13-Nights Thailand and the Temples of Angkor from $6,116

Trafalgar Tours: Thailand and the Temples of Angkor

Day 1 - Welcome to Bangkok
Arrive in Bangkok, Thailand’s fast-moving capital, where street life, bold flavors and grand temples sit side by side. Transfer to the Pullman Bangkok G, your hotel and Stays with Stories experience. Later, join your fellow travelers for dinner at the hotel, a relaxed first introduction to the group and the journey ahead.
Accommodations: Pullman Bangkok G
Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - See the Sights of Bangkok Dive into Culture
Start your day your way. Early risers can Dive into Culture in Lumpini Park, taking part in a Tai Chi lesson alongside locals who come here to begin their day. Continue to the Grand Palace, the former royal residence and one of Thailand’s most important landmarks, then step inside Wat Phra Kaew, home to the revered Emerald Buddha. Trade the coach for a tuk tuk ride through the city’s busy streets to Wat Pho, where Thailand’s first public university and the Reclining Buddha reveal another layer of Bangkok’s cultural and spiritual heritage. Later, perhaps join an Optional Experience to visit Jim Thompson House, before choosing an evening Optional Experience, either a dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River or a tuk tuk ride through Bangkok after dark.
Accommodations: Pullman Bangkok G
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 - Thai Cuisine and Cooking Experience Dive into Culture
Immerse your senses in the five flavors of Thai cuisine as you join a Local Specialist for a traditional cooking class in a colonial-style house. Visit a local market nearby to source the freshest ingredients that reveal the sweet, sour, salty, bitter and hot flavors of Thai cuisine. Sample the results later, then spend the afternoon exploring the City of Angels on your terms, or consider joining an Optional Experience to Jim Thompson's House, home to an impressive collection of Asian art.
Accommodations: Montien Surawong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 - Onwards to Damnoen Saduak and Kanchanaburi Dive into Culture
A riot of colors greets us this morning as we embark on a visit to the famous floating market at Damnoen Saduak. Connect with the friendly merchants who paddle along the congested canals in their sturdy canoes, laden with fresh fruit and vegetables to sell to shoppers on the banks. En route, we’ll Dive Into Culture, stopping at a coconut palm sugar plantation where we’ll discover how the farmer extracts the sap from his palm trees to create palm sugar. After lunch in a local restaurant, visit the world-famous Bridge over the River Kwai. After a walk along the bridge continue to the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum, revealing insights into the history of the infamous railway line built during WWII by the Imperial Japanese army. Our final stop today sees us pay tribute to the thousands of allied prisoners of war who were laid to rest at the War Cemetery.
Accommodations: Dheva Mantra Resort and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 - Railways and Rivers in Kanchanaburi
This morning, we visit Hellfire Pass, a section of the Thailand-Burma “Death Railway”, so named for the tortuous conditions that prisoners of war endured during WWII to build it. After lunch, we embark on a thrilling train ride across wooden viaducts, skirting the winding waters of the Kwai River. We’ll disembark and see the wooden viaducts first-hand walking across one. This evening, we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Dheva Mantra Resort and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 - On to Ancient Ayutthaya and Sukhothai
After breakfast, we travel to the UNESCO-listed Ayutthaya, once the second-most important ancient capital of Old Siam and the largest city in the world. Here, we’ll delve into the trading heritage of a mighty city that was all but raised to the ground by an 18th century Burmese invasion. We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then return to Bangkok for our flight to Sukhothai, Thailand’s first capital.
Accommodations: Sriwilai Sukhothai Resort and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 - Explore Sukhothai
Gain insights into a powerful kingdom that enjoyed its golden age during the 13th and 14th centuries and shaped modern Thailand as we know it today. Start the day with a visit to the UNESCO-listed Sukhothai Historical Park which reveals thousands of years of history and a 15-meter seated Buddha secreted within its walls. Your choice of exploring will see you engage with the historic complex by bicycle or on the internal tram. This afternoon, visit the home of a local family and learn how to make amulets which are thought to protect the owner from harm.
Accommodations: Sukhothai Treasure Resort & Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8 - Continue to Chiang Mai Make Travel Matter
Travel on to Chiang Mai, the former capital of the Lanna Kingdom, stopping in Lampang to visit Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, one of northern Thailand’s most important temples. Later, join your hosts in Ban Thi for a Be My Guest experience featuring seasonal northern Thai dishes and insight into the local community and the heritage of the Thai Lue tribe. This evening, after arriving in Chiang Mai, you may wish to explore the city’s famous Sunday Night Market with your Travel Director.
Accommodations: Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9 - Chiang Mai – Elephant Nature Park Connect with Locals
This morning, visit Elephant Nature Park Sanctuary for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with rescued elephants in a no-riding environment. You’ll learn more about their care and spend time watching them in their natural surroundings before sitting down to a vegan buffet lunch. Back in Chiang Mai, the rest of the day is yours to explore at leisure, or perhaps choose an Optional Experience to Mae Rim, where a Hmong hilltribe village and Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden reveal another side of northern Thailand.
Accommodations: Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 10 - A Day to Discover Chiang Mai
A quieter side of Chiang Mai awaits today as you visit Wat Suan Dok, Dive into Culture as you meet a monk to learn more about Buddhist traditions. Continue to San Kamphaeng District, known for its handicrafts, with time to shop for locally made souvenirs. Return to your hotel before spending the afternoon as you please, or perhaps choose an Optional Experience for a traditional Thai massage. Later, head to Doi Suthep to experience evening monk chants. Come together for your final dinner at Deck One on the banks of the Ping River, a chance to reflect on the journey you’ve shared through Thailand.
Accommodations: Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11 - Continue to Cambodia
Transfer to the airport for the short international flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia via Bangkok. On arrival you will meet your local Cambodian Travel Director. The rest of your day is at leisure.
Accommodations: Tara Angkor
Meals: Breakfast

Day 12 - Amazing Angkor Wat Make Travel Matter
Today, walk through a pyramid-shaped gateway into an ancient world. Serene stone faces watch as you cross the causeway suspended over a moat into the spiritual heart of the ancient lost city of Angkor. Be amazed by the sheer size, you’ll be memorised by the intricate carvings and murals of celestial nymphs and mythical serpents along the abandoned hallways of Angkor Wat. Your next stop is the terracotta-hued walls of Banteay Srei Temple – the “Citadel of Women” dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. You will have time to admire the 10th-century carvings of women, said to have been too delicate to have been carved by a man, hence the name. Finishing with a visit to Krabei Riel local village you will have a chance to walk and talk with the villagers who are always keen to share their smiles with you. Learn some of their traditional skills such as palm leaf weaving, your time will be spent truly engaging in a real-life Cambodian Village MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Later, enjoy the best of Cambodian cuisine and be entertained by a traditional Apsara dance performance.
Accommodations: Tara Angkor
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 13 - Temples of Angkor Make Travel Matter
Start at Angkor Thom, exploring the Terrace of Elephants, the Royal Enclosure, and Bayon Temple’s smiling faces of Buddha. Next, wander Ta Prohm, its mossy ruins you may recognize from the film ‘Tomb Raider’. Under the canopy, you’ll discover towers, courtyards and stone carvings hidden among the foliage. Visit Artisans d'Angkor this afternoon, supporting Khmer craftsmanship in silk making and wood carving. You’ll join a private blessing at Wat Damnak where a sacred thread is tied around your wrist as protection from evil spirits. End your day with an Optional Experience to join a sunset boat cruise on Tonlé Sap Lake.
Accommodations: Tara Angkor
Meals: Breakfast

Day 14 - Farewell Cambodia
As your journey through Vietnam comes to an end, a shuttle service to the airport has been arranged to ensure a smooth departure for your onward flight.
Meals: Breakfast