Next door to Wat Pho is Thailand’s most famous landmark, The Grand Palace; the heart of old Bangkok and home of the famous Emerald Buddha. The Temple of The Emerald Buddha shares the grounds of The Grand Palace and was built by King Rama the First, the founder of Bangkok, as a monument to his reign. Behind the breathtaking, opulent buildings and courtyards lies a fascinating history, which will be revealed by our knowledgeable guide.

For lunch, enjoy Thai food at a local restaurant. The meal ends with sarim, a delicious dessert made with vermicelli and coconut milk.

Next, go to one of the best food markets in Bangkok. Aor Tor Kor Market has a wide variety of interesting foods, snacks and agricultural products for you to buy and try.

Dinner this evening is at the famous ‘Cabbages and Condoms’ Restaurant, which was established to help support the Population and Development Association of Thailand, a non-profit organization which works to promote better understanding and acceptance of family planning.

Continue to delightful Tha Kha, a genuine floating market where local traders can be seen selling their wares (The Tha Kha market is held every Saturday and Sunday.  Weekday availability is 5-6 times a month depending on the lunar cycle calendar. On days when Tha Kha is not open, we will head to Ladplee Floating Market). After visiting the market we’ll hop into a paddleboat for a trip along a maze of klongs (canals), cruising past Buddhist temples before stopping at a Thai family home to sample a glass of palm sugar syrup, a delicacy of the area.   

Take lunch nearby at a local restaurant where an array of Thai dishes will be served, before proceeding to King Rama II Memorial Park; built to commemorate the birthplace of the second King of the Chakri dynasty, which still rules Thailand today. Next we’ll see a Thai-style pavilion museum with artefacts from the early Siam era (1782 – 1932) and a landscaped garden filled with native flowers. Head back to Bangkok in the afternoon.

In the evening, go to the famous ‘Thip Samai’ Restaurant, which has been serving pad thai, the classic Thai fried noodle dish for over 60 years. Continue to Bangkok’s Chinatown or ‘Yaowarat’, as it is known. This colourful, bustling area boasts a huge selection of eateries; from high class restaurants selling exotic Chinese delicacies, to small street stalls specialising in single desserts.

Leave the elephant camp for the Mae Ping River, where you’ll ride a bamboo raft, following the lazy current of the winding river as you pass its lush jungle riverbanks.

Lunch is at a scenic location, before you continue further into the hills to visit the villages of the Palaung, Akha and Lisu hill-tribes. These mountain people retain a different culture, language and way-of life unique to each and every group. Their traditional dress is also different, and you will learn how to distinguish different tribes from their dress.

In the afternoon return you to your hotel, where the rest of your day is free.

A traditional ‘Khantoke’ dinner will be served this evening (Toke are small, circular tables). Enjoy excellent Northern Thai cuisine whilst watching a performance of folk dancing. After dinner, launch a paper lantern, or khom loy, in a traditional Northern Thai ritual. The belief is that as you launch it into the cool Northern sky, it will take any misfortunes away with it.

Afterwards, we drive through the mountains to an Oolong Tea plantation, for which this area is famous. The plantation represents part of the Thai Royal Family’s efforts to eradicate opium production and to replace it with safer crops.

Continue to the charming Yunnanese town of Doi Mae Salong. The town was established in the 1960’s by member of the Chinese army after their civil war, and it retains a very Chinese look and atmosphere.