When
This particular itinerary can be taken all year around although we recommend avoiding September and October, when there is risk of heavy rain in these areas of Thailand.
Stay
In Bangkok, you will stay in a charming boutique hotel in the old part of the city. In Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, you will stay in villas and bungalows in the grounds of private homes and near the Khao Yai National Park, you will stay at an eco lodge (although it does have a pool).
Price
£1,800 per adult for 16 days, (25% discount for under 12s). This includes direct flights to Thailand with Thai Airways or Eva Air, all accommodation, excursions/activities, transport (internal planes and chauffeur driven cars/minivans) and most meals.
Itinerary
- Please contact Tell Tale Travel for full details of the itinerary of this family adventure holiday. The itinerary is perfect for families with teenage children, but can be customised to make it suitable for younger children (aged 6 or above). Beach extensions are possible.
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- Day 1
- Direct overnight flight from the UK to Thailand by Eva Air or Thai Airways, regional add-ons available.
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- Day 2
- Arrival at Bangkok airport where one of our drivers will pick you up. A few hours to settle into your room/s at a charming boutique hotel and relax in your small private courtyard. This evening, your driver will take you for a drive to see the city by night and wait for you as you dine at one of our recommended restaurants.
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- Day 3
- Sightseeing in Bangkok with a guide who will take you to tick off the main sites of the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho and Wat Arun. Free time in the late afternoon and then an evening exploring Bangkok with your driver (choose where to go from our maps and insider tips or go anywhere else of your choice).
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- Day 4
- Transfer to Chiang Mai in the north via short internal flight. Car/minivan transfer to the countryside outside the city, time to relax and settle in, followed by a walk around the local area and dinner with a local family.
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- Day 5
- Explore 10-tiered waterfalls at your leisure. Climb up as far or as little as you want, swim in various spots (child-friendly) picnic in the midst of fluttering butterflies. Visit Chiang Mai this evening and have dinner at a riverside restaurant, choose from our recommendations list or pick your own.
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- Days 6 & 7
- Get close to elephants at the Elephant Nature Park, a unique elephant sanctuary where you can learn about them from conservation experts and elephant carers, mahouts. You can get hands-on with the elephants and scrub them down in the river!
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- Day 8
- Sightseeing in the city of Chiang Mai around the ancient city and temples and/or the handicraft villages dotted around the city where you can watch the locals work expertly and buy directly from their co-operatives.
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- Day 9
- Transfer further north past Chiang Rai by car/minivan. Arrive in remote countryside where you'll stay with a friendly family with young children (in a private chalet in their garden). This afternoon, you'll meet the villagers, learn how they fish and farm in traditional ways, then have dinner round the fire.
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- Day 10
- Swim in waterfalls and hot springs and walk in the surrounding forest or relax or nap by the waterfalls. You'll also visit a primary school in a Hmong village.
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- Day 11
- Trek up the mountain with trekking guides, it's certainly off the beaten track, you'll have to cut your own trails and build a fire to make your barbeque lunch. You'll end the day being given a Thai massage, before you visit a freshwater prawn farm for a delicious feast to round off your stay.
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- Day 12
- Transfer to Khao Yai by short flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok, then a car journey to an eco lodge. Time to settle in and take a dip in the pool before an evening visit to the local night market.
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- Day 13
- Day at leisure to relax in the gardens or swim in the pool. In the early evening, you'll have your first visit to Khao Yai National Park for the unforgettable sight of over a million bats swarm out into the night sky.
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- Day 14
- Animal-spotting in Khao Yai National Park requires an early start for a chance to see the animals at their most active with an expert local guide. Picnic by beautiful waterfalls before driving around in an open-topped vehicle to cover as much of the reserve as possible.
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- Day 15
- Morning transfer to Bangkok airport by car and international flight back, arriving at London Heathrow at approximately 7pm UK time.
