Thailand Unusual

Arrive at Bangkok International Airport where you’ll be warmly greeted and transferred to your hotel. The Thai capital, deeply connected with the Chakri dynasty, offers a fascinating mix of history and modern vibrancy. After check-in, enjoy free time to relax or explore the city on your own.

After breakfast, journey out of Bangkok with a stop at Klang Don fruit market, where colorful displays of seasonal produce line the stalls. Continue to Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its rich flora and fauna. Take a leisurely hike along the Haew Su Wat waterfall trail, surrounded by lush jungle. Later, transfer to your hotel in Khao Yai for check-in and rest.

Haew Narok Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

Today, head north toward Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). En route, stop at Dan Kwian pottery village known for its traditional ceramics. On arrival in Korat, visit the Thao Suranari Memorial, dedicated to Lady Mo, a heroine who defended the city in the 19th century. Continue to the Ban Prasat archaeological site, one of Thailand’s oldest settlements, before visiting the Phimai Historical Park to admire its Khmer-style Prasat Hin temples and the enchanting banyan tree grove of Sai Ngam. Return to Korat for the evening.

Travel to Buriram to explore the stunning Phanom Rung Khmer Sanctuary, perched on an extinct volcano and one of Thailand’s best-preserved Angkorian sites. A short drive away, visit Muang Tham temple, located near a man-made reservoir and known for its intricate lintels and symbolic Hindu carvings. In the afternoon, continue to Surin and stop at the Surin National Museum (closed Mondays & Tuesdays), which offers insights into the region’s ethnic diversity and long history.

Begin with a visit to Ban Khwao Sinarin, a weaving village where silk fabric is still hand-produced beneath traditional stilt houses. Continue to Sikhoraphum temple, with its five towers and central chedi, and the less-visited Kamphaeng Yai ruins, dating back to the 11th century. In the afternoon, travel east to Khong Jiam, a riverside town on the banks of the mighty Mekong River.

After breakfast, drive to Mukdahan, a lively border town with a colorful market trading goods from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Continue to Wat Phra That Phanom, one of the most sacred temples in the northeast, before visiting Ban Na Chok, the village where Ho Chi Minh lived in exile during the 1920s. Arrive in Nakhon Phanom, located along the Mekong, and check into your riverside hotel.

This morning, experience a traditional sacred thread ceremony at Sakhon Nakhon, where monks tie blessed threads around your wrist for protection and good fortune. Visit the UNESCO-listed Ban Chiang archaeological site, famous for its ancient pottery and bronze tools that reshaped Southeast Asian history. Later, explore bamboo weaving and pottery painting villages before transferring to Udon Thani. In the afternoon, enjoy a boat ride on the stunning Red Lotus Sea (Talay Bua Daeng), covered in floating blossoms from December to February.

After breakfast, visit an orchid farm where the rare Udon Sunshine variety was first cultivated. Continue to Nong Khai to see Sala Kaew Ku, a surreal sculpture park filled with towering Buddhist and Hindu-inspired statues. Before departure, stop at Tha Sadet Market, known for its Indochinese crafts and cross-border goods. Return to Udon Thani for your flight back to Bangkok, where your tour concludes.