17 Days Vietnam and Thailand Safari with Tropical Paradises

ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi | Arrive in Hanoi | Water Puppet Show and Dinner

International Flight: Excluded
Meals: Dinner
Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival in Hanoi, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to your boutique in the French Old Quarter for check-in. Feel free to take a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake outside your hotel – a center point of Hanoi culture.

The evening will start with a Water Puppet Show performed by the world-renowned Thang Long Opera House. This performance features a talent unique to Vietnam. You’ll watch as water puppets perform the folklore legends of Vietnam while live ethnic music sets the mood.

After the show, you’ll enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine at Home Restaurant – a historic French colonial residence restored in between the Old Quarter and the serene West Lake. Enjoy fine Vietnamese cuisine as you begin your enchanting journey through Vietnam and Thailand. Once you finish your dinner, you’ll be escorted to your hotel.

Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Day 2: Hanoi | Highlights of Vietnam’s Capital | Night Markets

Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, you’ll be escorted to see the Tran Quoc Pagoda. This 1,400-year-old temple features ten tiers surrounded by gardens and which also hosts a bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original Buddhist tree under which Buddha sat. Next, you’ll take a stroll around the Hoan Kiem Lake where you can see the Tortoise Tower sitting on the water. Then you’ll enjoy a half hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarter in Hanoi. The cyclo is a historic mode of transportation in the cities of Vietnam where a cyclist escorts you while you sit in a seat affixed to the front with a canopy over top.

Next, you’ll visit the One Pillar Pagoda – a pagoda situated on a pillar made of a single stone, in the middle of a lotus pond. This pagoda was built by a 9th-century emperor who saw it in a dream and regarded this as a divine inspiration to recreate the structure in the vision.
You’ll pass by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before visiting the highlight of this tour – The Temple of Literature. This ancient university was erected almost a millennium ago and has hosted many of the most prominent scholars through Vietnamese history. The site features many gardens, pools, buildings, and ancient trees where the best and brightest of Vietnam studied under the guidance of Confucius teachings.

Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay | Voyage Halong Bay with Cruise by Orchid

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, our guide and driver will assist you with a transfer to Halong Bay. Then continue to the Orchid Private Lounge and enjoy a refreshment until boarding. Then board Orchid Cruise.

Receive a safety briefing and check in your cabins. The boat sets adrift for Da Chong islet, home to an old French lighthouse. Enjoy a sumptuous feast in the panoramic dining hall while en route to the isles of Con Vit and Gia Luan. The bay opens up to you with stunning green karsts towering above the water. This area receives very few cruise ships as it has just been newly opened up. Continue to Ba Trai Dao beach of Lan Ha Bay. A paradise with perfect beaches and natural beauty. Stop at one of the beaches for swimming or kayaking during the afternoon.

Sunrise at Halong Bay

As dusk approaches, welcome the sunset with a local specialty – “Ba Kich”(a liquor made from Noni fruit). Back on board, you’ll join a cooking demonstration to learn a few Vietnamese culinary secrets. Enjoy your creation! Then time for supper in the dining hall. Delicious Vietnamese cuisine and seafood in a romantic setting. After dinner, you may enjoy watching the stars from the sundeck, watching a movie in the restaurant, or give night squid fishing a try with the staff.

Accommodation: Orchid Cruise

Day 4: Hanoi – Ninh Binh | Halong Bay Sunrise | Continue to Ninh Binh | Bai Dinh Sunset

Meals: Breakfast
Rise early for one of the top best sunrises in the world. Then head to the sundeck for an invigorating Tai Chi session amongst a picture-perfect backdrop of karsts, sea, and nature. Enjoy a breakfast in the dining hall before taking a journey to explore the area around Sang Tai sea cave via canoes.

Return back to the pier for check out. Our guide will be waiting to help you with luggage and transfer to Ninh Binh.

Check in at the Emeralda Resort with stunning views all around.

Time to stretch your legs! Go with our guide to visit Bai Dinh Temple, the largest temple in Vietnam. This Buddhist temple was built into the mountain with 3 terraces and faces the river. Explore the many halls, rooms, carvings, and statues during the late afternoon. Our guide will then take you to the best place for watching the sunset over this untouched part of Vietnam. Shortly afterward, you’ll witness the 13-tier pagoda – Chau Bai Dinh – be lit up for the evening: a true spectacle to behold! Return to the resort for overnight and leisure.

Accommodation: Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh

Day 5: Hanoi – Bangkok | Wonders of Ninh Binh

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, enjoy some time at the resort to relax and take in the stunning views. Check out late morning and then you’ll go to visit Hoa Lu, the ancient capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh declared himself as the King. Since then Hoa Lu existed as the capital for only 41 years. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long – present-day Hanoi. Hoa Lu became the old citadel. In Hoa Lu, there are now two temples dedicated to two Vietnamese kings, which have been built on the grounds of the old royal palace. The visit offers a chance to learn more about the feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.

Rice fields in Ninh Binh

Next, you’ll take an amazing boat trip through Trang An Grottoes. A gathering of 31 valleys and 50 cross-water caves are home to 600 kinds of flora and over 200 kinds of fauna many of which are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam. Rowing through the Trang An Grottoes is a peaceful trip of serenity. The highland air is a respite from modern living and the sounds are only that of birds and the oars stirring the clear water. Towering overhead is magnificent forested mountains upon which you might catch a glimpse of grazing white-bearded goats.

After your adventures in Ninh Binh, take a flight to Bangkok. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your resort near the river for check-in.

Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental

Day 6: Bangkok | Bangkok by Boat | Arts in Paradise

Meals: Breakfast
In the early morning, take a traditional longtail boat to Wat Arun – the Temple of the Dawn to enjoy a stunning view and explore the gem of Bangkok.

Continue to one of the must-see sights, the spectacular Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city’s most famous landmark. Built-in 1782- and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government – the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people.

Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom. Within the palace complex are several impressive buildings including Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which contains the small, very famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century. The robes on the Buddha are changed with the seasons by HM The King of Thailand and forms an important ritual in the Buddhist calendar. Thai Kings stopped living in the palace around the turn of the twentieth century, but the palace complex is still used to mark all kinds of other ceremonial and auspicious happenings. Also visit Wat Po, with it’s large reclining Buddha.

This afternoon, visit the 3D Museum: Arts in Paradise. Be amazed by the ingenious paintings where the eye cannot distinguish between paint and sculpture. This interactive museum is an “Instagram” paradise. After you finish exploring, return back to the riverside hotel for some leisure time in the evening.

Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental

Day 7: Bangkok – Khao Yai | Khao Yai National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, drive to Khao Yai National Park. Start with a visit to their View Point and Visitor Center. Go hiking through dry evergreen forests & grasslands. It is common to see gibbons, monkeys, and hornbills on the way. Have lunch at a local restaurant and then transfer to Haew Narok Waterfall. Take a 2-hour trail trek. Then elephant spotting around dusk. Continue to the resort for overnight.

Waterfall at Khao Yai National Park

Accommodation: Muthi Maya

Day 8: Bangkok – Chiang Mai | Khao Yai National Park | Flight to Chiang Mai

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
At the resort in the morning, enjoy pleasant views of the surrounding natural beauty while sipping some hot tea or coffee from your balcony/terrace. The trogons and cuckoos make their calls from the trees while the sun slowly makes it’s way over the horizon. Take some time to unwind and reflect in this natural setting.

Before noon, transfer to the airport for a flight to Chiang Mai. There our guide will greet you and continue to the hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Day 9: Chiang Mai | Befriending the Gentle Giants of Asia

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you will join in a tour to 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. Learn how they became a proud herd free from abuse and misuse. Then have an opportunity to feed them in the morning. Enjoy a lunch buffet. Then take a stroll with the herd to the nearby river. Here you will have the opportunity to observe or participate in bathing the elephants with the sanctuary staff.

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

Accommodation: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Day 10: Chiang Mai | Flight of Gibbon | Explore Chiang Mai Temples

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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.

Continue in the afternoon to 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 your hotel and evening is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Day 11: Chiang Mai – Phuket | Thai Culinary Class| Flight to Phuket

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today, you’ll join a culinary experience with a Thai chef. The school is run by Sompon Nabnian, a Chiang Mai culinary legend who has been featured on National Geographic and the Travel Channel. Start the class with a visit to a local market where Thai people buy the groceries. The chef will be keen to teach you how to identify various produce and what to pick. You’ll learn about many new vegetables and spices. Then, with the ingredients you’ll need in hand, continue to a Thai pavilion where the class will commence. You’ll have your own station and cooking utensils. The chef will show you how to prepare several dishes and oversee your work providing tips along the way. Then it’s time to enjoy your creation!

In the evening, take a flight to Phuket. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your resort for check-in.

Accommodation: Sri Panwa Phuket Villas

Day 12: Phuket | Leisure Day

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today is at your leisure to explore the beautiful beaches of Phuket.

Phuket Beaches

As dusk approaches, you’ll enjoy a private seaside dinner with candles, personal butler, and the sound of the sea. Dinner will feature a 4-course traditional Thai menu.

Accommodation: Sri Panwa Phuket Villas

Day 13: 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. Then continue by boat with a light lunch served onboard. Self-paddle with your own sea cave guide through tunnels and lagoons. When darkness falls, stars shine overhead in the circle of 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”).

Accommodation: Sri Panwa Phuket Villas

Day 14: Phuket – Krabi | Scenic Road Trip to Krabi | Leisure

Meals: Breakfast
Today you’ll take a scenic road transfer 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.

Accommodation: Andikiri Pool Villas

Day 15: Krabi | Phi Phi Island

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Discover the spectacular limestone rock formations of Phi Phi Island. Enjoy snorkeling and swimming in the crystal clear water of the bay. Last stop at a lovely island with great white sandy beaches. A great spot to lay down and relax at the beach. Or go snorkeling in the beautiful reef around the island.

Phi Phi Island

Accommodation: Andikiri Pool Villas

Day 16: Krabi | Relax on the Beaches

Meals: Breakfast
Today is at your leisure to explore the beautiful beaches of Krabi.

Accommodation: Andikiri Pool Villas

Day 17: Krabi | Farewell!

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Board a morning flight to Bangkok to catch up for your homeward flight. Our representative will transfer you to the airport and bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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