Tour and holiday in Thailand and Laos

Arrival in Bangkok. Two days available for free sightseeing in the city. Accommodation in a hotel with breakfast included. 

Early departure from Bangkok to Ayuttaya. Stop at Bang Pa-In and visit the famous summer residence of the royal family. You will reach the capital city of Ayuttaya where there are the famous ruins that formed the King of Siam's capital for over four hundred years, from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Visit Wat Chai Wattanaram temple, located on the banks of the Chao Praya River and built in the seventeenth century in Khmer-style, with a "quintet" of monumental "Phrang" at its center.

Continue to the Wat Sri Samphet, the temple of the ancient royal palace which consists of three giant bell-shaped pagodas, then the adjacent Wat Mongkhon Bophit temple inside which there is a statue of Buddha in a sitting position of gigantic size.

After lunch, you'll drive to the city of Phitsanuloke, in the center-north of the country. Arrive in Phitsanuloke and visit Wat Mahathat temple inside which is the original copy of the sacred Buddha"Chinnarat" statue. Wat Mahathat is considered one of the holiest temples in the country and is visited daily by thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. Here you can admire one of the most traditional religious ceremonies of the country: the offer to the monks ("Sankhathan") that occurs through a precise ritual of exchange of prayer and thanksgiving in the ancient Pali language among the monks and pilgrims.

Continue to the nearby town of Sukhothai where once the first capital of Siam City was located, where the culture, the language and the nation's ideal of the Siamese people originated (XIII and XIV century). Evening arrival in Sukhothai. Full board.

Beginning of visits in the Sukhothai Historical Park in which there are the ruins of Wat Mahathat temples, the imposing temple of the royal palace, and the lovely Wat Sa Sri and Wat Sri Sawai, preexisting to the kingdom of Sukhothai and initially dedicated to Hindu worship. Outside the walls of the Historical Park you will visit Mondop Sri Chum within which lies one of the most majestic and gigantic statues of Buddha with a height of about 15 meters.

Leave for Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand, and make several stops for visits to several local attractions along the way. Arrival in the famous city of Chiang Mai, the "Rose of the North", Buddhist spiritual center of the most important in Asia and whose temples are home to the most numerous and active community of monks in the country. Visit to the ancient Wat Phra Singh, whose "Bot" and "Wihan" are cleverly constructed with wood with refined decoration.

At Wat Chedi Luang is finally possible to attend the melodious and idyllic evening chanting in Pali language of the monastic community inspired by the Dharma, the sacred teachings of the Buddha. The chanting is held at 5 pm and lasts for about twenty minutes. At the Wat Chedi Luang the ceremony is held in the "Wiharn", which visitors can access by maintaining a respectful behavior. Full board.

Departure for a visit to one of the most attractive areas of Thailand: Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, known to Westerners as the "temple on the hill". Built at over 1000m above sea level on the mountain overlooking the entire city, the history of Doi Suthep is tied to the legend of a mythical white elephant. Along the slopes of Doi Suthep you will also admire Huey Kaew falls. Visit to the orchid farm in Chiang Mai.

Afterwards you will visit a craft center in the town of San Kampheng. Here artisans produce objects in silver, lacquer, ceramics, silks and colorful paper umbrellas with their skilled hands. Return to the hotel. Breakfast and lunch included.

Early departure to visit the exotic province of Chiang Rai. You will reach the town of Chang Dao where the elephant camp is located. Leisure time, opportunity (optional on site) to make a ride on elephant back or Bamboo rafting. Afterwards you'll take part in a demonstrative show with the elephants working in the jungle. Continuation along a mountain path to the town of Thaton, near the Burmese border, lying on the banks of the Maekok River.

You'll then follow the path that leads to the Golden Triangle and make several stops to visit the tribal villages (optional entrance to the village for a fee payable locally). Arrival to the Golden Triangle, one of the most attractive areas of Thailand and that is the geographic point located along the waters of Maekhong River, one of the great Asian rivers that descends from China, where Thailand meets Laos and Burma. Visit the opium museum to retrace the history of the well-known international trafficking that took place here over the past decades. At the end of the visits in the Golden Triangle transfer to the city of Chiang Rai.

Domestic flight from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang, Laos. Arrival in Luang Prabang, the ancient royal capital located in a valley on the middle reaches of the Mekong. For the incomparable beauty of the environmental site and the extraordinary wealth of masterpieces of Buddhist religious architecture, UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. There are more than thirty monastic complexes emanating a mystical sense of spirituality that overwhelms every visitor; among the many you cannot miss to visit gems such as Vat Visoun, Vat Sené and Wat Xieng Thong. To admire the gentle colors of the sunset climb to Wat Chom Si, situated on top of Phu Si, the sacred hill overlooking the landscape of Luang Prabang. Lunch in a local restaurant and dinner at the hotel. Lunch and dinner included.

Full day excursion to the caves of Pak Ou and the upper course of the Mekong which you'll sail on sleek motor boats. Amidst riparian gardens and thick vegetation a village emerges: here, among many other traditional activities, lao - lao is also distilled, the strong national liquor. Where the river narrows and the rocky wall looms, you'll disembark to climb the sacred Pak Ou caves that popular faith has filled with thousands of Buddha statues over the centuries.

On the way back we will stop on the right bank, in front of Luang Prabang, for a short relaxing walk in the village of Ban Sa Xangkong, famous for paper-making. Return to Luang Prabang to plunge into the colorful world of the artisan products market that opens at sunset on the road that runs between the Phu Si and the ancient Royal Palace. Lunch in a local restaurant and dinner at the hotel. Full board.

Half-day visit of Kuong falls travelling along a road that runs into a natural landscape of peaceful beauty. Along the road there are settlements of H'Mong people, indomitable warriors and growers of opium poppy that have now abandoned the old customs but still keep the proud bearing. You will reach the natural park with the gorgeous waterfall where the water falls on the limestone rock formations, framed by thick vegetation, only to calm their momentum in turquoise basins where the brave ones can enjoy a very refreshing swim.

Half-day visit to Luang Prabang by bicycle. In the afternoon you can walk the streets of Luang Prabang by bicycle looking for some unusual shopping while those who do not ride and do not like to walk can always find a tuk tuk. Lunch in a local restaurant and dinner at the hotel. Full board.

Waking before dawn you can go to the main street of Luang Prabang to see the long line of over 200 monks, with the Patriarch at their head, that silently parade among the reverent people offering them the food of the day. Return to the hotel for breakfast and then visit the National Museum located in the building of the Royal Palace built in 1904 and now housing a rich collection of objects that belonged to the treasury of the royal family and, above all, the Phra Bang, the gold statue 83 cm high which according to tradition is a symbol of the kingdom of Lane Xang since the thirteenth century.

Transfer to the airport. Flight to Vientiane. Half-day visit of the main temples of the city. Moving alongside the Patuxai or 'Victory Gate', the memorial dedicated to all Laotians who died during all wars, you will reach the holiest place in Laos, the That Luang, the great stupa which is said to contain a relic of Buddha: tradition has it that it was brought here in the third century BC.

In the heart of the old city, the ancient Vat Si Saket is home to more than two thousand images of Buddha: it is said they have preserved it from the destruction made by the Siamese armies in 1828. Across the street, the refined classical architecture of Ho Phra Keo houses the religious art museum with a beautiful bronze Buddhist statue. Lunch in a local restaurant and dinner in hotel. Full board.

Transfer to the airport and flight back to Bangkok. Breakfast included. 

Transfer to the airport for the return flight. Usually the transfer from the hotel to the airport is scheduled about 3 hours before flight departure time; the exact time will be communicated locally.