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THAILAND ESSENTIALS
THAILAND ESSENTIALS
Explore Thailand with our carefully crafted 10-day Thailand Essentials, designed by experienced travel experts for a remarkable adventure. Tailor your journey to match your unique preferences—we offer full customization to meet your specific requirements. Our dedicated team ensures a personalized solution that exceeds expectations. Interested? Send us a request and share any specific needs, allowing us to refine the program for your perfect Thai experience. Your adventure begins with us!
Overview
Day 1: Bangkok Arrival - Overnight in Bangkok
Day 2: Bangkok City Tour - O/n in Bangkok
Day 3: Amphawa Floating Market & Maeklong Railway Market - O/n in Bangkok
Day 4: Bangkok - Chiang mai - O/n in Chiang Mai
Day 5: Chiang Mai - Elephant Camp - O/n in Chiang Mai
Day 6: Excursion to Doi Inthanon National Park - O/n in Chiang Mai
Day 7: Chiang Mai - Fly to Khao Lak, Phuket - O/n in Phuket
Day 8: Khao Lak, Phuket - Free at Leisure - O/n in Phuket
Day 9: Khao Lak, Phuket - Free at Leisure - O/n in Phuket
Day 10: Phuket - Fly to Bangkok- Departure
Click on the map to view larger image!
DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN BANGKOK
Welcome to Bangkok, Thailand.
Upon arrival, your tour guide greets you at Bangkok Airport before accompanying you on your private transfer to your downtown hotel.
Check-in and spend the remainder of the day to relax or stroll around yourself to get acquainted with the city.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Meals
DAY 2: BANGKOK CITY TOUR
Your Bangkok City Tour today will start the with a boat trip on Chao Phraya River. Along the boat ride, you're able to learn the water life of the Nonthaburi residents. After that, visit Wat Arun which is well-known as the Temple of Dawn. Followed by a short transfer to Grand Palace. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. Inside the Grand Palace complex is Wat Phra Kaeo – the most beautiful and sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The following visit is Wat Pho – the temple of reclining Buddha. It has a long list of credits: The oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, the longest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, the first public education institution. End the day with a drive to Pak Klong Talaat Flower market to see Thailand’s exotic flora with many species of orchids.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 3: AMPHAWA FLOATING MARKET & MAEKLONG RAILWAY MARKET
This morning is easy at your hotel with breakfast. Get picked up at 12:00 p.m. and start the afternoon tour to the pretty town of Amphawa. On the way to Maeklong Railway Market, visit a salt field in Samut Songkhram. The market is held every day literally on the rail tracks. It is very interesting to experience the action minutes before the train passes through the market. Around 15:00 p.m. you will take a 1-hour comfortable long-tail motorboat trip along the Mae Klong River. Witnessing the colorful scenery of Thai life along the river banks. Visit Wat Bang Kung - a historically important location because of a battle between King Taksin’s forces and the invading Burmese. Another stop is an interesting temple, called Wat Bangkae Noi. Thence, heading back to the starting point and move around the market to try some local food, buy souvenirs or hunt photographs. Back to Bangkok for the night.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 4: BANGKOK – CHIANG MAI
Get picked up and transferred to the airport for the morning flight to Chiang Mai, the old capital of Lanna Kingdom. On arrival, you will be met by your local tour guide and driver in Chiang Mai who will escort you to the hotel.
In the afternoon, drive to visit Wat Phrathad Doi Suthep, which is the most sacred temple in Northern Thailand, containing a holy relic of Lord Buddha, with a challenging flight of over 300 steps, flanked by enormous mythological Nagas. A panoramic view of the city can be seen from here as well as Sunset in the evening and listen to the Buddhist monk chanting.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/
DAY 5: ELEPHANT JUNGLE SANCTUARY (Join Group)
You will be picked up from your hotel in the morning, and travel around 1.5 hours from Chiang Mai to the Sanctuary location. Breathe clear mountain air as you drive through the beautiful agricultural countryside of Northern Thailand, and get a glimpse of local life outside of the city. When you arrive at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, an English-speaking guide will walk with you to the Sanctuary, and teach you a little about elephants and the local way of life. Get changed into traditional Karen clothing, listen as your guide tells you more about the Sanctuary, grab some bananas and sugar cane for feeding, and you will be ready to meet the elephants!
Then you will meet and interact with each of our friendly elephants personally. Learn about elephant’s behavior, and discover the unique and interesting history of each elephant as you touch, play, feed, and photograph them. Once you have met and spent time with each of the elephants, you will enjoy a delicious lunch of traditional Thai food and fresh fruit, before being re-united with your elephant friends. At this point during the day, you will walk alongside the elephants to a nearby river and join them for a bath in the refreshing water. Here, you will have the opportunity to bathe and brush the elephants while they enjoy wading through the water. Next, it will be time for a therapeutic mud spa. Feel free to get muddy as you cover the elephants in a protective layer of mud. Have fun playing with them and watch as they joyfully frolic in the mud spa.
When it’s time to say goodbye to the elephants, you can take some final photos with them to preserve this precious memory, then head upstream and wash off your remaining mud, or relax with a swim in the fresh, clean water. Finally, you will change clothes and return to Chiang Mai, experiencing the drive through picturesque rural scenery in the pleasant glow of the afternoon sun.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 6: EXCURSION TO DOI INTHANON NATIONAL PARK
Today you will enjoy a full day, privately guided tour of the Doi Inthanon National Park. This is where Thailand's highest mountain is located, at 2565 meters above sea level. Complex mountain ranges and mild climate characterize an area with moist and dense forest which is the source of important tributaries of Mae Ping River. Various streams descend, forming beautiful waterfalls such as Vachiratharn and Mae Klang. On the way back to the hotel from the National Park, you will stop to visit Karen hill tribe villages.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 7: CHIANG MAI – KHAO LAK, PHUKHET
The beach part of your holiday starts today. After a morning at leisure, your private driver collects you from your hotel to take you to the local airport for your internal flight to Phuket, a journey of around two hours. At Phuket airport, our driver will be waiting to take you to your lovely beach accommodation on the white sands of Khao Lak, a journey of about one and a half hours. Our beach suggested resort –Ramanda has a fantastic location along the beach from local restaurants, bars, and markets.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/
DAY 8: KHAO LAK, PHUKET
Enjoy your relaxation with our reccommendations as follows:
Morning: Begin with breakfast at a beachfront café overlooking Khao Lak Beach. Enjoy a leisurely morning by the sea.
Afternoon: Indulge in a spa retreat at a luxury resort. Followed by a seafood lunch at a beachside restaurant.
Evening: Sip sunset cocktails at a beach bar and dine at a local restaurant for authentic Thai cuisine.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/
DAY 9: KHAO LAK, PHUKET
Enjoy your beach leisure in Khao Lak for the second day with our reccommendations as follows:
Morning: Breakfast at a beach club in Patong. Explore Old Phuket Town's streets and shops.
Afternoon: Lunch with panoramic views. Relax at Freedom Beach for the afternoon.
Evening: Dinner at Patong Night Market. Optionally, explore Patong's nightlife or unwind at your accommodation.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/
DAY 10: PHUKET - FLY BACK TO BANGKOK FOR DEPARTURE
Enjoy your last morning at the town on your own before flying back to Bangkok to catch your international flight home or continue on your holiday with more interesting destinations of Custom Asia Travel.
Goodbye Thailand!
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/
How did people say about us!
Our Traveler's Beloved Programs
Traveler Reviews
Jay M
Date of Experience: Mar 2023
We highly recommend Custom Asia Travel for your trip to Southeast Asia! They provided a great combination of visiting historical and religious sites, temples, and also cultural connections in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia that we could have never made on our own. Our local guides were informative, and shared personal experiences that made our journey meaningful. We asked for an active trip, and Custom Asia Travel tailored our request with biking, kayaking and hiking. We enjoyed local cuisine in Laos, and were amazed by the history and significance of the temples in Cambodia, experienced via a beautiful bike tour.
Date of Experience: Mar 2023
We did a day trip in a Jeep in Ninh Binh with Thu, which included Trang An, Hang Mua, Bich Dong and Tam Coc. Thu was an amazing tour guide and was extremely helpful throughout the whole day, organising everything from start to finish and giving us insightful information about the things we saw, as well as life in Vietnam and it’s history more generally! The lunch was also great and the day turned out to be one of the best days of our trip! Couldn’t recommend Thu enough 😊
Nadine
Date of Experience: Mar 2023
We had an amazing time! Me and my friends visited the Halong/Lan Ha Bay and the Dry Halong Bay. Everything was perfectly organized & all the pick-ups were punctual. The guide and driver were very nice. The cruise ship and the eco lodge, in which we stayed, were great. The staff was very friendly and everything was clean. We can definitely recommend booking a trip with Custom Asia Travel! The organisation and contact with the company was great before, during and after the trip.
Whitney B
Date of Experience: Dec 2022
I cannot say enough positives about Custom Asia Travel! We visited Vietnam in December/January 2023 and had an amazing trip with our 3 teens. The itinerary exceeded our expectations! We travelled to Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and Nha Trang. We had no issues with any of our transportation around the country - our drivers and guides were always there on time (early, actually), friendly and helpful. The accommodations were excellent and our guides were fantastic (Tanh, Tanh, and Viet - they were awesome!). Every place we stayed put our rooms right next to each other, often adjoining, and the kids’ room always had two twin beds and a cot, while my husband and I had a king bed. This was perfect as our teenagers did not want to share beds, lol! The activities were super fun and appealed to all of us. So many highlights - the kids loved the rice farm tour (riding the water Buffalo elicited the biggest smile we’ve ever seen from our 16 year old!), seeing the caves in Ninh Binh, the cooking class in Hoi An, and Ha Long Bay. I really appreciated that some of our itinerary was focused on less crowded activities - a couple of the temples we saw were practically empty, allowing us to enjoy and experience these beautiful sites on our own. We did a couple of bike rides which were also highlights, such a great way to explore and see the area! Minh was available and responsive while planning the trip and while we were there. I agree with others reviews about whether she ever sleeps! She was able to coordinate our luggage getting dropped off as it did not arrive with us, and contacted one of the hotels about a ring that had been left, and arranged for us to pick it up. She was warm, friendly, knowledgeable, and so helpful. We truly had a relaxing and stress free trip because of the excellent customer service from Minh and our guides. With only having 12 days to visit we were so grateful to be able to enjoy the travel and know that Minh and her team were there if and when needed. I highly recommend using this company, you will not regret it! Now I am dreaming of how quickly we can make it back!! Thank you thank you to Minh and the team, our trip was unforgettable!
Date of Experience: Feb 2022
We are over 60 yers old and for eficiency we decided to organise our trips in Vietnam with a local agency. Custom Asia Travel is the wright agency. We decided to visit Hanoi, Tam Coc, Ha Long, Da Nang, Hoi An, My son Sanctuary and Ho Chi Minh City with help of this agency. The organisation and planing of the tours, the selection of the places to visit, hotels, restaurants,cars ( clean and comfortable), drivers and guides was perfect. The drivers and guides where friendly and polite. The guides ( Cường Xi,in Hanoi and Tam Coc, Tran Thanh Binh in Ho Chi Minh as also the guide in Da Nang area) where perfect. They gave us many interesting information about the visited places, organized perfect the details of the trips. The boat arrangement done by Custom Asia Travel in Ha Long Bay - Peony 1 was perfect. The prices for the offered services are fair. We kindly recommend this agency for tailor made trips.
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