Thailand and the Temples of Angkor

Arrive in Bangkok, Thailand’s fast-moving capital, where street life, bold flavors and grand temples sit side by side. Transfer to the Pullman Bangkok G, your hotel and Stays with Stories experience. Later, join your fellow travelers for dinner at the hotel, a relaxed first introduction to the group and the journey ahead.

Start your day your way. Early risers can Dive into Culture in Lumpini Park, taking part in a Tai Chi lesson alongside locals who come here to begin their day. Continue to the Grand Palace, the former royal residence and one of Thailand’s most important landmarks, then step inside Wat Phra Kaew, home to the revered Emerald Buddha. Trade the coach for a tuk tuk ride through the city’s busy streets to Wat Pho, where Thailand’s first public university and the Reclining Buddha reveal another layer of Bangkok’s cultural and spiritual heritage. Later, perhaps join an Optional Experience to visit Jim Thompson House, before choosing an evening Optional Experience, either a dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River or a tuk tuk ride through Bangkok after dark.

Today’s discoveries reveal different sides of Thailand, from canal trade and local food traditions to places shaped by wartime history. Visit Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, where traders sell fruit, vegetables and local goods from boats along the canals, then stop at a coconut palm sugar plantation to see how sap is collected and turned into sugar. Later, visit the famous Bridge over the River Kwai and take a train ride along the historic Death Railway, a route built during World War II, with the opportunity to walk along the wooden viaduct before dinner at your hotel.

Today, visit Hellfire Pass and the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, where the story of the Thai-Burma Railway is told through the experiences of the Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers who worked here during World War II. This afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure, with time to relax at your hotel or perhaps join an Optional Experience to Erawan Falls, a seven-tier limestone waterfall in Erawan National Park. Later, come together again for dinner at your hotel.

Explore Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where temple ruins, royal landmarks and museum collections reveal the scale of the ancient city. Visit Wat Sri Sanphet, Wat Yai Chaimongkhol and Wat Mahathat, home to the iconic Buddha head entwined in tree roots, before continuing to the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum and Bang Pa-In Royal Palace. This evening, enjoy dinner aboard a traditional rice barge as you cruise past Ayutthaya’s heritage sites.

Board a train to Phitsanulok, traveling through the rice fields, small towns and open farmland of Thailand’s central plains on the route north. Continue to Sukhothai, where the rest of the day is yours to explore as you please. You may choose to join an Optional Experience to visit a local family and make your own amulet, learning more about the beliefs that give these objects their place in Thai life. This evening, another Optional Experience offers the chance to explore Sukhothai’s night market, where regional dishes, traditional noodles and handmade local products reveal a more local side of the city.

Gain insights into a powerful kingdom that enjoyed its golden age during the 13th and 14th centuries and shaped modern Thailand as we know it today. Start the day with a visit to the UNESCO-listed Sukhothai Historical Park which reveals thousands of years of history and a 15-meter seated Buddha secreted within its walls. Your choice of exploring will see you engage with the historic complex by bicycle or on the internal tram. This afternoon, visit the home of a local family and learn how to make amulets which are thought to protect the owner from harm.

Travel on to Chiang Mai, the former capital of the Lanna Kingdom, stopping in Lampang to visit Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, one of northern Thailand’s most important temples. Later, join your hosts in Ban Thi for a Be My Guest experience featuring seasonal northern Thai dishes and insight into the local community and the heritage of the Thai Lue tribe. This evening, after arriving in Chiang Mai, you may wish to explore the city’s famous Sunday Night Market with your Travel Director.

This morning, visit Elephant Nature Park Sanctuary for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with rescued elephants in a no-riding environment. You’ll learn more about their care and spend time watching them in their natural surroundings before sitting down to a vegan buffet lunch. Back in Chiang Mai, the rest of the day is yours to explore at leisure, or perhaps choose an Optional Experience to Mae Rim, where a Hmong hilltribe village and Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden reveal another side of northern Thailand.

A quieter side of Chiang Mai awaits today as you visit Wat Suan Dok, Dive into Culture as you meet a monk to learn more about Buddhist traditions. Continue to San Kamphaeng District, known for its handicrafts, with time to shop for locally made souvenirs. Return to your hotel before spending the afternoon as you please, or perhaps choose an Optional Experience for a traditional Thai massage. Later, head to Doi Suthep to experience evening monk chants. Come together for your final dinner at Deck One on the banks of the Ping River, a chance to reflect on the journey you’ve shared through Thailand.

Transfer to the airport for the short international flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia via Bangkok. On arrival you will meet your local Cambodian Travel Director. The rest of your day is at leisure.

Today, walk through a pyramid-shaped gateway into an ancient world. Serene stone faces watch as you cross the causeway suspended over a moat into the spiritual heart of the ancient lost city of Angkor. Be amazed by the sheer size, you’ll be memorised by the intricate carvings and murals of celestial nymphs and mythical serpents along the abandoned hallways of Angkor Wat. Your next stop is the terracotta-hued walls of Banteay Srei Temple – the “Citadel of Women” dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. You will have time to admire the 10th-century carvings of women, said to have been too delicate to have been carved by a man, hence the name. Finishing with a visit to Krabei Riel local village you will have a chance to walk and talk with the villagers who are always keen to share their smiles with you. Learn some of their traditional skills such as palm leaf weaving, your time will be spent truly engaging in a real-life Cambodian Village MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Later, enjoy the best of Cambodian cuisine and be entertained by a traditional Apsara dance performance.

Start at Angkor Thom, exploring the Terrace of Elephants, the Royal Enclosure, and Bayon Temple’s smiling faces of Buddha. Next, wander Ta Prohm, its mossy ruins you may recognize from the film ‘Tomb Raider’. Under the canopy, you’ll discover towers, courtyards and stone carvings hidden among the foliage. Visit Artisans d'Angkor this afternoon, supporting Khmer craftsmanship in silk making and wood carving. You’ll join a private blessing at Wat Damnak where a sacred thread is tied around your wrist as protection from evil spirits. End your day with an Optional Experience to join a sunset boat cruise on Tonlé Sap Lake.

As your journey through Vietnam comes to an end, a shuttle service to the airport has been arranged to ensure a smooth departure for your onward flight.