Chiang Mai to Bangkok Tour via Kanchanaburi – 5 Days / 4 Nights

After breakfast you leave your hotel in Chiang Mai and start the journey south, on a route that mixes hill country with the roots of Thai history.

The first stop takes you into Lampang province for Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, a hidden gem set on a mountain top, striking for the refinement of its design. At the head of the monumental staircase stands the Big Green Buddha, an emerald-coloured figure that looks out over the valley from one of the finest viewpoints in the north.

After a stop for lunch at a local restaurant you carry on to Sukhothai, arriving in the afternoon to explore its Historical Park (UNESCO). You walk the ruins of the first capital of Siam, among the remains of royal palaces and famous temples ringed by lotus ponds: a journey back in time, past great stone Buddhas that mark the beginning of Thai art. You can visit on foot, by bicycle, on the local tram or, for a supplement, by golf cart to move easily between the ruins.

At the end of the visit, transfer to your hotel and overnight in Sukhothai.

After breakfast you meet your guide and driver and set off towards Bangkok. The first stop of the day is the remarkable Wat Chantaram (Wat Tha Sung), in Uthai Thani province, famous for its Crystal Hall: mirrors and reflecting mosaics cover every surface, and the light bouncing between them turns the room into something close to a dream.

Soon after you reach Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam and a UNESCO World Heritage site. After a stop for lunch you go into the heart of the Historical Park to see Wat Sri Sanphet, the royal temple with its three iconic stupas, and the nearby Wat Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, which holds one of the largest bronze Buddhas in Thailand. You carry on to the famous Wat Mahathat, where the Buddha head sits held in the roots of a banyan tree, the single image most associated with this city. The day closes with an hour-long boat ride on the waterways that ring the historic island: from the water you watch the great Wat Chaiwatthanaram at sunset, the ruins lit by the last of the light.

Final transfer to your hotel in Ayutthaya for the night.

After breakfast, at about 06:45, you meet your guide and private driver and set off for Kanchanaburi province. The first stop is the legendary bridge over the River Kwai, a symbol of the Second World War made famous by the film that won seven Academy Awards. You then board the train for one of the finest stretches of the historic Death Railway, with wide views between the rock walls, the wooden trestles and the river below. At Tam Krasae station you visit the cave that holds several Buddha images, a place of prayer and shelter for the prisoners during the building of the line. After lunch at a local restaurant you carry on to Hellfire Pass, the hardest section of the entire railway, where Allied prisoners of war and Asian labourers cut a deep passage through solid rock by hand, working day and night by torchlight: it was those flames in the dark that gave the place its name. A memorial path leads down into the cutting, past information panels and a silence that asks for a moment of thought.

At the end of the visits, transfer to your hotel in Kanchanaburi: a characterful place looking onto the River Kwai, the right setting to close the day. Overnight.

After breakfast you head into Erawan National Park, a large ecosystem that is home to remarkable wildlife, from gibbons to wild elephants. The park is famous for its seven-tier waterfall, whose shape recalls Erawan, the mythical three-headed white elephant. Each drop forms an emerald pool where you can take a cooling swim, and for the more energetic a path of about 2 km climbs from level to level to the top, through thick forest.

After the included lunch at a local restaurant you begin the drive back to Bangkok. On the way you stop at Wat Tham Suea, the Tiger Cave Temple. Standing in a commanding position, it offers one of the widest views in the region, with its great gilded statues rising above the surrounding rice fields.

At the end of the visit you carry on by private vehicle to Bangkok. Arrival at the hotel in the late afternoon and overnight.

After breakfast and check-out the time is yours, for a rest or for whatever you feel like doing. At the agreed hour you meet your driver for the transfer to the airport and the flight on to your next destination.