On arrival in Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Mueang International Airport, you will be met by an English-speaking representative and transfer approximately 1 hour to your hotel. Please note: Early check in is not included. If your flight arrives in the morning and you wish to arrange this, please speak to your reservations consultant. An informal Welcome Dinner will be held on Day 1. If you miss this due to your arrival time, all information will be provided to you at breakfast the following morning. Additional night's before and after your tour can be arranged.

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city today. Tour the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Chinatown. Take a cruise down Chao Phraya River on a longboat to see Pak Khlong Talaat Flower Market and take in an alternative view of the city. This evening, enjoy a performance of traditional Thai dancing before dinner. Sightseeing involves around 5 hours on foot today and involves hopping on and off the boats, sometimes on unsteady or slippery surfaces, occasionally without handrails or assistance.

Explore the Maeklong Railway Market, an extraordinary market that makes it home right on the tracks. Drive to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, where you will travel by wooden boats through the canals. Return to Bangkok ahead of this evening’s 1-hour flight to Chiang Mai.

Begin with a cyclo tour of the city, taking in the sights before stopping to visit the Folk Life Museum, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Prah Singh. After lunch, visit Wat Doi Suthep, one of Thailand’s most sacred temples. Tucked away in the mountains at 1,056 metres above sea level, it offers a panoramic view of Chiang Mai. You will have the option to climb the Naga staircase or catch the cable car to visit the exquisite Golden Pagoda. This evening, we will enjoy a typical Thai (Khantoke) dinner while watching a performance of ancient dances and songs from northern Thailand by various hill tribes. Afterwards we will have an opportunity to visit the colourful Chiang Mai Night Market.

This morning, visit the local yoga centre, and enjoy a meditation session. Later this morning journey into the hills surrounding Chiang Mai. Transfer approximately 1 and a half hours hour by minivan, crossing the countryside, passing forests, farms and villages reaching the village where you will spend the night in a traditional Hmong Hilltribe Lodge. The Hmong Hilltribe Lodge is made up of ten individual houses, each comprising of four separate rooms with private bathrooms, arranged around a central communal area. The afternoon is at leisure. Optional activities this afternoon include a short hike to the village, hire a bike, have a massage or relax by the pool. You also have the chance to join in a meditation or yoga session (depending on availability). This evening, enjoy a barbecue and a cultural show.

Visit the Thai Elephant Care Centre in Mae Rim this morning. The centre is located in the beautiful Mesa valley and is the peaceful retirement for elephants rescued from logging camps and elephant shows. Meet one of their caretakers, who will guide you through the centre, explaining about the centre and its inhabitants. Continue 90 minutes to Tha Ton, a small town by the Mae Kok River, and board your long tail motorboat for your cruise to Baan Pha Tai. Upon arrival, drive a further 2 hours to Chiang Rai and take a walk around the night market.

Today, peek into some of the hidden artistic gems of Chiang Rai with a visit to Wat Rong Kun, also known as the White Temple, where you will see some surprising imagery. After lunch, visit a tea plantation on Doi Mae Salong to taste the local tea.

Rise early to reach the border into Laos and join your Mekong cruise to Pakbeng. The boat is a local wooden slow boat, with a roof and toilet. You will be travelling for approximately 6 to 7 hours today, depending on the water level and will be served lunch on board your cruise. Stop along the way to observe rural life, visiting Ban Houy Lumpair Hmong village. Arrive in Pakbeng and check in to your hotel. You will need to pack a smaller overnight bag for your trip to Pakbeng. Main luggage will be left in safe storage on the boat and picked up on arrival in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast, board the boat for the second leg of the cruise. Continue to Pak Ou village at the mouth of the Nam Ou River, where you visit the Pak Ou Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. Arrive in Luang Prabang and check in to your hotel.

Visit Ban Xangkhong Craft Village, where you can see Sa Paper and local handcraft production. Later visit the monastery of Wat Xieng Thong, one the finest examples of Luang Prabang architecture, and Wat Visoun. We spend some time talking with local monks and young people at a local temple and hearing about their lifestyle.

Rise early this morning to see the Buddhist ceremony of Takbat or alms-giving. Continue to the Phousi Temple and the National Museum. From here, drive 1 hour to Kuang Si Waterfall, visiting a local market en route. At the falls, enjoy the opportunity to swim, splash or simply relax beside the pools. Return to Luang Prabang, stopping at Ock Pop Tok Weaving Centre en route. Sightseeing at the waterfall will involve around 1 hour of light walking, and on the way up to the waterfall you follow a bush walking track, which has a slight upward gradient. Electric car transfers may be available. There are changing areas at the site.

Enjoy a day at leisure until your 45 minute flight to Vientiane. On arrival, check in to your hotel. Laos' laid-back capital, mixes French colonial architecture with golden Buddhist. Notable shrines sit along Vientiane’s tree-lined streets, and its many bakeries, cafés and villas seem straight out of 19th-century Paris.

This morning visit Talaat Sao, Vientiane’s Morning Market. Then continue to Wat Sisaket, the oldest original temple in Vientiane. Head out of town to visit one of Laos’ slightly stranger attractions - Xieng Khuan Buddha Park. It is the site of a large collection of many kinds of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. En route, take a look at the impressive Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge which spans the Mekong River border. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with some traditional Lao music.

Any time before your flight is at leisure and breakfast will be included. You will be transferred from your hotel to Wattay International Airport or Luang Prabang International airport, according to the departure time of your international flight. Late check-out is not included. Additional night's before and after your tour can be arranged.