Economical Thailand

Spend today getting to know Bangkok - the City of Angels. The most important places of interest are easily reached by taxi or express boat, along the Chao Praya River. The many temples, shops, pagodas and the street life make every day exciting in Bangkok. There is so much to see that it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few handy hints to really get your Thailand budget itinerary going...

Start off with a visit to the Grand Palace, a large temple/ palace complex and the residence of the adored Thai King Bhumibol. Continue your sight-seeing tour at the Buddhist temple of Wat Arun on the Chao Praya River and then visit the narrow winding streets of dazzling Chinatown. Buy a bowl of Chinese noodles and watch the world go by. There are plenty of shopping opportunities in Bangkok; there's an abundance of silk, jewellery and clothing. If you're still a little stiff from the flight, you can drop in at the School of Massage, near Wat Po (the reclining Buddha). Try the herbal massage. After being thoroughly kneaded until every single muscle in your body is relaxed, you'll be softly pummeled with various bundles of herbs. This will certainly get your Thailand budget itinerary off to a very laidback start.

You'll make an early start this morning for the next stage of your budget Thailand itinerary. After a bite of breakfast, you’ll be collected by air-conditioned minibus and you'll head for the River Kwai with your English-speaking guide. On the way, you'll stop for an hour at the famous floating market to watch the rowdy traders in action. After this, you'll travel to the famous ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’. Here, you'll start your train journey over the remaining stretch of the infamous Burma Death Railway. The best way to enjoy the view is to have a seat on the left side of the train. The train will take you across a spectacular overpass that is made from original building materials (wood).

On arrival at the small station, a tasty lunch will be served and you'll step into a longtail boat. This boat will drift along the River Kwai, deep into the thick evergreen jungle. Just 40mins later, you'll arrive at your floating bamboo bungalow on the river. You'll have your own room with a swimming jetty and ladder and a hammock. There's no electricity, and you'll eat an ambient dinner by the light of flickering oil lamps. Seated at long tables, you'll share the meal with your fellow travellers with in the background a chorus of jungle sounds. 

After a night in the jungle, you'll travel back along the river, reaching the fairytale Erawan Waterfalls an hour later (400 Baht, approx £8 entrance fee paid locally). The waterfall cascades over seven different levels, with a total height of 1500m. You'll reach the top of the falls, depending upon your walking speed, in about 1½ hour. Your efforts will be rewarded when you reach your enchanting destination. You'll see sparkling waterpools in light blue basins against a backdrop of limestone rocks. You'll have about 3 hours to wander around or to take a plunge in the pool, a real highlight of our Thailand budget itinerary.

The guide will then drop you off at your hotel in Kanchanburi, which has a swimming pool overlooking the river in case you fancy a dip. There are no other activities planned for today. You can either stay at your hotel and relax, or if you want to get out and about take a 10min tuk-tuk ride to the centre of the provincial city of Kanchanaburi.

This morning you'll need to pack the things you'll need for the next two days of the trek. You'll return to the same hotel after the trek, so you can leave any but the essentials behind at the hotel. Sometime between 8:30 and 9:00 a pick-up truck will take you to the forestry elephant training camp north of Chiang Mai. This is where gentle grey giants are trained to be dependable professional working animals. On route to the camp you'll notice how the landscape turns more rural and green. On route you'll stop off at a local market. As your guide stocks up on some last-minute supplies, you'll have some time to browse through the unusual variety of products sold here. As the road continues through the mountains, you'll reach a point where you can only continue on foot. This first part of the trek lasts for about 2 to 3 hours and is reasonably steep as you hike up to the village of the Palong. The women here wear very colourful clothing and many large pieces of jewellery. Your guide will prepare a delicious meal this evening and you'll spend the night as a guest at the home of the homes in the village. You'll sleep on a mat on a bamboo floor in a simple traditional wooden hut, just like the villagers. A mosquito net is provided, so you won’t need to bring your own.

Today, you'll wake to the sound of cocks crowing and the sound of pigs foraging around the huts. The free-range chicks may have laid an egg or two for you to eat. After a lovely breakfast, you can take a walk through the village and take a look at the handmade crafts presented by the villagers. Then it's time for your elephant trek through the jungle, valleys and rivers. These magnificent creatures carefully navigate their way up and down steep paths. Perched on top of their backs, you'll have an amazing view of the landscape. Just hold on tight if an elephant stops for a drink at a pool of water. You'll be taken to a riverside camp where bamboo rafts will be made for you. Once they're ready you'll hop aboard a bamboo raft, and as the helmsman pushes off with a long piece of bamboo to steer with, you'll gently meander downstream. On the way back to Chiang Mai you'll stop off at an orchid farm. You'll be back in Chiang Mai around 16:00.

Avid adventurers can choose to do a 3-day trek instead of a 2-day trek. The 3-day trek will take you even deeper into the jungle and you'll spend an extra night at the hill tribe.

Today you'll have all the time you need to recover from your trek. Chances are your muscles may feel a bit stiff, so we don't recommend any bike tours or other intense activities for today. We do however recommend spending the day at a Thai cookery course. It'll take several hours to complete. You'll head out to the market with the cook to buy the necessary ingredients and then you'll learn how to prepare a wonderful Thai meal. Of course you get the delicious meal that you yourself prepared. Just pop into our local agent’s office if this sounds like something you’d like to do.

Otherwise, just relax with a day in town, or by the pool. Late afternoon, you can make your way to the railway station. After stocking up on a few snacks for the trip, your Thailand Budget itinerary continues south to Ayutthaya on the overnight sleeper train that leaves at 16:30.

You will have a little more free time this morning to explore the evocative temples of Ayutthaya. We considered Wat Chai Wattanaram the most beautiful of all the temples. It's quite a walk to get there, so it's better to hire a bike or to take a river taxi to get there. Don't forget a hat or cap and bring along enough water, there aren't any restaurants nearby. At around 14:00 you'll collect your luggage from the hotel and you'll travel to Bangkok using the instructions our agent gave you. Keep a close eye on the time schedule provided by our agent, so that you reach the railway station on time. We'll arrange your comfortable second-class couchette aboard the air conditioned sleeper train down to Surat Thani, the gateway to the tropical islands of the south where you'll catch a ferry to Ko Pha Ngan.

We recommend doing as little as possible during your stay on Ko Pha Ngan. The only choices you should have to make are what colour bikini or bathing trunks you should wear and what type of fish you want to eat for dinner.

Take a dip into the clear blue sea and enjoy the warmth of the radiant sunshine. The average sea water temperature is about 25 degrees Celcius or for a more refreshing plunge, hop into the swimming pool. The most strenuous activity you should plan on during the next few days is a walk on the beach or rocking yourself in a hammock between two palm trees. What can be more inviting than gently swaying in the breeze with the sound of the surf in the background?

All good things must come to an end, and so does this Thailand budget itinerary. We'll arrange ferry tickets for your voyage back to the mainland in the afternoon. From here you'll board the overnight sleeper train at the railway station. If you would prefer flying from Ko Samui to Bangkok, just let us know and we'll give you more information on the surcharge.  

You'll arrive back in Bangkok the following morning. Since most flights to the UK leave Bangkok mid to late afternoon you'll have plenty of time to do some last minute shopping in Bangkok. On Thursdays you can shop for souvenirs at the Chatuchak market and otherwise you can make one last shopping run at the department stores at Siam Square and Mabunkhrong in the centre of Bangkok. In the evening you'll fly back to the UK, where you'll arrive the following morning. If you would like to have a place of your own to retreat to during the day, we can arrange a day room for you - just contact us for more information.