On arrival at Bangkok airport your guide and driver will be waiting to bring you to your hotel.

In the evening we’ll meet our guide to explore Bangkok’s vibrant nighttime foodie scene. Bangkok is frequently said to be the city that never sleeps and never stops eating. The locals continually eat, even at midnight!

In an iconic tuk tuk, we’ll venture beyond the tourist places with plenty of stops to find the best local eateries. There’s a variety of delicious foods just waiting to be sampled, including Northern Thai food, the city’s best Pad Thai, and Guay Tiew Kua Gai – a well-kept secret!

Between bites, we’ll be able to see landmarks of the old town such as Wat Pho lit up at night. We can take a walk through the vibrant flower market which is always bustling with vendors and buyers even late in the evening. The tour ends at a rooftop bar where we can enjoy a Thai beer or a soft drink with sweeping views of the Chao Phraya River.

The tour takes between 3 to 4 hours, after which we will return to the hotel by tuk tuk.

Overnight in Bangkok.

Note: We do not recommend this tour on Mondays as many street food vendors take the day off.

This morning’s transport will either be skytrain, boat or taxi directly into the heart of Chinatown. We’ll visit the Chinese temple of Wat Leng Noei Yi, followed by a tea or coffee in a Chinese coffee-house that looks exactly like it did decades ago. Then we’ll hop on a bus to explore the Indian quarter.

A stroll across the old iconic bridge, Saphan Phut, leads into the interesting Portuguese quarter. Here we’ll find Wat Prayoon, a relatively unknown yet beautiful temple that has been decorated with the UNESCO “Excellence Award”. We’ll visit the 18th century church of St. Cruz and wander through the old alleys stopping to taste exquisite homemade snacks.

Our next mode of transport is a long-tailed boat for an exhilarating ride down the klongs to Klong Bang Luang, a small artist village. We can browse the eclectic selection of artworks in the stilted teakwood houses that line the waterside. Feeding the fish in the klongs is said to bring good fortune! On weekends, if lucky, we may even get to see a traditional shadow puppet show, although it is not guaranteed.

We’ll then return by boat to the pier, and by road to the hotel.

Overnight in Bangkok.

Just one hour south of Bangkok we’ll find ourselves in the Thai countryside in rural Samut Songkhram province. From here, we’ll head to the local train station and to what many consider to be Thailand’s most interesting market. This eclectic market sits right on the top of the train tracks. With the sound of an approaching train, the vendors swiftly pack up and remove their wares allowing the train to pass. The stalls are then quickly reassembled and it’s back to business as usual.

We’ll then take a boat ride on the canals out to a small village. Here, we will learn how to make traditional coconut desserts – and of course we get to sample them too.

Transfer by vehicle back to the hotel in Bangkok.

Overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast we’ll transfer to the airport for the flight to Chiang Mai. On arrival in Chiang Mai, our driver and guide will be waiting to take you to the hotel.

After check in, we’ll drive into the old part of Chiang Mai. Here, we’ll explore the historic streets in Thai-style – in a trishaw. We’ll pass through the old city walls, city gates and alongside the moat. We’ll stop to visit two important temples: Wat Phra Singh, which houses the beautiful Lai Kham Chapel with its exquisite wood carvings and northern-style murals; and Wat Chedi Luang whose enormous pagoda was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1545.

For an insight into local life, we’ll visit Muang Mai Market which specializes in vegetables and fruits freshly picked from the nearby farms. Many of the local farmers come to this market to sell their produce direct. The variety and freshness are astonishing to those used to buying from a western supermarket.

In the evening we get to experience a traditional Khantoke dinner. The food is Northern Thai cuisine and includes a variety of appetizers, main course, desserts and coffee or tea. While we eat, we’ll be entertained by graceful, traditional Chiang Mai dancers and hill tribe dancers. To watch this, we’ll be seated Lanna-style – on traditional floor mats with comfortable cushions.

Overnight in Chiang Mai.

A 10-minute drive will take us to the southern part of the city – a quieter area rarely visited by tourists. Here we will find a traditional teak wood house set in about one acre of beautiful gardens with an organic farm. We can wander through the gardens to see the various herbs and vegetables that are growing – some of which will be used in the cooking lesson.

The chef will demonstrate the steps of dicing, chopping and cooking the various ingredients. Then we get the chance to cook by ourselves at our own individual wooden station – with assistance from the chef. Whether a novice cook or a professional chef, the passionate instructors are there to show how much fun it is cooking Thai food!

At the end of the class, all our freshly cooked dishes will be served at the table where we can enjoy the beautiful garden as well as the delicious meal!

The afternoon is at leisure.

Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Today, we’ll visit the Araksa Tea Garden – a boutique tea plantation that specializes in producing high quality organic tea. Upon arrival, the staff will greet us and then explain the different processes and methods used to cultivate young tea plants. Carrying a traditional bamboo basket, we will head out into the tea bushes to learn the correct method of plucking the tea leaves. At the roasting station, we’ll see a demonstration of the art of making tea by hand – from kneading all the way through to roasting the leaves. When the roasting is done, we can relax with a cup of refreshing organic tea and a tasty Thai snack.

From here, we’ll continue to the Padaung Hill Tribe Village at Baan Tong Luang that showcases the different hill tribe groups of northern Thailand including the Palong, Padong and Karen tribes. The picturesque setting offers a glimpse into how the hill tribes once used to live and work in the remote and rural highland areas. Here, they live peacefully as small farmers, observing and honoring their traditional ways of life. The villagers will demonstrate age-old skills, such as cotton weaving and rice winnowing. We can even get to try on the traditional neck rings worn by members of the “long-necked” Karen tribe!

Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Transfer from the hotel to the airport for the departure flight to your onwards destination.