Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Thailand: Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Khao Sok
14 days from Bangkok to the north and the Andaman coast: Ayutthaya on the way, the White Temple at opening, three nights in Chiang Mai, four in Krabi and a night on Cheow Lan Lake.
14 days · Round trip from Bangkok · up to 12 guests
Raft houses in Khao Sok National Park Photo: Marcin Kaliński marcinkalinski, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khao_Sok_National_Park,_Khlong_Sok,_Thailand_(Unsplash).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Bangkok
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking on temple grounds and old-town streets, 2 to 4 hours a day on foot in heat and humidity. About 300 steps at Doi Suthep, with a lift alongside. Two boat days in Krabi with swimming and snorkelling in calm water, and a rainforest walk of 2 to 3 hours on uneven, sometimes muddy trail at Khao Sok, which you can swap for a canoe on the river. Getting in and out of long-tail boats from beaches and floating decks. The longest road day is about four hours, broken by two temples and lunch.
- Meals included
- 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 870 (estimated price)
- Season
- November to February
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Grand Palace at opening, then a long-tail boat through the canals of Thonburi
- Two of Ayutthaya's temples, seen unhurried, on the way to the flight north
- The White Temple in Chiang Rai at its 8 am opening, then the Blue Temple
- A day at an elephant sanctuary with no riding, and a northern Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai
- The Hong Islands by boat from Ao Nang, with time in the water rather than a rushed hour
- Railay's Phra Nang Cave Beach in the morning, before the boats from Phuket and Phi Phi
- A rainforest walk along the Sok River, then a night on a raft house on Cheow Lan Lake
- A dusk boat safari among the limestone karsts, listening for gibbons and hornbills
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 870 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang airport to your hotel near the river
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), or Don Mueang (DMK) if you arrive on a regional flight, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the ride into the city, usually 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic.
Evening
Our hotel is in a walkable area near the Chao Phraya River and the old city, so the first evening needs no taxis. Plan to land by about 4 pm to make the briefing; the exact time comes with your final itinerary. If you arrive early, sleep, swim, or ride a river express boat a few stops to see the city from the water. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group and walks you through the fourteen days: temple dress, the three domestic flights and their bag allowance, what the raft house night on Cheow Lan Lake is like, and the small amount of cash worth carrying. Then we sit down to a welcome dinner of Thai dishes at a local restaurant. Keep the night short: the Grand Palace opens at 8:30.
Included
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK) airport
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Grand Palace, the canals and Chinatown
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho, a long-tail boat through Thonburi, then Wat Pariwat and Chinatown
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 1 h
We are at the Grand Palace for its 8:30 opening, ahead of most tour coaches, and go first to Wat Phra Kaew, the royal temple of the Emerald Buddha, while its courtyards are still quiet. Your guide reads the Ramakien murals around the cloister with you before we cross to the palace halls. Wat Pho is ten minutes' walk south: its reclining Buddha is 46 m long, with mother-of-pearl inlay on the soles of the feet. From Tha Tien pier a long-tail boat takes us across the river into the khlongs of Thonburi, past stilt houses, temple landings and canal-side shops, for about an hour on the water.
Afternoon
Lunch and the hottest hours are free. Late in the afternoon we drive south to Wat Pariwat, a neighbourhood temple whose ordination hall is crowded with modern stucco figures, among them a small gilded David Beckham.
Evening
As the light goes we walk into Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, where your guide orders a street-food dinner and explains each dish.
Included
- The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew at opening, with your guide
- Wat Pho and the reclining Buddha
- Long-tail boat through the Thonburi canals
- Wat Pariwat
- Street-food dinner in Chinatown (Yaowarat) with your guide
Optional experiences
- A Thai massage near Wat Pho in the free midday
Easier option: Skip Wat Pariwat and rest at the hotel until we meet for Chinatown.
Free time: Lunch and the hottest hours free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, in heat. Shoulders and knees must be covered at the Grand Palace.
Ayutthaya, then fly to Chiang Rai
Bangkok to Ayutthaya, then Don Mueang airport and a flight to Chiang Rai
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chiang Rai
- Drive about 3 h
We leave at 8 am and reach Ayutthaya, about 80 km north, at around 9:30. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam from 1351 until the Burmese army sacked it in 1767, and its ruins have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. We see two sites properly rather than four in a rush. Your guide starts at Wat Mahathat, where a sandstone Buddha head sits wrapped in the roots of a fig tree, and tells the story of the city's fall among its broken chedis. Then we cross to Wat Chai Watthanaram on the west bank of the river, whose central prang looks back to the temples of Angkor.
Afternoon
Lunch is grilled river prawns, the town's speciality. It is then about an hour to Don Mueang airport for a mid-afternoon flight of roughly 1 hour 20 minutes north to Chiang Rai. We land in the late afternoon and check in near the centre.
Evening
The evening is free: the night bazaar is a short walk away, and the gilded clock tower in the middle of town is lit up after dark.
Included
- Wat Mahathat and Wat Chai Watthanaram in Ayutthaya, with your guide
- Lunch in Ayutthaya
- Flight from Bangkok to Chiang Rai, with transfers at both ends
Easier option: Stay in the shade at Wat Chai Watthanaram's entrance pavilion while the group walks the outer towers.
Free time: Evening free in Chiang Rai
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in the ruins, on flat paths and brick steps, in heat. The flight time comes with your final itinerary.
The White Temple at opening, then Chiang Mai
Chiang Rai to Wat Rong Khun and Wat Rong Suea Ten, then by road to Chiang Mai
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chiang Mai
- Drive about 4 h
We are at Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, about 13 km south of town, when it opens at 8 am, before the coaches arrive from Chiang Mai. It is the work of the Chiang Rai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, who began rebuilding it in 1997 and is still adding to it: a white, mirror-glass temple reached by a bridge over a pit of reaching hands, with murals inside that set Buddhist scenes beside figures from films and the news. Your guide explains the symbolism before we go in. Next is Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, on the other side of town, its hall painted deep blue and gold around a white Buddha.
Afternoon
Then we drive south through the hills on the main road to Chiang Mai, stopping halfway for lunch at a local restaurant. It is about four hours of driving in all, the one day at our cap, split by the two temples and lunch. We reach Chiang Mai mid-afternoon, and at about 5 pm your guide walks anyone who wants to through the old city to Wat Chedi Luang.
Included
- Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple) at opening, with your guide
- Wat Rong Suea Ten (the Blue Temple)
- Lunch on the road
- Evening walk in Chiang Mai's old city to Wat Chedi Luang
Easier option: Skip the evening walk and rest at the hotel.
Free time: Evening free in Chiang Mai
Activity: About four hours of driving, the longest of the trip, with stops at both temples and for lunch. Shoulders and knees covered at the White Temple.
A day with elephants, no riding
Chiang Mai to an elephant sanctuary in the hills and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chiang Mai
- Drive about 2.5 h
About an hour and a quarter from the city, in the forested hills outside Chiang Mai, we spend the day at an elephant sanctuary chosen for how it treats its animals: no riding, no bathing with the elephants, no shows or painting, and elephants free to move away from people. We name it when we confirm your dates. Reviewers of other trips describe watching rescued elephants from a distant platform; here a small group walks out with a keeper and a sanctuary guide, close enough to see how the herd feeds and plays, at the distance the keepers set. You help prepare their food, hear how each elephant came to the sanctuary, and learn what the end of Thailand's logging trade meant for working elephants and the families who kept them.
Afternoon
Lunch is on site. We are back in Chiang Mai by mid-afternoon, with the rest of the day yours: a massage, coffee inside the old-city moat or, on a Sunday, the Walking Street market from Tha Phae Gate.
Included
- A day at an elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai, with sanctuary guides
- Helping prepare the elephants' food
- Lunch at the sanctuary
Optional experiences
- A Thai massage in the old city
Easier option: Stay at the sanctuary's shaded viewpoint while the group walks out with the keepers.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: Easy walking on uneven, sometimes muddy ground for 2 to 3 hours; wear closed shoes and clothes you do not mind getting dirty.
Cooking class and Doi Suthep
A Chiang Mai market and cooking school, then Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Chiang Mai
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
The morning starts at a fresh market with your cooking teacher, picking out herbs, chillies, galangal and the pastes you will pound later.
Afternoon
The class, at a school we name when we confirm your dates, covers the north as well as the familiar dishes: khao soi, the curry noodle soup of Chiang Mai, alongside a curry, a stir-fry and a salad, and what you cook is your lunch. The early afternoon is free. Later we drive about 15 km up the mountain west of the city to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, at roughly 1,000 m, the most revered temple of the region. A staircase of about 300 steps, its balustrades shaped as naga serpents, climbs to a gilded chedi, and there is a lift for anyone who prefers it. From the terrace Chiang Mai spreads across the valley as the light goes.
Evening
Back in town we share a dinner of northern Thai food: sai ua sausage, nam prik ong and sticky rice, eaten with your hands if you like.
Included
- Market visit with your cooking teacher
- Northern Thai cooking class, with the lunch you cook
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in the late afternoon, lift included
- Dinner of northern Thai food
Easier option: Take the lift up to the temple terrace instead of the staircase.
More active option: Climb the roughly 300 naga steps to the chedi.
Free time: Early afternoon free
Fly south to Krabi
Chiang Mai to Krabi by air, Krabi Town, then Ao Nang
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ao Nang
- Drive about 1 h
A flight takes us from the northern hills to the Andaman coast: about two hours where a direct flight runs on the day, otherwise via Bangkok, which adds two to three hours.
Morning
We fly in the morning, and the flight and its timing come with your final itinerary.
Afternoon
From Krabi airport it is about 15 km to Krabi Town, on the estuary of the Krabi River, where we stop for lunch at a local restaurant and a short walk along the riverfront, looking across the mangroves to the twin limestone hills of Khao Khanab Nam.
Evening
This is a working provincial town rather than a resort, and it is where your guide will point you for cheaper seafood and the weekend night market. Then it is about 20 km, half an hour, to Ao Nang, our base for the next four nights, in a hotel a short walk from the beach rather than a resort out of town. The late afternoon is free: swim, or walk the beach road to watch the sun drop behind the islands offshore.
Included
- Flight from Chiang Mai to Krabi (direct where the schedule allows, otherwise via Bangkok), with transfers at both ends
- Lunch in Krabi Town
- Riverfront walk in Krabi Town with your guide
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Ao Nang
Activity: If the flight connects in Bangkok, we arrive later, skip the Krabi Town stop and drive straight to Ao Nang, with lunch on the way or at the airport.
The Hong Islands by boat
Ao Nang to the Hong Islands and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ao Nang
- By boat
Morning
Our boat, for the group only, leaves Ao Nang at about 8 am, so we reach Ko Hong, 30 to 60 minutes north-west depending on whether it is a speedboat or a long-tail, before the late-morning rush. The island is a limestone shell in the national park off the Krabi coast: inside it lies the Hong Lagoon, a pool of green water ringed by cliffs and entered through a gap in the rock, depending on the tide. We see it first, then land on Ko Hong's beach for a swim and snorkelling over the coral along its edge.
Afternoon
Through the day we stop at one or two of the smaller islands nearby, chosen by the boat crew for the water conditions, with lunch on a beach. This is the day other travellers say they were rushed through, so we keep it unhurried: about two hours in the water if you want it, and shade if you do not.
Evening
We are back in Ao Nang by mid-afternoon, with the evening free.
Included
- A boat for the group to the Hong Islands, with crew and your guide
- The Hong Lagoon and Ko Hong beach
- Snorkelling, with masks, snorkels and life jackets
- National park fees
- Lunch on a beach
Easier option: Stay on the beach or on the boat with a life jacket instead of snorkelling.
More active option: Paddle a kayak along the cliffs where the crew can arrange one.
Free time: Evening free in Ao Nang
Activity: Getting in and out of the boat from the beach means wading to knee or thigh depth. Seas can be choppy; boat trips run only when the crew judge it safe.
Railay and Phra Nang Cave Beach
Ao Nang to Railay by long-tail boat, then back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ao Nang
- By boat
Railay is a peninsula cut off from the mainland road by limestone cliffs, so we reach it the usual way, by long-tail boat from Ao Nang beach, about 15 minutes across the bay. We go at about 8:30, before the day boats arrive from Phuket and Phi Phi. From Railay West a walkway runs under the overhanging cliffs, where climbers are often already on the rock, to Phra Nang Cave Beach. At its end is a small cave shrine to a sea princess, piled with offerings left by local fishermen, and the beach looks out to the limestone stack of Ko Rang Nok. Swim, or sit in the shade of the cliff while your guide explains how the karst landscape formed.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant on Railay.
Evening
We are back in Ao Nang by early afternoon, with the rest of the day free, and your guide can book a massage or a sunset table for anyone who wants one.
Included
- Long-tail boat to Railay and back
- Phra Nang Cave Beach and the cave shrine, with your guide
- Lunch on Railay
Optional experiences
- A half-day introductory rock-climbing session on Railay, priced at booking
Easier option: Stay on Railay West's beach and skip the walk to Phra Nang.
More active option: The steep trail to the Railay viewpoint, a short scramble up red clay with fixed ropes; only in dry weather and with good shoes.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: Boarding a long-tail from the beach means wading to knee depth.
A free day in Krabi
Ao Nang, at your own pace
- Breakfast
- Stay in Ao Nang
Today is yours, the only day on the trip with nothing planned, put here because the coast is where people most want time of their own. Ao Nang's beach is a short walk from the hotel, and the quieter Nopparat Thara beach is a little further west.
Morning
Your guide stays in Ao Nang and is on hand at breakfast to help you plan and book. If you want more water time, a speedboat day to Ko Phi Phi or a kayak trip through the mangroves at Ao Thalane can be booked locally, with the price told to you upfront. Wat Tham Suea, the Tiger Cave Temple north of Krabi Town, has a climb of about 1,200 steps to a hilltop Buddha with views over the coast, best started early in the cool. Or do nothing at all: a long breakfast, a massage, a book on the sand.
Evening
In the evening your guide will suggest seafood places away from the main beach road.
Included
- A free day, with your guide on hand to plan and book
Optional experiences
- Speedboat day to Ko Phi Phi
- Kayaking in the Ao Thalane mangroves
- Rock climbing on Railay
- The Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea) steps
- A Thai massage
Free time: Whole day free
Activity: Optional trips are booked with local operators at the price shown before you pay; none is sold on the bus.
Into Khao Sok
Ao Nang to Khao Sok National Park, then a walk along the Sok River
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Khao Sok
- Drive about 3 h
We leave Ao Nang at about 9 am and drive about three hours north through Phang Nga province, where rubber and oil-palm plantations give way to forested limestone, with a coffee stop on the way. Khao Sok National Park protects a large area of lowland rainforest and karst peaks in the mountains between the Andaman coast and the Gulf. Our lodge, which we name when we confirm your dates, sits by the Sok River near the park headquarters.
Afternoon
After lunch your guide and a local park guide walk the group along the main trail from headquarters, following the river under strangler figs, giant bamboo and rattan, looking for macaques, hornbills and the tracks of animals that come down to drink. We take it slowly, two to three hours in humid shade.
Evening
Dinner is at the lodge, then a short night walk with the local guide, torches pointed at the undergrowth for frogs, spiders and sleeping birds.
Included
- Lunch at Khao Sok
- Rainforest walk along the Sok River with your guide and a local park guide
- Khao Sok National Park fees
- Dinner at the lodge
- Night walk with a local guide
Easier option: Drift down the Sok River in a canoe paddled by a local guide instead of the walk.
More active option: Continue further up the river trail with the park guide, about an hour longer.
Activity: Trails are uneven and can be muddy and slippery; leeches are common after rain, so wear long socks and closed shoes.
A night on Cheow Lan Lake
Khao Sok to Ratchaprapha Dam, then by long-tail boat to a raft house on Cheow Lan Lake
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cheow Lan Lake
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about an hour east to the pier at Ratchaprapha Dam. The dam closed in the 1980s and flooded the valleys behind it, so Cheow Lan Lake winds between limestone karsts that rise straight out of the water. A long-tail boat takes us about an hour across the lake to our raft house, a row of floating bungalows moored against the forest.
Afternoon
Lunch is on the raft. In the afternoon the boat takes us to a trailhead for a forest walk to a cave, chosen with the park rangers for the season and the water level, or you can stay behind, swim off the deck and paddle one of the raft's kayaks. As the light fades we go out by long-tail into the quieter arms of the lake, watching the forest edge for hornbills, macaques and, with luck, gibbons.
Evening
Dinner is on the raft, served with the lake dark around you, and the generator goes off later in the evening.
Included
- Long-tail boat across Cheow Lan Lake
- A night on a raft house, all meals included
- Forest walk to a cave with your guide
- Kayaks at the raft house
- Dusk boat safari on the lake
Easier option: Stay at the raft house for the afternoon: swim, kayak or rest.
More active option: The cave walk, which can involve wading and scrambling depending on the cave and the season.
Free time: Late morning free on the raft
Activity: Raft rooms are simple: a mattress, a mosquito net and power for a few hours in the evening. Bring a small overnight bag; main luggage stays in our vehicle.
Dawn on the lake, then back to Bangkok
Cheow Lan Lake to Surat Thani airport, then a flight to Bangkok
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 2.5 h
If you want it, the boat goes out again at about 6 am, the one optional early start, when mist sits on the water and the gibbons call across the valleys; this is the best chance to hear them.
Morning
Breakfast is back on the raft, then the long-tail takes us back to the pier by mid-morning, where our vehicle and your luggage are waiting. It is about an hour and a half by road to Surat Thani airport, with time to eat on the way, and a flight of about 1 hour 10 minutes to Bangkok. We transfer to our hotel near the river, the same area as the first two nights, and your guide is with you the whole way, so there is no handover to a stranger for the last leg.
Evening
In the evening we sit down together for a farewell dinner, a last round of Thai dishes and a look back over the fourteen days.
Included
- Long-tail boat back to the pier
- Flight from Surat Thani to Bangkok, with transfers at both ends
- Farewell dinner in Bangkok
Optional experiences
- A dawn boat on Cheow Lan Lake at about 6 am, included in the price; join it or sleep in
Easier option: Sleep through the dawn boat and join the group at breakfast.
Activity: Lunch is on the road or at the airport, at your own cost.
Depart from Bangkok
Your hotel to Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast.
Evening
A driver takes you from the hotel to Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK), timed to your flight; the ride is usually 45 minutes to an hour, longer in the morning and evening rush. Allow three hours at the airport before an international departure, so a flight after about 11 am leaves time for a slow breakfast by the river. With a later flight, the hotel can hold your bags while you take a last river boat to the flower market at Pak Khlong Talat or a final massage; your guide will have suggested what fits. If you want to stay on, we can book extra nights in Bangkok or on the coast before you travel, at the price we confirm in writing. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast, or sees you to the car if you leave early.
Included
- Transfer to Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK) airport
Free time: Free until your transfer
Activity: Book an international flight leaving after about 11 am, or tell us your time and we arrange an earlier transfer.
- Bangkok2 nights
- Chiang Rai1 night
- Chiang Mai3 nights
- Ao Nang4 nights
- Khao Sok1 night
- Cheow Lan Lake1 night
- Bangkok1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to February is the best time for this route: cool, dry days in the north and calm, clear water on the Andaman coast. March and April are hot, often above 35°C, and the north is often hazy from crop burning. From May to October the south-west monsoon brings rain and rough seas to Krabi, and island boats can be cancelled. Khao Sok is rainforest and can rain in any month; gibbons call mostly at dawn, and hornbills and macaques are seen often, though wild animals are never guaranteed.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want the temples of the north and the Andaman coast in one trip, without five-hour van days
- Travellers who asked other operators to add Chiang Rai and the White Temple
- Anyone who wants real time on the islands, with four nights at Ao Nang and a free day
- Nature lovers who want a rainforest night and a lake night at Khao Sok
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a published single price
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who need hotel comforts every night: the raft house is simple, with power for a few hours
- Non-swimmers who dislike boats: there are boat trips on four days, though you can stay ashore or wear a life jacket
- Trekking and hill-village homestays: there are none on this route
- The Gulf islands of Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao, which are not on this trip
- Step-free access: temple grounds are uneven, boats are boarded from beaches and Doi Suthep has steps, though there is a lift
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
13 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Bangkok2 nights
- Chiang Rai1 night
- Chiang Mai3 nights
- Ao Nang4 nights
- Khao Sok1 night
- Cheow Lan Lake1 night
- Bangkok1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 13 nights in central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard, a lodge and a raft house: 3 in Bangkok near the river (2 at the start, 1 at the end), 1 in Chiang Rai near the clock tower, 3 in Chiang Mai inside or beside the old-city moat, 4 in Ao Nang a short walk from the beach, 1 at a lodge by the Sok River in Khao Sok, 1 on a simple raft house on Cheow Lan Lake
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- Hotels named when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK) airport and the return transfer at the end
- Flights from Bangkok to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai to Krabi, and Surat Thani to Bangkok, in economy with one checked bag
- Our own air-conditioned van and driver for the group on every road day
- Long-tail boat through the Thonburi canals
- A boat for the group to the Hong Islands, and long-tail boats to Railay
- Long-tail boats on Cheow Lan Lake, including the dusk safari
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, airport to airport
- A local park guide at Khao Sok, sanctuary guides and keepers at the elephant sanctuary, and your cooking teacher in Chiang Mai
- Tips for local guides, boat crews and drivers
Activities
- Bangkok: the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, the Thonburi canals, Wat Pariwat
- Bangkok: a Chinatown (Yaowarat) street-food dinner
- Ayutthaya: Wat Mahathat and Wat Chai Watthanaram
- Chiang Rai: Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple) and Wat Rong Suea Ten (the Blue Temple)
- Chiang Mai: an old-city walk to Wat Chedi Luang
- Chiang Mai: a day at an elephant sanctuary, no riding
- Chiang Mai: market visit and northern Thai cooking class
- Chiang Mai: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
- Krabi: a riverfront walk in Krabi Town
- Krabi: the Hong Islands by boat, with snorkelling gear and national park fees
- Krabi: Railay and Phra Nang Cave Beach
- Khao Sok: a rainforest walk along the Sok River and a night walk, with park fees
- Cheow Lan Lake: a forest walk to a cave, kayaks, and dusk and dawn boat safaris
Meals
- 13 breakfasts
- 9 lunches, days 3 to 9, 11 and 12, including the lunch you cook and lunch on a Hong Islands beach
- 6 dinners: a welcome dinner and a Chinatown street-food dinner in Bangkok, a northern Thai dinner in Chiang Mai, dinner at the Khao Sok lodge, dinner on the raft house, and a farewell dinner in Bangkok
Not included
- International flights to and from Bangkok
- Visa fees, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 1, 2, 10, 13 and 14, and dinners on days 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10
- Drinks
- A tip for your See Sight Tours guide, if you wish
- Optional activities, such as the Phi Phi speedboat day, rock climbing, mangrove kayaking and massages
- Extra baggage beyond the domestic flight allowance
- Personal expenses: laundry, shopping, phone data
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 870 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 3,935 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 4,260. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 4,630.
What does the price include?
Thirteen nights in central hotels, a Khao Sok lodge and a raft house, breakfast daily, nine lunches and six dinners, three domestic flights, airport transfers at both ends, our own van and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including the Grand Palace, the sanctuary, the cooking class, the Hong Islands boat and the national park fees.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, never more. That keeps everyone within earshot of the guide at the Grand Palace, on one boat at the Hong Islands and around one table on the raft house, and it lets the group move quickly at early openings.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Bangkok airport pick-up to the final Bangkok night, including the last leg from Khao Sok, without a handover partway through. Local park guides join us at Khao Sok, sanctuary guides and keepers with the elephants, and a cooking teacher runs the class in Chiang Mai.
How fit do I need to be for this Thailand tour?
Moderate fitness is enough. Expect 2 to 4 hours a day on foot in heat, about 300 steps at Doi Suthep with a lift beside them, wading into long-tail boats from beaches, and a 2 to 3 hour rainforest walk at Khao Sok, which you can swap for a canoe on the river.
I'm travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
Yes, and it is published up front: a room of your own is CAD 870 on top of the twin-share price, shown before you book. We do not run a roommate match on this trip, so a solo booking means your own room. You join the same group, sit at the same tables and get the same guide time as everyone else.
When is the best time to visit northern Thailand and Krabi together?
November to February is the best time: cool and dry in the north, calm and clear on the Andaman coast. March and April are hot and hazy in the north. From May to October the monsoon brings rain and rough seas to Krabi, and island boats can be cancelled at short notice.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, with the hotels, flight times and final timings, and no payment is taken until we have confirmed. If a date cannot run, we tell you straight away and suggest the nearest one that can.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,335 per person, with room to add the Golden Triangle or a second lake night. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the route without a group.
Do I need a visa for Thailand?
Canadian and US passport holders currently enter Thailand without a visa for up to 60 days, the length set in July 2024. The government has discussed shortening it since, so we confirm the rule when you book. Every visitor also completes the online Thailand Digital Arrival Card before arrival.
What is the raft house on Cheow Lan Lake like?
Simple, and we say so. Rooms are floating bungalows with a mattress, a mosquito net and power for a few hours in the evening, and there is little or no phone signal. In return you wake on the water among limestone cliffs. It is one night, with all meals included; the other Khao Sok night is at a lodge.
Is the elephant sanctuary ethical?
We only use a sanctuary with no riding, no bathing with the elephants and no shows or painting, where the elephants can walk away from people. You walk with the keepers at the distance they set and help prepare food. We name the sanctuary when we confirm your dates.
How is this different from your other Thailand trips?
Our 13-day Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Krabi islands trip adds Doi Inthanon and Phi Phi; this one adds Chiang Rai and the White Temple, a rainforest lodge night before the lake, the Hong Islands and a free day at Ao Nang, and ends in Bangkok. Our 9-day trip goes overland through Kanchanaburi and Sukhothai, with no beaches.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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