercedes squeezing past vendors with pushcarts, this is a city of distinct contrasts. Culture fiends will delight in the dazzling Grand Palace and the city’s countless pagodas, while shoppers could spend weeks sifting through Bangkok’s malls and open-air markets. Whether you’re eating cuisine in a plush 5 star hotel restaurant or sampling fried crickets on the side of the road, prepare to have all of your senses engaged. This is the place to eat, drink and be merry. Travellers will be arriving at all times today so there are no activities arranged. Please try to arrive by 6pm for an important group meeting where you can meet the Chief Experience Officer (CEO) and the other group members. You have the day free to relax and adjust to the frenetic pace and humid heat of Bangkok. On Day 2 you have the option to visit to Wat Po, home of the giant reclining Buddha or your Chief Experience Officer (CEO) can arrange a long-tail boat to explore the canals of Bangkok. You have free time until we head off to the railway station in the afternoon to board our sleeper train to Chiang Mai. The train journey takes approximately 13.5 hours.
Day 3 Chiang Mai You will arrive in the early morning and have free time to explore for the rest of the day. In the early evening, an optional visit to the famous temple complex of Doi Suthep, about a 45 minute drive from the center of the city, can be arranged. Surrounded by rolling hills, Chiang Mai offers both pretty surroundings and old style architecture. Enclosed by a moat and crumbling walls, the old city features great cafes, shops and accommodations. An important Buddhist centre since the 14th century, Chiang Mai is home to more than 300 temples. Many visitors come here to attend meditation retreats, massage classes or yoga lessons. It is also a centre of handicraft production, with a long history of silverwork, woodcarving, pottery-making and weaving. Not to be missed is the Night Bazaar, a series of covered markets, shops and stalls that offer the best selection of handicrafts in Thailand.
Day 4-6 Hilltribe Trek From Chiang Mai, you will start a 3 day hilltribe trek where you are able to visit various hilltribe minority groups, each with their own language, clothing and religion. You will have the opportunity to ride an elephant (approx 2 hours) and try out bamboo rafting. You walk approximately 4-5 hours each day along sloping hills and valleys. You leave your big pack in storage and take an overnight bag. Each person is required to be able to carry their own pack as our porters will be carrying food and water supplies. Accommodation is group share, where you will be sleeping on the floor of the village huts. Toilet and washing facilities are very basic in most of the villages so be prepared to rough it for a few days. During the trek simple food is provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can be cold during the evenings so make sure you have some lightweight warm clothes with you. It is possible to rent trekking gear in Chiang Mai before the trek in case you have forgotten to pack something vital. We return back to Chiang Mai in the late afternoon of Day 6.
Day 7 Chiang Mai Free time in Chiang Mai to do any last minute shopping or sightseeing before boarding an overnight train back to Bangkok. This train journey is approximately 13.5 hours.
Day 8-9 Bangkok Arrive in the early morning and giving you the chance to spend a full day in Bangkok catching up on any shopping or sightseeing you might have missed. On the evening of Day 9 board a train to Surat Thani.
Day 10 Khao Sok National Park Arriving in the early morning, you take a bus to the surrounds of Khao Sok National Park and settle into your simple, yet comfortable, fan cooled bungalow style room for 2 days of exploration and discovery. Entrance to the National Park is not included (200 THB). Khao Sok is a diverse area of natural beauty, a perfect place for people who want to hike and get out there in nature or those that just want to chill out in a hammock by the riverside watching monkeys take their afternoon bath. The National Park covers an area of 739 sq.km. Thanks to other protected areas (Klong Saers and Khlong Nakha) next to Khao Sok, the actual protected area measures almost 4000 sq.km. The dominant forest is lowland rain-forest and is about 160 million years old, which makes it older than the Amazon!
Day 11-12 Koh Samui After a short ferry ride from Surat Thani, arrive in Koh Samui, well known for its magnificent beaches and party nightlife. Take a tour of the island and it’s main sights before relaxing and enjoying the beautiful beaches. Lying off of Thailand’s east coast in the Gulf of Thailand, Ko Samui offers everything you could possibly want in a beach retreat: white sandy beaches, coconut palms, fresh seafood and warm, clear waters. With an area of 247 square kilometres, Koh Samui is the largest island in an archipelago of around 80 islands. Like Phuket, Koh Samui attracts many visitors but still has plenty of out-of-the-way spots for those wishing to get away from it all.
Day 13-15 Koh Tao Koh Tao, in English, is known as ‘turtle island’, some say because of its shape, others say because the waters in the area were rich with sea turtles, whereas now they have moved onto other breeding grounds. Initially the island was not inhabited and there was only the occasional fisherman from the neighboring islands looking for shelter in a storm or just taking a break before continuing their journey. In 1980s the first travellers discovered the island paradise and word spread and made it widely known and a popular backpacker destination. As a consequence, bigger, faster and safer boats were used to allow easier access to Koh Tao. During the past 10 years the reputation of Koh Tao's natural beauty, especially its marine life and coral reefs, has spread the world over and the number of paradise seekers and divers increased rapidly. It soon became one of the major dive sites in Thailand, attracting beginners and professionals alike. The local businesses expanded immediately to catch up with the needs of the new clientel. The island today, though still remaining a unique paradise caters for all tastes and budgets. On the evening of Day 15, return to the mainland to board a train back to Bangkok.
Day 16 Bangkok Arrive in early morning at the train station to bid farewell to the tour group. If you are departing Bangkok today, do not book any onward travel until after 1pm.