Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrival in Bangkok
You'll land at Bangkok airport where someone meets you and takes you to your hotel. After checking in, the rest of the day is yours to relax and get settled. You're staying overnight in Bangkok.
- Day 2
Bangkok to Khao Yai
Following breakfast, head out toward Khao Yai but first stop at the fruit market in Klang Don to see what locals grow and sell. Then you'll enter Khao Yai National Park, Thailand's first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The walk takes you along the Haew Su Wat waterfall trail where you can see the park's natural features. Grab lunch whenever works for you. Sleep overnight in Khao Yai.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Klang Don fruit market
- Visit Khao Yai National Park
- Haew Su Wat waterfall trail walk
Landmarks/POIs Khao Yai National Park Haew Su Wat Waterfall - Day 3
Khao Yai to Korat
After eating breakfast, travel north to Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) and break up the drive with a stop at Dan Kwian pottery village. Once in Korat, take a city tour that includes the memorial honoring Thao Suranari (Lady Mo), who resisted a Laotian invasion. Lunch is on your own schedule. In the afternoon, check out the Ban Prasat archaeological site, the Phimai historical area with its Prasat Hin temple, and Sai Ngam where a massive ficus tree stands. Head back to Korat for some free time. Stay overnight in Korat.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Dan Kwian pottery village
- Nakhon Ratchasima city tour
- Visit Thao Suranari (Lady Mo) memorial
- Visit Ban Prasat archaeological site
- Visit Phimai historical site and Prasat Hin temple
- Visit Sai Ngam and giant ficus
Landmarks/POIs Dan Kwian Pottery Village Thao Suranari Memorial Ban Prasat Archaeological Site Phimai Historical Park Prasat Hin Sai Ngam - Day 4
Korat to Surin
Head to Buriram to see Prasat Phanom Rung, one of Thailand's best-kept Khmer temples that you reach by climbing a large staircase. From there, go to Muang Tham, another Khmer site beside an artificial lake with two laterite walls, detailed lintels, brick towers, libraries, and a central prang. Take lunch on your own, then continue to Surin. Visit the national museum there which covers regional history from prehistoric times and includes information about Khmer, Suay, and Lao peoples. Overnight in Surin.
Included Activities
- Visit Prasat Phanom Rung temple
- Visit Muang Tham Khmer site
- Visit Surin national museum
Landmarks/POIs Prasat Phanom Rung Muang Tham Surin National Museum - Day 5
Surin to Kong Jiam
After breakfast, visit Ban Khwao Sinarin village and the Khmer Sikhoraphum temple. Stop at Ban Sam Kho, a traditional village where silk fabrics (Pha Mai) are made in most of the stilt houses. See Sikhoraphum temple with its 5 towers and central chedi. Then go to Kamphaeng Yai, an 11th-century Khmer site containing 6 buildings with sculptures of the Hindu gods Shiva and Vishnu. Have lunch whenever suits you. Later, head to Kong Jiam, which sits on the Mekong River. Overnight in Kong Jiam.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Ban Khwao Sinarin village
- Visit Khmer Sikhoraphum temple
- Visit Ban Sam Kho village
- Visit Sikhoraphum temple
- Visit Kamphaeng Yai Khmer site
Optional Activities
- Purchase Thai silk (Pha Mai) directly from producers in Ban Sam Kho village
Landmarks/POIs Ban Khwao Sinarin Khmer Sikhoraphum Temple Ban Sam Kho Village Sikhoraphum Temple Kamphaeng Yai Mekong River - Day 6
Kong Jiam to Nakhon Phanom
From breakfast, travel to Mukdahan, a border town across from Laos, and walk through its colorful market selling Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese goods. After lunch, move on to Nakhon Phanom and visit Wat Phra That Phanom, an important regional temple built in Laotian style. Stop at Ban Na Chok village where Ho Chi Minh stayed from 1923 to 1929. Pull in to Nakhon Phanom and settle into your hotel right along the Mekong River.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Mukdahan market
- Visit Wat Phra That Phanom temple
- Visit Ban Na Chok village
Optional Activities
- Try local cuisine including rice rat curry, red ant eggs, cobra curry, monitor lizard curry, or fried insects
Landmarks/POIs Mukdahan Market Wat Phra That Phanom Ban Na Chok Village - Day 7
Nakhon Phanom to Udon Thani
After breakfast, travel to Sakhon Nakhon where a monk performs a sacred thread ceremony, tying a thread around your wrist as a blessing. Visit Ban Chiang, a traditional pottery and weaving village and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, where pottery and bronze items go back over 3,500 years. Check out bamboo weaving at Dong Yen Village and pottery painting at Baan Pulu. Eat lunch along the way. Later, head to Talay Bua Daeng (Red Lotus Sea), a lake covered with red lotus blooms from December through February, and take a boat across it. End the day in Udon Thani.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Sacred thread ceremony in Sakhon Nakhon
- Visit Ban Chiang traditional pottery and weaving village
- Visit Dong Yen Village bamboo weaving
- Visit Baan Pulu pottery painting
- Boat trip on Talay Bua Daeng lake
Landmarks/POIs Ban Chiang Dong Yen Village Baan Pulu Talay Bua Daeng - Day 8
Udon Thani to Bangkok (Departure)
Have breakfast and then visit an orchid farm where the owner created the Udon Sunshine orchid variety back in 1977. Head to Nong Khai, a small border town near Laos. Walk through Sala Kaew Ku, a park filled with sculptures based on Buddhism and Hindu figures, with some standing 25 meters tall. Spend time at Tha Sadet market picking through products and crafts from across Indochina. In the afternoon, return to Udon Thani to catch your flight back to Bangkok.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Orchids farm
- Visit Sala Kaew Ku sculpture park
- Visit Tha Sadet market
Landmarks/POIs Sala Kaew Ku Tha Sadet Market
