16-Day Thailand, Laos and Myanmar Highlights

Welcome to Bangkok, Thailand’s throbbing metropolitan capital. Upon your arrival, your friendly local tour guide will be waiting to meet you and take you to your hotel for check-in. Spend the evening indulging in your first REAL taste of vibrant, world-renowned Thai-cuisine, or living the high life at a rooftop bar, marvelling at the pulsating city below.

Enjoy one final morning in the bustling capital, perhaps enrolling in a Thai cooking course so you can take some of this spectacular country home with you. Your guide will collect you late-morning for your flight to Chiang Rai, at the heart of the Golden Triangle. Upon your arrival at the airport, another friendly local guide will be waiting to meet you and take you to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is yours to relax or do a little exploring of this totally walkable city.

Today’s tour begins with an adventure to the heart of the Golden Triangle, Sop Ruak, where the Thai, Myanmar and Laos borders meet. Gaze into each of these ancient kingdoms from Wat Phra That Phu Khao Temple, a temple that has watched over the region from its hilltop vantage point for over a thousand years. Next you’ll get a chance to learn about the fascinating culture in the curious village of Mae Salong, a hilltop of ramshackle housing and tea plantations settled by Chinese hilltribes yet officially remains part of Thailand. After lunch, you will spend the afternoon in a village of Karen Long-necked women, your knowledgeable guide explaining their unusual yet ancient traditions. After driving back to Chiang Rai, the evening is yours to relax in your hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, your guide awaits to drive you to the extravagant yet highly unusual ‘White Temple’ of Wat Rong Khun. While much of Thailand’s temples have centuries of history, this is a modern take on a classic design, a brilliant-white temple encrusted with clear-mirrored chips that make for a dazzling sight in the morning sun. It’s quite unlike any other temple in Thailand, or elsewhere for that matter. Next, you’ll wind through the lush forests and limestone mountains of Chiang Dao, where you will visit a sacred cave extending some 10km into the mighty Doi Chiang Dao Mountain, Thailand’s third tallest peak stretching some 2,175 metres into the heavens from the fertile plains below. After lunch, you’ll continue towards Chiang Mai, taking in the breathtaking scenery as you drive, as well as making stops at rural villages to see unique hilltribes. Once in Chiang Mai, the evening is your own to relax.

After breakfast, you’ll visit the nearby Maetaman Elephant Camp. Here, you’ll have the chance to trek through the forest and across shallow rivers on the back of one of the Camp’s gentle giants. After a local lunch, you’ll spend some time up close with the animals, aiding in the feeding and bathing process, during which the young elephants are especially playful. Later in the afternoon you’ll try your hand at bamboo rafting along a relaxing stretch of the river, and take a leisurely oxcart ride through the countryside before your driver returns you to Chiang Mai. The rest of the day is yours to relax.

Enjoy one final morning in Thailand’s enchanting second city, perhaps signing up for a local cooking course so you can take a little of this spectacular country home with you.

When the time comes, your guide will take you to the airport for your flight to the stunning town of Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your new guide who will take you to your hotel for check-in. Tonight is yours to explore this iconic city on your own.

You’ll start the day by observing the early-morning alms ritual of the saffron-robed monks that call this city home, perhaps even receiving a blessing. After breakfast at your hotel, you will head to explore more of Laos’ natural beauty at the stunning Khouang Si Waterfalls. After lunch in a local restaurant, you’ll have the opportunity to visit a variety of Lao Minority Group villages, learning about their unique traditions and cultures, experiencing a totally different way of life. Spend the evening relaxing in your hotel, or venture out on your own.

The rest of the morning is for you to enjoy your last few moments in Luang Prabang. When the time comes, your guide will take you to the airport for your flight to Vientiane, a charming backwater capital of smiling locals and steaming noodle stalls. Upon arrival, a friendly local guide will greet you at the airport and take you to your hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is yours to soak in the city’s rich delights.

After breakfast at your hotel, your journey of discovery starts with a fantastic city tour, beginning with the fascinating National Museum, where you’ll have a chance to gain a foundation understanding of Lao history that will help you get the best of the sights you’ll see later on the trip. After the museum, it’s on to Wat Sisaket, the oldest wat (temple) in Vientiane serving as home to a host of gorgeous murals and a beautifully ornate ceiling. The final stop of the morning is Wat Prakeo, housing some of the country’s finest sculptures.

In the afternoon, you will be whisked back to the airport for your flight back to Bangkok, leaving this beautiful country with many wonderful memories and stories to share with your loved ones back home. Upon arrival in Bangkok, your friendly local guide will take you to your hotel for check in. Tomorrow will be a day filled with the fantastic highlights of Bangkok.

After breakfast at your hotel, your local guide awaits to begin your discovery of the Land of Smiles. After a short drive to Ratchaburi Province, you’ll spend the morning aboard a private longtail boat, snaking your way through the winding canals to one of the country’s most iconic sites, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Grab a fresh coconut juice or mid-morning snack from one of the vendors as they paddle by in their wooden canoes laden with tropical fruit.

After the market, you’ll be driven back to heart of Bangkok to explore Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. These two dazzling 18th-century structures are some of Thailand’s most striking, and it’s easy to see why the western world was once so envious of their architectural brilliance. Wat Phra Kaew is the holiest site in the country, and home to its most important icon, the Emerald Buddha; the Grand Palace has been the official residence to the Kings of Siam since 1782, and it’s not hard to see why with the kind of oriental opulence displayed here. After the Palace, you’ll make a quick stop to admire the world’s largest solid gold Buddha, standing some three metres high, before moving on to Wat Arun, or ‘Temple of the Dawn’, Bangkok’s towering, most-distinctive landmark, considered one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand. We end the day at Wat Pho, the city’s oldest temple and home to the magnificent forty-five metre-long Reclining Buddha, a depiction of the true Buddha entering nirvana. The temple is also a centre for traditional medicine, and is the ultimate place to unwind with a Thai massage before you’re taken by to your hotel for the night.

Enjoy a final morning in this enchanting place before you are taken to the airport for your flight on to your next destination, leaving Thailand with a newfound appreciation for this spectacular country and it's people.

Welcome to Myanmar, the Land of Golden Pagodas. Upon arrival in Yangon, a friendly local guide will greet you at the airport and take you to your hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is yours to explore the bustling of Yangon which, while no longer the capital, remains Myanmar’s most vibrant and commercially-important city.

After breakfast you will be taken to the airport for your short flight to the breathtaking plains of Bagan, where thousands of ancient stupas stretch as far as the eye can see. Upon arrival, you’ll take a tour around the giant, gold-plated Shwezigon Paya, the most hallowed of all the temples on the plains, before stopping for lunch. In the afternoon, you’ll visit Ananda Pahto, famed for its outstanding architecture and decorative detail, and Dhammayangyi Pahto, Bagan’s largest temple. Next we visit the gorgeous Sulamani Temple before enjoying a pleasant horse-ride through the countryside to the grand Shwesandaw Pagoda. Climb to the top to watch the sun set behind a myriad of ancient stupas silhouetted against the burning orange sky. The remainder of the evening is yours to relax in your riverside resort hotel.

In the morning, you will be taken to the airport for your flight to Myanmar’s cultural capital, Mandalay. Upon arrival, your tour begins with an insight into the lives of the saffron-robed monks that call this nation home. A private car will drive you the short distance to the tree-shaded Maha Ganayon Kyaung Monastery at Amarapura, the ‘City of Immortality.’ Amarapura was Myanmar’s penultimate royal capital, entirely separate from Mandalay, but is now a leafy suburb connected to the city. Take a meditative stroll around the expansive monastery grounds and chat with local monks before heading for the gilded pagodas that top the hills of Sagaing, stopping at a silk-weaving workshop En Route. Explore the crescent-shaped colonnade of 45 Buddha images at Umin Thounzeh, before ascending to Pon Nya Shin Temple to take in breathtaking views over the Ayeyarwady River and innumerable white and gold stupas that cap the highest peaks. Next you’ll head for Inwa (The Kingdom of Ava), another historic royal capital, where after a spot of lunch you’ll explore the remarkably backwater ruins by horse-drawn cart. Round off the day at the iconic U Bein Bridge, the world’s longest teak-wood bridge, where private boat will take you to the perfect spot on the lake from which to appreciate the sun setting behind the stilted bridge of silhouetted monks. The evening is yours to relax in Mandalay.

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be taken to the airport for your flight to Heho. Upon arrival, you’ll be met by a private driver to complete the journey to the stunning lake at Inle. After check-in at your hotel on the lake, you’ll board a traditional motorised longboat for a glimpse of one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. The calm waters of Inle are the lifeblood for the many ethnic minority communities you can see still living in the stilt-houses in the lake’s shallow waters. Peacefully observe the the distinctive leg-rowing of the graceful Intha fishermen; marvel at a labyrinth of vegetable plantations floating on the lake’s surface; see long-necked Palaung women, paper mills and silver smiths. Relax as the layered Shan Hills are reflected in the glassy waters as the sun sets, before returning to your resort for a glass or two of wine by the lake.

After a serene morning by the lake, your guide will ferry you back to dry land and drive you to the airport in Heho to catch your flight to Yangon. Upon arrival, your once-in-a-lifetime tour of Myanmar begins with its most important Buddhist temple, the Shwedagon Paya. Myanmar isn’t called the Land of Golden Pagodas without good reason, and Shwedagon is inarguably its most impressive. The 325ft stupa adorned with over 25 metric tonnes of gold leaf dominates Yangon’s skyline and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Soak up the contemplative atmosphere on the main terrace as Burmese monks in saffron robes stroll by collecting morning alms.

Next, you will move on to the more lively Sule Pagoda, installed as the new centre of town during the period of British occupation. The area around Sule is the city’s most vibrant, a blend of East meets West where you can take in Colonial British architecture, a towering Buddhist stupa, Chinese vendors, and a muslim mosque - all without the turn of a head. Unwind with a pre-lunch stroll through the picturesque Mahabandoola Park. After lunch, try your hand at bargaining for fine silks at the colourful Bogyoke Market, and navigate through the cracked walls and creeping vines of Yangon’s thriving Chinatown district.

After breakfast at your hotel, you’ve time for one last wander to pick out those last-minute souvenirs for friends and family. When its time to leave, your guide will take you to the airport for your return flight home, or on to your next destination, having seen the very best of the Land of Golden Pagodas.

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