The Classic Thailand Luxury Tour
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Cultures That Contrast and Surprise
No culture is monotone and Thailand truly celebrates the diversity of people and lifestyles. You'll listen to the tales of the Karen people as their brass neck rings glisten in the shade of a remote forest. You'll join monks on their mountaintop perch, understanding the beauty and poignance of their laconic ways. In some temples you unearth odes to Thailand's past, like classic Buddha images carved with an intricacy that's impossible to find today. In others, your senses are aroused by wafting incense and the enveloping ambiance of spirituality.
Each culture has its own story and each story has an endless array of chapters. This 12-day private Thailand tour connects you with the distinctive cultures, from hill tribes mostly unknown to the world to legends that live on in an ancient capital. Of course there will be plenty of great photo opportunities. But the experience is less about point-and-shoot and more about coming to understand the nuances of the world behind the smiles.
Iconic Destinations and Experiences
Contrasts are also firmly alive in Thailand's different destinations. Explore Bangkok and find charms hidden down the alleyways of yesteryear. Discover the splendor of remote jungle, where elephants bulldoze a path through the trees and indigenous lifestyles continue unchanged. Visit famous attractions in Thailand's cultural heart – Chiang Mai –then find the Old City's secrets with an expert local guide. Journey into the realm of the Siam Empire at Ayutthaya, where everything is left in an evocative state of ruin. And of course there's the beach, Krabi's revered landscape of white and turquoise enhanced by monkeys, caves, temples and limestone peaks.
Over the 12 days you also take in the iconic experiences. Join monks chanting at sunrise, learn the skills of a mahout elephant trainer, drift down the river on a boat cruise from Thailand's old capital to its new. We handpick the guides and tours that reflect the authenticity of these experiences, not the excesses of tourism. Rather than simply rush round temple after temple, these guides and tours help you take in the breadth of Thailand's experiences and iconicity. It's about uncovering something absolutely unique every time you step away from the hotel.
An Old-World Experience Wrapped in Contemporary Luxury
From the northern border with Myanmar to cities on the plains, the Chao Phraya River to the coastal vistas, this signature Thailand tour is permeated with something delectably old world. You're not exploring museum pieces, but living odes to the country's glorious past. Pulling it all together is the luxury of tomorrow. Hotels have been carefully selected using years of experience, providing the opulence bases to rest the legs and recount the experiences. Chauffeured transfers keep you clear of any city chaos. Personalized dining recommendations help you taste the true Thailand. Private tours ensure the experience can be customized at every moment.
On the surface, Thailand is definitely no longer a secret. But you'll find that the country's story can be told from so many different angles. By venturing beyond the fairytale postcards you discover a country that's has the rich imagination of the most surreal storyteller.
Thailand Luxury Travel Highlights and Exclusive Experiences
- Journey into the authenticity of Thailand with handpicked private tours and experiences, each selected through years of experience providing customized tours in Thailand.
- Explore the beautiful diversity of the country's cultures, from connections with remote hill tribes to sharing sunrise with monks on the mountaintop.
- Discover what lies beneath the glittering Bangkok skyline, expert guides taking you to both legendary sights and the capital's secrets.
- Connect with the stories of Northern Thailand, from the grandeur of Chiang Mai to riding elephants through dense forest.
- Celebrate the glory of Thailand's past with intimate tours through destinations like Chiang Rai and Ayutthaya, odes to the perfection that existed before Thailand became Thailand.
- Luxuriate on some of the world's finest beaches by completing the tour with three nights in Krabi, where monkeys and temple caves can provide an interlude to relaxing on the white sand.
Day by Day
Sparkling Early Discoveries in the Land of Smiles
Bangkok's streets dance with color and charm. Temples hide down the lanes of yesteryear while spiraling skyscrapers reveal the country's dreams of tomorrow. It's easy to get lost. And that can be part of the fun. Street traders send their atmospheric calls past pagodas, boats drift down the Chao Phraya River, and the aromas are quick to impress on the nostrils. There's an energy here and you're quickly wrapped up by it, feeling the pulse of a city that's big on surprise. Of course, Bangkok can also have the potential to baffle. An expert local guide greets you at the airport and helps you settle into the city, attuning you with the tips and tricks that make discovering the capital hassle free.
Grandeur and Glory in the Capital
Beneath Bangkok's skyline of glitterati comes a remarkable harmony. Legendary temples shimmer along the water, casting a soft glow towards the remains of palatial wooden architecture. An ambiance of serenity can be discovered just steps from the bustle of local markets, where the sizzle of traditional food arouses the senses. Contrasts fill every panorama. Yet there's a balance, the city stitched together by the grandeur and glory of yesteryear and tomorrow. Today's private tour tour delves into Bangkok's rich cultural fabric, encompassing legendary highlights like the Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace. It also explores the city's stitching, unraveling why and how Bangkok is able to present such harmony. Completing the day is a journey into the back alleys, a foodies tour that celebrates the decadent treats of the streets.
Enveloped by Charm and Culture in Bangkok and Chiang Rai
A resplendent temple, bathed in the warm light of sunrise. Bare-footed monks cast in a glow of tranquility. The golden spire of Wat Saket breathing energy into the day. Bangkok may be big and buzzing but it can also be an oasis of calm, especially when the guide leads you past the brass prayer bells of the Golden Mountain. Next it's Ratchanatdaram Temple, another splendid representation of enlightenment. The Thailand luxury tour keeps you away from the crowds and showcases the country at contrasting times of the day: this morning is all about soaking up the spirituality and serenity of a Buddhist heritage. After lunch you fly to Chiang Rai, a new guide introducing you to a city clad by the green tones of the jungle. Relax. Explore. Discover. Find a new side of Thailand to hold you captive.
Remote Tribes of Northern Thailand
Indigenous tribes are scattered across Northern Thailand and they make for inspiring encounters. It's not a point-and-shoot-the-camera experience. Today's tour leads you to villages mostly untouched by tourism, from the Akha from Tibet to those who arrived from old-world Burma. A smiling face of wrinkles, glowing beneath headgear that's dotted with jewelery. A village rising on stilts, blending into a backdrop of forest and mountain. You go beyond the stereotypes and discover how communication doesn't require a common verbal language. Thailand luxury travel brings handpicked five-star hotels and opulent experiences; yet there's also a rare luxury to connecting with tribes who are mostly unknown to the world. With this signature tour, you find that luxury is also in the exclusivity of the experience.
Onwards to Thailand's Cultural Heart
Remarkable temples line the road to Chiang Mai. Feast your eyes on the White Temple, an artistic ode to innovation that looks nothing like any of the other temples you'll find in Indochina. Other temples reveal the beautiful simplicity of local life, told through the smiles and equanimity of those that worship there. On today's journey to Chiang Mai you also visit a Karen hill tribe, those of the famous elongated necks and dazzling brass rings. The guide helps you uncover the stories found here, told beneath the scent of forest and crackling cooking wood. Arriving in Chiang Mai your handpicked hotel is nestled deep within the old city walls, along a pedestrianized lane that immerses you in the history of Thailand's cultural heart.
Legends of the Thai Jungle: An Immersive Day with Elephants
Elephants bulldoze paths through the jungle around Chiang Mai. They move with a deceptive grace, each footstep a reminder that giants can also be elegant. You spend the day at a pioneering elephant camp, discovering both the methods of conservation and the ancient skills of the mahout, elephant trainers and tenders. Learn the calls and guide your elephant into the trees, the path made fresh as trunks clear felled branches. Your first destination is the river, where bath time is imbued with the untamed ebullience of youthful memories. Spend an hour on an elephant and you're wowed by its size and grandeur. Spend a day with an elephant and you feel the connection with nature, uncovering the subtleties of what hides behind those epic ivory tusks.
Stories of a City Forgotten by Time
For many centuries the only way to Chiang Mai was be river or by elephant, torturous journeys that were measured in weeks, not days. Such isolation created a cultural preservation. Chiang Mai doesn't just look like the past. It feels like a distant era, from the robed monks who climb the steps of Doi Suthep to the exotic smells that swirl around Wat Suan Dok. Our Thailand private tours aren't just about showing the sights and this day in Chiang Mai is the epitome of the approach. A local guide helps you connect with the city of yesteryear, from tales etched into crumbling pagoda walls to conversations with monks on the mountaintop. And as you explore you find that while the city may be frozen in the past, its atmosphere lives on in the present. Later in the day you fly back to Bangkok for a luxurious night in a part of the city you haven't seen previously.
Redolent Ruins of Ancient Siam
Into the countryside, where the walls are softly crumbling yet the grandeur of the Siam Empire remains proud. Ayutthaya was Thailand's capital for over four centuries and its concentric spires continue to dominate the landscape, long after the 18th century takeover by the Burmese. Tree roots wrap themselves around a sculpted Buddha head, grandiose stone stands ruined yet unbowed, and monks' robes add a new tone to the ancient city's rainbow of red hues. Explore slowly, Thailand luxury travel all about the nuances that the guides help you uncover. After lunch you drift back to Bangkok, an iconic river cruise connecting the old capital with the new: it's now time to sit back and watch local life unfold along the banks.
Monkeys, Mountains, Karsts and Krabi
The white sand awaits, dreamy expanses of powder that luxuriate the feet after eight days of cultural exploration. But before drifting off into the serenity of Krabi you connect with the area's natural and cultural extravagance. Lost in the mountains you find Buddha icons, from those of intricate fingernail-sized gold to epic figures with pensive eyes. You follow the salubrious chanting of monks to a cave temple that provides refuge for hundreds of monkeys. Endless vistas await you from a mountain summit, but if the 1,272 steps sound too many then there are equally impressive panoramas from your decadent hotel in Krabi. Gazing out over soaring karsts and tranquil waters, today's accommodation is a celebration of Thailand luxury travel.
The Iconic Thailand Beach Escape
This classic Thailand tour connects you with cultures and icons, from the idiosyncrasies of hill tribes to the gilded pagodas that change color at sunset. With private guides you've unearthed the stories beneath the famous sights and the tales only found deep within the Land of Smiles. And now the country provides its famous hurrah, Krabi the archetype of Thailand's legendary coastal image. A private butler tends to your needs at the hotel and the surroundings provide seemingly endless options for languid days in the sun. These days are at your leisure and a driver is at your disposal, along with a small boat that can take you across the bays.
From one angle, Krabi's surroundings are the iconic postcard: a canopy of palms standing over the idyllic stretches of white and turquoise. But there's more here. Limestone pinnacles rise majestically, dense jungle branches reflect in the glassy water, echoed calls come courtesy of rumbustious monkeys. Krabi is a classic beach escape while also being a journey into the inspiration of nature, from fish that walk between the puddles of low tide, to the colors that merge diaphanously throughout the day. Kick off the shoes, forget about time, welcome to the atmosphere behind the postcard image.
Departure From Thailand
A final morning, a final sunrise from the balcony, a final chance to soak up the enchantment of the country behind the smiles. All our Thailand private tours include luxury chauffeured transfers and you're taken to the airport for your homebound flight. As the plane soars above the country you recount the stories and connect the chapters, finding the narrative that most reflects Thailand behind the postcards.
