20 Days Nature and Culture Tour of Northern Thailand and Laos

Welcome to Thailand. Meet your private guide and driver at Bangkok airport and transfer to your hotel.

After check-in, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure to recover from your flight or explore the surrounding neighbourhood independently.

Visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the revered Emerald Buddha. Continue to Wat Pho to see the monumental Reclining Buddha and learn about the temple’s traditional medicine heritage.

After lunch, travel by boat along the Chao Phraya River and Thonburi canals before visiting riverside Wat Arun. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Leave Bangkok for Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, whose landscaped grounds combine Thai, Chinese and European architectural influences.

Continue to UNESCO-listed Ayutthaya and explore Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Chaiwatthanaram. Learn how the river and canal network helped the former Siamese capital flourish before checking into your hotel.

Travel north through Thailand’s rural heartland toward Sukhothai, the first capital of the Siamese kingdom. Stop for lunch and selected countryside viewpoints along the way.

Arrive in the afternoon and settle into your resort near the historical park. The evening is free to relax.

Explore Sukhothai Historical Park, including Wat Mahathat, Wat Si Sawai and Wat Sa Si. Walk or cycle gently among lotus ponds, Buddha images and the remains of royal-era temples.

Continue to Si Satchanalai Historical Park to discover quieter ruins set beside the Yom River and learn about the region’s historic ceramic traditions.

Depart Sukhothai and drive north through changing landscapes toward Chiang Mai, the cultural centre of northern Thailand.

After arriving and checking in, enjoy an orientation around the old city walls and Tha Phae Gate. Browse the evening market independently if operating.

Travel into Doi Inthanon National Park and ascend toward Thailand’s highest peak. Walk through cool evergreen forest and visit the summit area and memorial stupa dedicated to King Inthawichayanon.

Continue to the twin royal pagodas and a Karen community before visiting powerful Wachirathan Waterfall. Return to Chiang Mai in the early evening.

Explore the old city’s leading temples, including Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Chiang Man, while learning about Lanna history, art and Buddhist traditions.

Later, travel to mountain-top Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Climb the Naga staircase or use the cable car and enjoy panoramic views across Chiang Mai.

Journey into the countryside for a respectful, saddle-free elephant experience. Learn about elephant behaviour, conservation and the stories of rescued animals from their caretakers.

Help prepare food, observe the elephants walking and socialising naturally, and enjoy lunch in the rural setting. Return to Chiang Mai in the afternoon.

Travel toward Chiang Rai with a stop at Mae Khachan Hot Spring. Continue to Wat Rong Khun, the extraordinary White Temple designed by artist Chalermchai Kositpipat.

After lunch, visit the sapphire-coloured Wat Rong Suea Ten and Baan Dam Museum, whose dark Lanna-inspired structures contain the works of Thawan Duchanee.

Visit a selected hill-community area to learn about northern Thailand’s ethnic cultures, followed by the green terraces of Choui Fong Tea Plantation and a tasting of locally grown tea.

Continue through Doi Tung to the Golden Triangle viewpoint, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet beside the Mekong. Visit the Opium House Museum before returning to Chiang Rai.

Enjoy breakfast before returning through northern Thailand’s mountain scenery to Chiang Mai. Stop at a local market or scenic viewpoint along the way.

After hotel check-in, the remainder of the day is free for rest, shopping, a spa treatment or independent exploration.

Transfer to Chiang Mai airport and fly to Luang Prabang, subject to the operating schedule. Meet your Lao guide and continue to your hotel.

In the evening, browse the night market independently for handmade textiles, local art and hill-community crafts.

Begin at the Royal Palace Museum, then visit Wat Sene and magnificent Wat Xieng Thong with its sweeping roofs and classical Lao architecture. Continue to Wat Visoun and Wat Aham.

Learn about Laos’s ethnic cultures at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, visit local weaving communities and finish at Mount Phousi for sunset views over the old city and Mekong River.

Cruise upstream on the Mekong River, stopping at a local village before reaching the Pak Ou Caves, where thousands of Buddha images have been placed by pilgrims over generations.

After lunch, visit the bear rescue centre and continue to Kuang Si Waterfall. Walk along forest trails and swim in the turquoise pools when conditions are suitable.

Enjoy a relaxed morning before transferring to the railway station for the modern train journey to Vientiane.

Meet your guide on arrival, transfer to the hotel and take an introductory walk beside the Mekong River as the sun sets.

Discover the quiet Lao capital at Wat Sisaket, whose covered galleries contain thousands of Buddha images, and Haw Phra Kaew, now a museum of Lao religious art.

Continue to the COPE Visitor Centre, Patuxai monument and golden Pha That Luang. Finish with time along the Mekong riverfront and local market.

Transfer to Vientiane airport for your flight to Phuket via Bangkok, subject to the operating schedule.

Meet your driver on arrival and continue to your beach resort. The rest of the day is free to relax beside the Andaman Sea.

Enjoy a full day at leisure in Phuket. Swim, relax beside the pool, walk along the beach or use the resort facilities at your own pace.

An optional island cruise, Phang Nga Bay excursion, Phuket Old Town visit or spa treatment can be arranged according to your interests and local conditions.

Enjoy breakfast and free time until hotel check-out. Your private driver will transfer you to Phuket International Airport.

Your 20-day nature and culture journey through northern Thailand and Laos ends with your onward flight.