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Country: THAILAND
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| Go Differently |
19 West Road
Essex
UNITED KINGDOM
CB11 3DS
Phone: +44 (0) 1799 521950
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Program description: |
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13 days - 12 nights
Travel north from Bangkok to ancient temples, museums and rock paintings in Laos and Thailand. Wake, relax and explore with the rhythm and colour of village life. Discover the spectacular limestone caves, ruins and jungles of Laos as you journey down the backwaters of the Mekong river. Keep a lookout for monkeys, leopards and civet cats in this unique area. This trip really has it all, culture, history, interaction, wildlife and adventure.
Day 1 - Arrive in Bangkok
Arrive in Bangkok where your guide will meet you and then transfer you to the hotel for check-in. Relax at your leisure. (Accom: Grand President)
Day 2 - Bangkok - Grand Palace Tour - Ubon Ratchatani
After breakfast our guide will take you to the Grand Palace, one of the most beautiful samples of an ancient Siamese court. It used to be the residence of the Kings of Bangkok. Here you will see the Palaces, which were used for different occasions; the Funeral Palace, the Reception Palace, the Throne Hall, the Coronation Hall, the Royal Guesthouse and the beautiful Emerald Buddha Temple. Lunch at local restaurant. Relax at your leisure until evening when at 18.00 hrs our guide will meet your group at the hotel for transfer to Hua Lum Pong (railway station) for first class train to Ubon Ratchatani. (B, L)
Day 3 - Ubon Ratchatani - City Tour
After checking in to your hotel, your guide will take you to visit a number of city sites in Ubon including Wat Sri Muang, built in a very unusual mixture of Thai, Lao & Burmese styles. Also see the National Museum #8. This museum is also home of the most important known inscription stones in Thai history. Lunch at Riverside restaurant with Thai set menu. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel's facilities. (L, D)
Day 4 - Khao Phra Viharn (Cambodian) - Khong Jiam
Drive to Khao Phra Viharn Khmer temple complex which was started even before its big brother, the Angkor Wat in the heart of Cambodia! Unlike other Khmer Temples in Thailand, this one has not undergone the restoration efforts of the Fine Arts Department. This, and the huge crashed Russian helicopter only a few meters off the causeway, add immeasurably to the already very significant sense of drama one feels here! If Indiana Jones were real, he would have found this place! Walk up steps to graded causeways through awesome "gopuras" and arrive at the extensive but dilapidated centre, which is on a cliff-top overlooking the virgin Cambodian countryside for miles. On the way back, stop off for a look at Maw-I-Daeng cliff carvings. Lunch will be Kantaralak at a local restaurant or picnic lunch in a shady grove en route back to Khong Jiam Resort. Dinner at Tohsaeng Khong Jiam Resort. (B, L, D)
Day 5 -Pha Taem - Mekong Riverboat - Border Market - Khong Jiam
Today, head for Pha Taem National / Historical Park to view the pre-historic paintings. Walk the length of the trail around the cliff if you like (about 2km +). Drive down to the village of Ban Goom on the Mekong River below the cliff we have just visited. Here is a lovely little (very Lao style) temple where we will board our boat to Khong Jiam. Enjoy a ride on the local style Mekong river-boat on this narrow and interesting part of the river. At Khong Jiam, we will take lunch at a floating "raft restaurant", famous for giant freshwater shrimp. No visa for Laos is needed to walk onto the Lao side and browse through the textiles, antiques, medicines, clothing and duty free. Spend as long as you like exploring. We recommend you take time to look over the Thai side too, as there are also many interesting shops here. Return to the resort whenever you are ready. Dinner at the Tohsaeng Khong Jiam Resort beside the Mekong River. (B, L, D)
Day 6 - Khong Jiam - Ban Panna - Mukdahan National Park
Drive to Mukdaharn on the way, stop at Ban Panna, a typical country Isan town. Walk through the town's small streets to the market. Few westerners have ever been here. The townspeople are very friendly and usually ask you questions, try out their basic English or invite you over for a snack, especially if near meal time. Feed the monkeys in the park before lunch in a local restaurant and then continue to Mukdahan National Park (Phu Pha Thoep). Some parts of the park are steep cliffs and wide rock plateaus. The most striking of these is Phu Pha Thoep where rocks of peculiar shapes abound. It is believed that this area was once a dirt mountain that eventually eroded due to wind and rain. Drive to Mukdaharn for a walk through the Indo-Chine market. Products from the surrounding Mekong countries (Vietnam, China, Laos and Cambodia) make their way here and are sold to local people. (B, L, D)
Day 7 - Ban Nong Hoi Yai - Thad Phanom Stupa - Nakorn Phanom Town
Drive to Ban Nong Hoi Yai, Nakorn Phanom. Several years ago, the villages of Ban Nong Hoi Yai created what they call the Isan Cultural Heritage Conservation Project. They gather together to show you important aspects of their daily life and offering you the opportunity to experience the "real Thailand" few foreigners are privileged to witness. Sip from a sweet, fresh barbecued coconut upon arrival. Depending on the weather, take a walk around the village and learn about the actual process and work of growing and harvesting the rice or watch the hand-production process of cotton fabric, from cotton boll to thread, and finally to the lovely Matmee fabrics. Fall in love with the village children who, under the guidance of their teachers and to the music of local musicians, will perform a number of traditional dances for you. Village elders will confer the Bai Sii Su Kwan welcome ceremony upon you. This is normally only done for and by villagers when departing on or returning from a long journey. In modern Western parlance, this ceremony might be thought of as a "spirit centering ritual".
After the village visit, drive to Thad Phanom to see the temple, built 1500 years ago according to the official historical record (although local legend relates an earlier beginning only 8 years after the Buddha's death, when the temple was supposedly built to enshrine a bone of the Lord Buddha). After lunch, explore the center of Nakorn Phanom town. Walk down the riverfront past a 400 year old temple to the Indochina market. Once can still see traces of a far older era in this working temple. Ask your guide to translate for you if you would like to speak with the monks or the abbot. Then check out the Indochina market where goods from all other the Mekong countries are sold before exploring other sites in the town by vehicle. Dinner and overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 8 - Si Songkram
After breakfast, drive to Chaiburi and Si Songkram River area for a taste and feel of local life along a small river. Walk through a typical lovely Isan village. Local people have only seen westerners here a few times so do not be surprised if you are followed by village children or if local people call out to you and wave, inviting you over to their houses. Walk through the village and down to the river where we will board local style riverboats for the ride to the mouth of the river where it meets the mighty Mekong. En route, stop to see some of the fish farms. You will see how the fish are farmed and can talk to the fishermen through your guides. This is the real Isan… how 90% of the country has always been, and still looks and feels today. Enjoy lunch at the fish restaurant at the mouth of the Si Songkram river or ask your guide to take you to a restaurant in the town of Nakorn Phanom if you prefer. On the way back to the town, stop at a rubber plantation for a shady walk, observing how latex rubber is collected and cured. Return to the hotel and relax at your leisure. (B, L, D)
Day 9 - Tha Kaek (Laos) - Na Hin
Drive by local transportation into the Khammouanne Central Limestone district and to the Nam Theun Bridge area. This drive passes through some of Laos' most spectacular limestone (Karst) landscape. The road elevation at points allows for a unique view of the limestone from above, and dramatic views of fields of limestone needles. At the Nam Teun Bridge see how local people used old B-52 bomber drop fuel tanks (left from the Vietnam War) to make Bomb-boats! Time & weather permitting, take a short ride on one of these local boats before continuing to the edge of the National Biodiversity Conservation Area (NBCA) at Na Hin town, where we stay for the night. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B, L, D)
Day 10 - Riverboat trip through the limestone mountains
Hike through the forest preserve to Tat Namsenam waterfall. Scramble on the rocks or enjoy a dip in the clear cold water before returning to Na Hin for lunch. After lunch, drive by Jumbo down to Nam Hin Boun river where we will board a long-tail riverboat to journey into the high limestone of Khammouane NBCA. The trip of several hours takes you through the Limestone Karst landscape of the NBCA. This area is home to monkeys, elephants, deer, bears and several species of large cat including clouded leopards and tigers. Stop along the way to enjoy the lovely views of the limestone and swim in the river before we continue on to the riverside village of Ban Na Kok where we will be accommodated by the village headman and his family. Here you will get a real taste of Lao village life. Enjoy meeting & playing with the charming children who will come from all over the village to have a look at the Westerners! Enjoy the rest of the day in the village, exploring, walking, or just relaxing. Dinner will be prepared by our guides to be eaten at the headman's house. (B, L, D)
Day 11 - Ban Na Kok - Tam Heup Cave - Ruins of Aran Ban Na Village
Spend the day exploring the area. NOTE: we reserve the right to decide at the last minute what the day's activities will be, as weather & water conditions will have a bearing on your safety. A likely routing for the day will run as follows: Walk or boat up a small tributary of the Nam Hin Boon to the mount of a limestone cave. This is an opportunity to get inside the virtually inaccessible jungle.Walk thru a kilometre-long cave - actually a tunnel from one side of this mountain to a secluded valley on the other side, where an ancient city once stood. Lunch will be cooked by our guides on the banks Heup Creek, the stream running through the cave. After lunch, explore the ruins of Aran. Largely overgrown by jungle, you will enjoy exploring the ruins among the huge rocket-fin trees. Return to enjoy a well-earned dinner at the headman's house. Following local tradition, villagers often make a Bai Sii blessing ceremony for travellers but this will depend on the season and the villagers' workload (during planting/harvest this may not be possible.) (B, L, D)
Day 12 - Riverboat to Song Hong - Tha Kaek - Nakorn Phanom
After breakfast, say our goodbyes/ farewells with the local village community before boarding our boat for the last leg of the River trip to Song Hong. Here we will stop for a picnic lunch and a swim from the riverbank. Our van will then meet you at the Song Hong boat landing and take you to Tha Kaek where we will spend the last few hours exploring by foot crossing the Mekong by ferry to Thailand and transfer to your hotel. (B, L, D)
Day 13 - Bangkok
After breakfast, you are free until your flight time we will transfer you to the airport for flight to your next destination. (B)
Small group departures of this itinerary run throughout the year and it can also be run as a tailor-made trip to suit your requirements.
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General program information: |
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Program open to: Everyone
What are the dates of this program: Small group departures of this itinerary run throughout the year and it can also be run as a tailor-made trip to suit your requirements.
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Cost or price of this program: |
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Please contact us for details.
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