Thailand: Different Faces of the Country

สวัสดีค่ะ Sawasdee ka！Welcome to Thailand! On arrival in Bangkok, your private guide will welcome you at the arrival hall and transfer you to your hotel with a private car and driver. Your guide will help you with luggage and hotel check-in and ensure your arrival is worry-free.

UME Travel's Complimentary Local SIM Card:

UME will help you prepare a Local SIM card with unlimited 5G Internet and free international calling credit to make your stay in Thailand worry-free.

Today you will enjoy a private guided tour of Bangkok. Start with the dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace. It's undoubtedly the city's most famous landmark. You will see the Palace, which is used for many different occasions, and you will see The Coronation Hall, the Funeral Hall, the Royal Guest House, and the mysterious, famous Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), the most revered Buddha image in Thailand. Continue to Wat Pho, which is one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples. Wat Pho was built by King Rama I about 200 years ago and houses the gigantic, gold-plated Reclining Buddha image. This unique image is 49 meters long and 12 meters high with beautifully inlaid mother-of-pearl soles. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will walk to the pier and take a water taxi to visit Wat Arun, which is also called "The Dawn Temple". Then return to the hotel.  

Today check out from your hotel and take a 2 hours private transfer to two unusual markets near Bangkok, Maeklong Railway Market (also known as Rom Hub Market). It has a train running through the middle of it several times a day. Right down the middle and close enough to touch. Only in Thailand! Marvel at each seller quickly moves their wares via ingenious sets of easily-movable containers to avoid the coming train, once the train has passed it's back to business as usual. If lucky, you may meet the "Street coconut ice cream" sell on the railway track, your UME guide will show you how locals eat ice cream with a hot dog bun.

You will continue to Amphawa Floating Market (only for weekends: Fri, Sat, and Sun). It is known locally as the city's second-most popular floating market. After check-in at a beautiful and traditional Teak wood homestay (or hotel) on the stilts line along the bank. After that, you'll explore the array of produce and food stalls that line the streets (and canals) of this unique floating bazaar. This market has everything that we've come to know and love in Thai markets. Its stalls have displays of fruits, veggies, meats, and seafood, as well as sweet snacks, clothing, and flowers.

When night falls, You'll get a join motor boat and cruise along the canal as you will see the villagers spend their daily life by the river. And if you are lucky enough, you will get to see fireflies light up the night like stars in a cloudless sky.

Almsgiving is a Buddhist practice usually seen in staunchly Buddhist countries, but almsgiving in Amphawa is a little different from the procession of monks you normally see because it happens by boat!

Today you will wake up early morning to watch or participate in this unique Alms Giving (offering to local Monks) along the winding canals and experience what seems like Thailand’s bygone lifestyle! Wait at the pier (or the teak wood terrace of your hotel, or a good place your guide chooses for you) at 6:00 AM, you will find monks rowing their boats come along. Some of the monks had people rowing for them while others were alone, and some more monks will also arrive at the road on foot.  

After the Buddhists make merit, the monk will give a short blessing. If you wish to make merit, your guide will prepare a set of flowers and dry food for you to offer to the local monks. Even if you are not making merit yourself, it is a peaceful experience just to watch. Monk usually arrives daily in the morning. However, he may not be able to come due to an ecclesiastical mission or weather conditions without prior notice. In this case, you can do the alms offering to monks who walk on the road instead.

Enjoy your free time until your guide escorts you back to Bangkok. You will take your internal flight to the historical and colorful city of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai, located in the north of Thailand, with its lovely Lanna temples, charming traditions, unique food, family-friendly attractions, and stunning setting is a gem in Thailand’s northern hills. There’s so much for tourists to do here, from cultural exploration to adventurous treks and food tours. Your private guide is waiting for you at the airport to take you by private car to your hotel.

Your morning half-day Chiang Mai old-city, temple tour takes you on an unforgettable drive through many different parts of the city. Your tour includes Wat Pra Singh which is one of over 200 ancient Buddhist temples located around the city and one of the most well-regarded examples of Lanna architecture. The temple of Wat Chedi Luang is the site of an enormous pagoda, originally 280 feet high, which was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1545. Continue to Warorot Market to see and feel the real northern people’s way of life. 

Enjoy your meal at a local restaurant, then a relaxing drive of about 1hr takes you to the Doi Suthep Mountain. Climb 309 steps to the top (For the less active traveler, a tram is available for a small surcharge.), enjoying the truly breathtaking scenery all along the way.  You will find Wat Phra That at the very top, one of Northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. At the top, rest and relax while marveling at the panoramic views of the city of Chiang Mai. 

A half-day package to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary offers you an enjoyable opportunity to spend quality time with elephants in their natural home, as well as gain an insight into their history and behavior, and create cherished lifelong memories of their time spent with these amazing animals.

Today you will be picked up from your place of accommodation and will drive through scenic agricultural areas before arriving at the Sanctuary. There, you will meet your English-speaking guide and learn a little about the elephants, before changing into traditional Karen clothing.

After being allocated bananas and sugar cane to feed the elephants, you will walk with your guide through the Sanctuary, where you will find free-roaming elephants and hear their individual stories. You can touch, feed, photograph, and interact with the elephants at your leisure while you learn about their lifestyle and behaviors. After the close encounter with the elephant, you will return to your hotel, and the rest of the day is free at your leisure.

Join this cooking class at Mama Noi and experience making delicious Thai food in an open-air environment. Here you can learn how to make authentic Thai food and discover all the hidden secrets behind its unique flavors and tastes! You'll go to a tour of the local market and even an organic farm/herb garden before you start cooking - customize your cooking class by picking items from the full menu and choose the recipes that you want to learn. Transform simple ingredients into an incredible dish by making traditional Pad Thai or create Green Curry for that distinctive but delicate mix between spicy and sweet. The Chicken and Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai) is also recommended for its rich and dynamic flavors of coconut milk and lemongrass! You'll have have a half-day class and cooking three dishes, and you'll also enjoy fresh fruits, refreshments and even a dessert during the class. There's no reason to miss out on this fantastic cooking class!

Check out and transfer to the airport for your flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket. On arrival, your private guide will accompany you for your hotel check-in. After settling in, relax poolside or head to the beach.

Enjoy a private transfer to the pier, our private guide will also escort you on the boat, they will provide you a one-on-one service by helping you take care of your belongings, taking photos when you are snorkeling, etc.

After picking up at your Phuket hotel in the morning, you will arrive at the cruise departure point at Ao Por Pier. You can enjoy the complimentary coffee, tea, and dessert service before boarding your boat and entering Ao Phang Nga National Park. There you will have an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area by snorkeling and swimming in the peaceful blue water. Later, you can admire the craggy stalactite formations of Panak Island’s caves while canoeing in Bat Cave or Mangrove cave. Then, when you leave Panak Island and move on to Hong Island, our guides will be with you as you explore hidden caves and lagoons on the island. If you are lucky, you will find locals selling coconuts in the mangroves, and you may even get close enough to observe a variety of wild monkeys!

After having a wonderful buffet lunch on board the boat, you will continue to a photo stop at Khao Phing Kan, also known as James Bond Island. The famous movie named ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ was filmed on this island. Then, you can enjoy swimming and relax on the beach before returning to Ao Por Pier and our private guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Day of leisure. Relax at your hotel or explore the surrounding area.

Enjoy your free time until your guide comes to escort you to the airport for your onward flight.