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BANGKOK AND THE WHOLE EXTREME NORTH OF THAILAND
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Why book with NS Travel?
We are located in -
BANGKOK AND THE WHOLE EXTREME NORTH OF THAILAND
This 11 day PACKAGE combines BANGKOK and northern THAILAND. Ideal for a HOLIDAY in THAILAND with nature, landscapes, history and culture. During this stay AYUTTHAYA, CHIANG RAI, CHIANG MAI and MAE HONG SON will be visited.
We have carefully selected the most interesting, illustrative and breathtaking sites of the 3 northern provinces of THAILAND and we have made out of this a unique program, highly cultural and punctuated with comfortable stopovers. We continuously bring you off the beaten tracks, so that you can access the most outstanding places where mass tourists never go… The kind of places not standing on programs for groups, since these places are not accessible by coach.
We always switch from landscapes to history in order not to fall into monotony. We have created a varied program where nature, culture and history (ancient or modern) combine. You will see sites that made news in the years 60 and 70, spots related to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Vietnam War, traffic of heroin, repression in Burma, etc. We have made an surprising program, varied, comfortable, visual and light… We really want each guest of us to learn something through our programs, but also to get a lot of pleasure.
We make each stopover as enjoyable as possible. We thus limit each day distance so that your journey doesn’t become a marathon. Days of visits never start too early or end too late. All the hotels selected are comfortable houses provided with swimming pool and we care so that you have time to enjoy their infrastructure. Diners are foreseen when you overnight in the countryside, but evenings you spend in towns are totally at leisure, so that you can discover them by your own. We remain though ready to help you if you need us to give you some advices.
Well, you all understand that the journeys we prepare are at the antipodes of those proposed by mass tourism operators. We always bear in mind that you entrust us with the preparation of your holiday and we know how important your holiday is. This is why we want to make your holiday a unique moment… A moment of true happiness
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PROGRAM
DAY 1:
Meals: -
Meet and greet at your arrival in Bangkok airport by your English speaking guide – Transfer by a/c private vehicle to your hotel – Rest of the day at leisure (program of optional visits possible on single request) – Evening at leisure - Overnight.
DAY 2:
Meals: B / L / –
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits, with a private a/c vehicle. You will leave quite early this morning to discover the famous floating market of Damnoen Saduak… An early morning visit to this Thai cultural icon is indispensable…
Who has never seen a picture of the colorful ‘Damnoen Saduak’ floating market? Little pirogues overloaded with fruits, vegetables and orchids, or thousand of Thai delicacies, snaking slowly, one against the other, on overcrowded canals. Serene Thai women gently paddling with graceful and slow motions, making smoothly their way to the banks where they will sell their goods.
One can of course regard it as a showy ‘cliché’ reflecting a poor attraction for gulls. No way… If you have never come to Bangkok before, this excursion remains certainly a must…
Back to Bangkok, you will be served your lunch in a local restaurant before discovering the historical highlights of Thai capital… You will first discover the Grand Palace and the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha… This highly venerated site illustrates perfectly the high cultural level Siam had reached during the eighteenth century, and how skillful Siamese artists were in that time.
The cloister of the prestigious temple shelters an impressive mural depicting the whole story of Indian epic ‘RAMAYANA’ (Thai version RAMAKIEN).
This very complete visit of this magnificent realm is followed by a visit to the Temple of Reclining Buddha. The main chapel of this temple shelters an impressive reclining statue of Buddha, measuring more than 30 meters long and covered by golden leaves and representing a state of nirvana beatitude.
We will drop you at your hotel by end of the day. Up to you to enjoy the swimming pool, relax in your room or carry discovering Bangkok by own
Evening at leisure - Overnight.
DAY 3:
Meals: B / L / D
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will leave Bangkok to discover the last capital of Siam: Ayutthaya (UNESCO)
Ayutthaya (about 100 km north of Bangkok) was the last capital of Siam. Before being sacked by Burmese army (at the end of the 18 century), Ayutthaya was a glorious city, the most important in South East Asia. During its Golden Age, (17 century), Ayutthaya had even diplomatic and commercial relations with some important kingdoms like Japan, Portugal or France. Louis the Fourteenth welcomed ambassadors of Siam in Versailles, whilst French envoys settled down in Ayutthaya.
On the way to Ayutthaya, you will stop at the ‘Summer Royal Residence’ in Bang Pa In and will admire some of the original pavilions forming this rich architectural compound. You will also have a glimpse on an unusual ‘Neo Gothic’ Buddhist temple built under king Rama V and widely inspired by Portuguese style. After this first visit, you will push forward to Ayutthaya, where your lunch will be served in a local restaurant.
After lunch, you will admire the ruins of the main temples and chedis of Ayutthaya. At the end of this day, we will drop you at Bangkok airport, so that you can embark on an evening direct flight to Chiangrai (About 1h20 flying)
At the arrival at Chiangrai Airport, you will be welcomed by your English speaking guide – Transfer by a/c private vehicle to your hotel – A buffet dinner will be served at the hotel – End evening at leisure - Overnight.
DAY 4:
Meals: B / L / -
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will take the road to Mae Sai and Tachileik… This city is the first one located after Northern border, separating Thailand and Myanmar…
Small countryside town where life looks like frozen out of times or trends,,, You will discover an unknown world and might probably not meet many other western tourists.
Tachileik is synonimous of cultural confrontation, at any single corner, on the local markets, when meeting begging Buddhists monks wearing their superb red robe, or chatting with fortune tellers next to temples, watching farmers selling their goods… You will pass by a Shan ethnic village and will see numerous pupils wearing their traditional green sarong, etc.
During 2 or 3 hours, you will evolve at the opposite of modernity, in a city whose inhabitants haven’t been contaminated yet by over consumption. By the end of this outstanding incursion, you will be back to Thailand and will take the way to a mountain which is dear and meaningful to Thai people… Doi Tung
Immediately after your arrival at the top of Doi Tung, you will be served your lunch. After that, you will start discovering the site…
When opium was widely produced in the Golden Triangle, smugglers had widely deforested mountains as Doi Tung and seriously damaged nature in order to crop poppy. Ethnic minorities were treated as slaves by the smugglers and severely addict to opium…
As from 1986 a tiny but tenacious old woman: the Princess Mother Srinakarin (Mother of King Bhumibol), undertook the rehabilitation of the whole mountain. She literally turned this hell into a paradise.
Nowadays, Doi Tung has been reforested, poppy fields have been eradicated, smugglers have been ousted and the whole mountain has been turned in a real green model.
The story of this huge achievement is being told in the Hall of Inspiration. Healthy and prosperous ethnic communities live in harmony with their own environment and a superb botanical garden offers a unique setting for nature lovers.
At the end of this excursion, you will be dropped-off at your hotel and will have time to enjoy the swimming pool or to relax in your room, before freshening up and use the free shuttle minivan going to the local night market. Up to you to discover this colorful market or to organize your evening as you wish
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 5:
Meals: B / L / D
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will discover this morning the ruins of one among the oldest cities in Northern Thailand: Chiangsaen
Chiangsaen would have been built by a nephew of King Mengrai (the Founder of Chiangmai)… Later on, the city was completely destroyed by Siamese army for fear it would fall in hands of Burmese enemy… From this glorious past, ruins still stand up and the Fine Arts Department of Bangkok has restored actively many testimonies of the past.
But long before that, the city would have been a Chinese merchants’ counter along the Mekong, which was an important way to carrying goods from China to South East Asia… The walls of the city let imagine its trade function as well as its importance in the whole region.
When arriving in Chiangsaen, you will first discover the historical past of the city, ruins of its walls, ditches and temples… You will then embark on a long tailed boat and will sail up the Mekong River till a place called Sopruak… Sopruak at about 15 kilometers from Chiangsaen is the geographical point of the Golden Triangle. Here meet 3 countries, Thailand, Lao and Myanmar. The place is kitsch since local authorities have built a huge Buddha Statue, plus other unnecessary decorations dominating the Mekong… It is a place where to stop a short while, more to admire the river and the opposite bank on Laotian territory, than the place itself.
But the most impressive place you will go to in Sopruak is certainly the Ho Fi (Hall of Opium). This interactive and western look like museum is a must… Those visiting the region ought to stop and visit it. It tells us history of opium in the region as well as the role European have had in the Boxer War and the doomsday of Chinese Empire. It features superb collections and also explains interactively, as modern Western museums do, the impact of heroin on western countries, and reveals the importance it had in Siam trade…
At the end of these new discoveries, you wil be served your lunch in a local restaurant. After that, you will carry on your way back to Chiangrai. There you will enjoy the vivid local market where locals and ethnic populations flock to sell their goods. You will also discover the famous ‘white Temple’… This temple has no religious vocation whatsoever. It is actually an outstanding art work, amazing, superb and unusual… Outdoor sculptures as well as indoor frescos evoke human passions, attachments, distress, illusions of Human beings… This visit is surely another must for those staying in the region… After discovering Chiangrai highlights, you will be dropped-off at your hotel
Up to you to organize your evening as you wish… Either staying at the hotel and enjoying its facilities, or taking the shuttle minivan and hang around on the night market
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 6:
Meals: B / L / -
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will go this morning to the superb mountain Doi Mae Salong… Clung on Doi Mae Salong, this small village stretches itself along the crest of the mountain… It offers panoramic views all around, for its position dominates the region. It is the perfect spot for those willing to walk in nature, far from hassle and mass tourism.
History of Mae Salong is linked to opium and Kuomintang... When Mao Tse Tung conquered China in 1949, Chang Kai-Shek flew to Taiwan with men and goods. But about 12.000 nationalist soldiers stuck in Southern of Yunnan Province had no other way out than crossing Burmese border over and hiding in Shan State jungle.
In the early sixties, American army and CIA backed them with logistic, arms, planes, in several attempts to retake Yunnan from Mao’s army. After all attempts failed, both Americans and Taiwanese moved these soldiers back to Taiwan. But General Tuan Shi-Wen refused to give up his obstinate war against communism and moved with his troop from Burma to Mae Salong, that was (as most of the villages located in extreme North of Thailand) completely isolated and hardly reachable.
Without financial resources from Taiwan, Tuan and his men started producing opium on a large scale. These ex KMT soldiers turned into CIF (Chinese Irregular Forces) and under commandment of Tuan, Mae Salong became one of the biggest opium producing spot on earth.
Later in the 1980s, under the impulsion of King Bhummibol, the region started getting roads, and infrastructures and Mae Salong was no longer isolated… The royal projects were launched and following bilateral agreements between Thailand and Taiwan, tea trees were brought from Taiwan to the region in order to substitute poppy.
This excursion will bring you back on the steps of Kuomintang soldiers whose descendants are Mae Salong inhabitants. You will discover during this morning, gorgeous landscapes, tea plantations, ethnic minorities and an unknown but interesting page of modern History.
Your lunch will be served in Mae Salong. You will also have the opportunity to taste different teas produced here and to immerse in this Chinese presence still prevailing in the village… During the afternoon, you will take the road towards Chiangmai (via Tathon) and will reach Chiangmai by the end of the day.
You will have time to enjoy the installations and the swimming pool of your hotel, to relax in your room or to discover the evening life of city by yourself
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 7:
Meals: B / L / -
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will go this morning to the very animated Warorot Market in the very heart of Chiangmai Thousands of goods at display: Fresh or dry food, traditional indigo workers clothes, Species and the very fresh fragrance of flowers market next door. After this colorful page of local life, you will visit the oldest temples of the city. Some date from the 14 century and are not to miss whatsoever. You will see as well the remains of the city walls. Parts of this red bricks’ construction are still rather well conserved, but mainly the doors and the corner towers are still standing.
You will be served your lunch in a local restaurant, before continuing the discovery of the city. During the afternoon, you will take the road towards Doi Suthep… This mountain dominates Chiangmai and shelters the symbol of the city, the famous Wat Doi Suthep… One among the jewels of Thai heritage. This highly venerated temple enshrines a relic of the Lord Buddha. Its golden chedi is merely marvelous and the architecture of the whole compound is unique. The site is nestled amidst lush nature and overlooks the whole city from the Doi (mountain) Suthep.
The temple is accessible by a monumental stairway, decorated by two ‘Nagas’ or by cable car. A little handicraft market at the footsteps, contributes to the happy atmosphere of the holly place, mainly frequented by worshipers and pilgrims.
You will get down to town by end of the afternoon and will have time at leisure to enjoy the installations of your hotel, lay at the pool relax in room or pushing forward the discovery of Chiangmai by your own.
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 8:
Meals: B / L / D
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will leave Chiangmai this morning to discover the last province included in this program: Mae Hong Son.
Province Mae Hong Son is quite big and mainly covered by mountains and jungle. Mae Hong Son city is nothing else than a big village, like frozen in time, far from trends, currents, passage… You will pass by superb mountains, will admire scenic landscapes and will drive through villages where few or no tourists ever go. You will live a superb experience out of beaten tracks, in a genuine Thailand which is still completely preserved from mass tourism
After you leave Chiangmai by the South, you will turn right to Sanpatong and will head towards the superb Doi Inthanon National Park. You will cross part of this huge park and will then head towards Mae Jem, where you will lunch in a local restaurant. You wil hang around a bit in Mae Jem and will surely stop at the Wat Pa Daet… This local wooden temple has a chapel built on pillars and standing in the center of a ceremonial pond. You will then leave this charming village and will carry on your way towards Mae Hong Son that you will reach by end of the afternoon
At your arrival at the resort you overnight, you will have time to enjoy the swimming pool, relaxing in your room, discovering the superb garden or the beautiful and natural surroundings of the resort before freshening up and being served your bbq dinner served in the garden
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 9:
Meals: B / L / D
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will drive from the hotel up to the banks of River pai, where you will embark on a long tailed boat, to go in a village upstream, populated by a community Padaung (subdivision of the ethic Karen). You will visit the village and meet its inhabitants.
It is important to understand that Padaung Women (Known as Long Neck) do not wear rings around their neck or legs to amuse tourists passing by. It is also false to believe that Thais use this ethnic to lure tourists for their money.
Padaung were and still are persecuted by Burmese Army. Some made off Myanmar to shelter in Thailand where they seek protection as refugees. Behind help provided by Thai government, Padaung generate part of their incomes by selling their goods (mainly fabrics – Padaung are skilled weavers) on the local markets or to tourists coming to visit them
- How can we behave when visiting such a village?
- How to understand and respect their own culture and uses ?
- How can we help them ?
It is effectively important to consider that such a village is not a zoo and that our western model of civilization, our uses and habits are not a universal model, but the one peculiar to us… Hence, each individual has right to his/her own model and to his/her own differences
Therefore, once we arrive in such a place, let us not steal pictures, but ask for permission… Let us not pay back the pictures we shot with peanuts we have bought in a supermarket or with candies we have carried with from home or worse, with money… The best way to thank these people to welcome us in their village is to buy fabric they have made. By doing so, we show them that we care, we consider them not as a curious living been, but as equal, as merchant… Nothing will be more rewarding to them
By the end of this visit, you will come back to Mae Hong Son and will visit the outstanding Burmese style temples of the little town, as well as the local market. You will of course visit the superb Wat Jonklang and Wat Jongkam, standing on the banks of the pond located downtown. But you will also go up mountain, at the Wat Doi Kong Moo that towers over the whole valley.
Your lunch will be served in local restaurant before you take the road to Pai. On the way, if weather is good and time enough, you will halt at the caves of the region: Cave Tam Lod… This cave shelters a huge monumental gallery whose ceiling is covered by colonies of bats. The cave also hides small rooms where remains of coffins from old local civilizations lays abandoned on the floor. An underground river snakes the whole cave through and ends in an appreciated attraction, at the end of the cave, since the quantity of crawling catfishes awaiting visitors to throw them pieced of bread.
At your arrival in Pai, by end of the afternoon, you will have enough time to enjoy the unique facilities of your hotel. This one is the only one directly located in the territory of a National Park, sheltering hot spring waters sources. Public basins of hot spring water are spread out through the garden, but your room is provided with its own and private basin.
You will thus have time to enjoy this outstanding feature, before freshening-up and being served your dinner along the river, in the restaurant of the hotel. By end of the day, up to you to discover the local atmosphere of Pai
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 10:
Meals: B / L / -
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will escort you all along this last day of individual visits by private a/c vehicle. You will first discover the hamlet of Pai before taking the road back to Chiangmai. This last stretch will be punctuated by some short halts along the way in order to appreciate the landscapes or the local villages, with a longer stop to lunch.
By early afternoon, when approaching the remote outskirts of Chiangmai, you will stop in Mae Sa, where you will attend a show whose protagonists are elephants. You will watch their skills, strength and cleverness during a short and amusing show.
After this last halt, you will reach Chiangmai by the end of the day. You will have time to enjoy the installations and the swimming pool of your hotel, to relax in your room or to discover the evening life of city by yourself
End evening at leisure – Overnight
DAY 11:
Meals: B / - / -
After your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and will bid farewell. Up to you to extend your stay in Chiangmai by your own or to ask us to organize the end of your trip as follows:
- Either by additional visits and overnights in the province Chiangmai
- Or by a direct flight down to Southern Thailand and its unique beaches
And again, if you prefer to get down to Bangkok at the end of this program, we can amend it and cut off the last overnight so that you can travel by night train (sleeping car or simply take a plane at the end of day 10 instead of the morning of day 11
Consult us for any option
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CODE
|
PROGRAM / PERIOD
|
PRICES PER PERSON ( 1/11/2011 - 31/10/2012 ) |
||||||
|
JOINING |
1PAX |
2PAX |
3PAX |
4PAX |
5PAX |
6PAX |
||
|
NS.TH.BT-03 |
01/NOV/11 - 23/DEC/11 |
N/A |
O/R |
61180 |
48080 |
45770 |
41650 |
40670 |
|
NS.TH.BT-03 |
24/DEC/11 - 05/JAN/12 |
N/A |
O/R |
67330 |
52710 |
51910 |
46890 |
46810 |
|
NS.TH.BT-03 |
06/JAN/12 - 12/APR/12 |
N/A |
O/R |
61180 |
48080 |
45770 |
41650 |
40670 |
|
NS.TH.BT-03 |
13/APR/12 - 17/APR/12 |
N/A |
O/R |
67330 |
52710 |
51910 |
46890 |
46810 |
|
NS.TH.BT-03 |
18/APR/12 - 30/SEP/12 |
N/A |
O/R |
58480 |
46280 |
43070 |
39490 |
37970 |
|
NS.TH.BT-03 |
01/OCT/12 - 31/OCT/12 |
N/A |
O/R |
61180 |
48080 |
45770 |
41650 |
40670 |
|
INCLUDED |
EXCLUDED |
|
REMARKS * 20% discount is given to kids escorting parents (Below 12 years old and 120cm high) |
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