13 Days Thailand and Cambodia with Ancient Angkor City

ITINERARY

Day 1: Bangkok – Siem Reap | Arrive in Bangkok | Flight to Siem Reap

International Flight: Excluded

Welcome to Cambodia. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Heritage Suites Hotel

Day 2: Siem Reap | Vintage Car to the South Gate | Angkor Thom by Bicycle

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, you’ll hop in a Vintage Mercedes-Benz. Circle around Bayon temple with its giant stone smiling faces and stop for photos with the classic automobile if you like. Return back to the South Gate of the ancient capital where you’ll continue with our guide. (Note: Vintage car will return and a standard vehicle with air conditioning will provide transportation for the rest of the tour. No camera is provided for photos. Please bring your own.)

Biking through the stone city

Enjoy a relaxing cycling tour in the morning in ancient Angkor Thom – a stone city built around the time of Angkor Wat.

The biking tour will start at the South Gate – a photogenic bridge at the gateway of the stone city of Angkor Thom which has made its way into many Hollywood movies. Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. Enter the stone city and explore shaded trails and ancient monuments. Visit Bayon Temple where you will be surrounded by 216 gigantic stone faces which fame as “Khmer Smile”, you will also visit the Terrace of Elephants, the Royal Palace, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Stop your cycling trip with a visit to the local monastery to chat with monks and see their daily life. Then take part in a Water Blessing Ceremony. We will provide a change of clothes for you – a traditional Sarong which you will wear during the ceremony.

In the afternoon, go to visit Ta Prohm Temple – a jungle monastery with trees overcoming stone. This temple has been featured in many Hollywood films, including Tomb Raider and Transformers 3. On the way back, stop to see the Killing Fields of Wat Thmei. Our guide will relay to you the history of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, and the war. Cambodia is still healing from these atrocities.

Accommodation: Heritage Suites Hotel

Day 3: Siem Reap | Sunrise at Angkor Wat Temple | 4-Wheeling in Cambodia Countryside

Meals: Breakfast
Before the light of the day, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the front of Angkor Wat Temple. From here, you’ll watch one of the most revered sunrises in the world. Then in the early hours, you’ll explore the vast temple with your guide bringing to life the stories of Angkor. In the morning, the rays of the light play through the chambers as the morning haze settles and giving the temple a mystical ambiance while there are few tourists who visit during this time of day. After your explorations, you’ll return to the hotel for some rest and leisure time.

Angkor Wat Temple – 13 Days Thailand Cambodia Ancient Angkor City

In the afternoon, prepare to hit the trails and take a ride on ATVs through rice fields and ancient jungles. On the way, you’ll see the Rolous Temple Group in thrill and style. The route is 45km and takes a little over 2 hours to complete. After the tour, you’ll return to your hotel to rest.

Accommodation: Heritage Suites Hotel

Day 4: Siem Reap – Chiang Mai | Flight to Chiang Mai | Chiang Mai Temple

Meals: Breakfast
Today, take a morning flight to Chiang Mai with a short stopover in Bangkok(1h20m) with Bangkok Airways. Feel free to use Bangkok Airways Lounge which is complimentary. Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

The old city walls still stand formidably against the ravages of time, inviting pilgrims to come rest, and explore the lost treasures of the Lanna Kingdom. Established as the capital in 1296AD of the vast “Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields”, Chiang Mai carries a heritage lurking around every quiet cobble-stone alley and corridor. These days, cafes, boutiques, pubs, and spas are auspiciously peppered throughout, while colorful Meo and Akha hill tribes make their daily ritual visit to the valley to offer their hand made tapestries and handicrafts to curious adventurers. The Ping River weaves through the valley to the East of the Old City while a peaceful moat surrounds the time-worn walls.

Chiang Mai old temples

After getting settled into your room, visit the most prominent temples in Chiang Mai. Start with Wat Phra Singh which houses the famous Phra Singh Buddha image. It features Lanna art throughout and illustrates many famous Buddhist stories. Continue on to Wat Chedi Luang, which once contained the Emerald Buddha. The temple is partially in ruins due to an earthquake in the 1500s. Then stop at Wat Chiang Man which is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai and also houses one of Thailand’s greatest treasures: the Crystal Buddha.

Then continue to Wat Suan Dok, which houses many of the remains of generations of the old Chiang Mai Royal Family. Finally, visit Wat Jet Yot – this peaceful temple is surrounded by green and was built in the Mahabodhi style from India to house the Eighth World Buddhist Council in 1453. You’ll return to the hotel for some leisure in the evening.

Accommodation: Khum Phaya Resort & Spa by Centara Boutique Collection

Day 5: Chiang Mai | Elephant Sanctuary

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, you will visit an elephant sanctuary in the jungles near Chiang Mai. First, you’ll learn about the project and hear the amazing stories of each rescued and orphaned elephant. You will have an elephant just under both of your care for the day-with the mahout (elephant guide) to help you learn about your elephant and get acclimated with their behavior and personality. Learn how she became free from abuse and misuse. You’ll be shown how to approach your elephant, what spoken commands she respond to, how to read her body language, and how to check her health. Then have an opportunity to feed her. The mahout will also show you how to ride on her neck(no heavy howdah seats are used) or you can walk alongside your elephant if you prefer.

Continue to the nearby river. Here you will have the opportunity to observe or participate in bathing the elephants with the sanctuary staff. The sanctuary has a photographer who will capture these moments in high quality for you throughout the day and provide you a CD of the experience. Next, enjoy a picnic spread.

After you have said your farewells, return back to the hotel for some leisure time.

Accommodation: Khum Phaya Resort & Spa by Centara Boutique Collection

Day 6: Chiang Mai | Jungle Zip Line and Village Visit

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Early morning, join a trip to the Flight of the Gibbon zip-line deep within the Mae Kampong Rainforest. State of the art safety equipment is used and the Sky Rangers are ACCT certified.

Enjoy flying through the rainforest all morning from several platforms with the highest at 200 feet and the longest line spanning half a mile. Then have lunch hosted by a village family. After lunch, take a hike through the rainforest to Mae Kompong Waterfall for seeing the fauna and flora of Thailand along the way. You’ll visit the village and learn about their fermented teas. Return back to the hotel in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Khum Phaya Resort & Spa by Centara Boutique Collection

Day 7: Chiang Mai – Krabi | Flight to Phuket | Transfer to Krabi

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Today, take a flight to Phuket. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to Krabi. The transfer is around 3 hours with pleasant views en route. Upon arrival, get checked in and the rest of the day is at your leisure.

Long-tail boats and salty seas; limestone cliffs and vibrant jungle canopies; clear blue waters with a spectrum of fish varieties just below – Krabi is a step back to nature and scenery. Sandy beaches and moving sunsets draw the weary traveler for a place of respite and refocusing.

Accommodation: Luxury Beach Villa Krabi

Day 8: Krabi | Cooking Class with Chef Ya

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy a cooking class with legendary Thai Chef Chonlaya(Ya). Her nearly 3 decades of culinary skills were featured on Gordon Ramsay’s “Great Escape” TV series. Transfer to her school located in the Ao Nang Rain Forest.

You’ll start by learning about Thai culinary elements required to produce a delicious masterpiece – exotic spices, tropical fruit, Thai vegetables, and more. Then receive hands-on training in preparing four distinct dishes. Classes are full of fun and laughter. After you’re finished, enjoy your creation for lunch. Then return back to the resort for leisure in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Luxury Beach Villa Krabi

Day 9: Krabi | Relax on the Beach

Meals: Breakfast

Today is at your leisure on the beach of Krabi, enjoy the hotel facilities, or explore on your own.

Accommodation: Luxury Beach Villa Krabi

Day 10: Krabi – Phuket | Road Trip to Phuket

Meals: Breakfast

Today you’ll take a scenic road transfer to Phuket. The transfer is around 3 hours with pleasant views en route. Upon arrival, get checked in and the rest of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: The Mangrove Panwa Phuket Resort

Day 11: Phuket | Relax on the Beach

Meals: Breakfast

Today is at your leisure to explore the beautiful beaches of Phuket, enjoy the hotel facilities, or explore on your own.

Accommodation: The Mangrove Panwa Phuket Resort

Day 12: Phuket | Sea Caves by Starlight

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

World-famous kayaking inside marine limestone karst islands with macaques, water monitors, kingfishers, and Sea Eagles. Meet at the hotel around 11 AM to transfer to the pier (1 hour). Then continue by boat with a light lunch served on board. Self-paddle with your own sea cave guide through tunnels and lagoons. When darkness falls, stars shine overhead in the circle of the black night, fireflies flash in the cliffside jungle and, most of all, the sea glows with phosphorescence. Enjoy a spiritual ceremony with your own made “Krathong”. Have a magnificent dinner onboard. Then return to land. A truly magical and out of this world experience (Listed among National Geographic’s “World’s Top 50 Adventures”).

Sea Cave Kayaking – 13 Days Thailand Cambodia Ancient Angkor City

Accommodation: The Mangrove Panwa Phuket Resort

Day 13: Phuket | Flight to Bangkok | Farewell!

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Today, our guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight onward and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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