North Thailand for Wheelchair Users
Day 1: Arrival – Bangkok (-/-/D)
Pick up from Bangkok Airport and transfer to the Ramada Plaza Hotel, check in to grand dlx room. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 2: Discover Bangkok (B/L/D)
After breakfast, visit Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha and nearby historical exhibition. Visit the Grand Place and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the Ramada Plaza.
Day 3, Ayutthaya History and Culture (B/L/D)
After breakfast, drive to Ayutthaya and visit some of the highlights of Ayutthaya Historical Park, including Wat Phrasi Sanphet, the most important temple in the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Lunch at a local restaurant and then visit Wat Phanan Choeng which was founded shortly before the establishment of Ayutthaya as the Kingdom’s capital. Its main building enshrines a huge, seated Buddha image that is 57 feet tall, and an object of particular devotion to Thais of Chinese origin. Head to the Japanese Village and then check in to your hotel and relax until the evening, when you will experience some of the best of Ayutthaya’s Street food at a local market. Overnight at Krungsri River or Kantary Hotels.
Day 4, Ayutthaya’s History and Culture (B/L/D)
After breakfast, drive to Bann Khorng Phor Sufficiency Economy Learning Center to learn Knowledge center based on “sufficiency economy philosophy” promoted by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The center puts emphasis on learning by doing in all its outdoor classrooms, providing hands-on lessons on rice, vegetable and livestock farming. Lunch at a local Restaurant and then visit the Arts of the Kingdom Museum, Return to Ayutthaya and your hotel with some time to relax before enjoying an invigorating massage given by local blind people. Enjoy dinner at a riverside restaurant.
Day 5, Ayutthaya – Chiang Mai (B/L/D)
After breakfast check out and transfer to the airport for the flight to Chiang Mai. Arrive Chiang Mai and drive to the community of Baan Rai Kong Khing. Here visitors are invited to learn about and share in, the local culture. The villagers of Ban Rai Kong Khing have worked together and taken a holistic approach to create a health-oriented community. By using the traditional knowledge of the villagers and blending it with modern medical practices, they have achieved a large degree of self-sufficiency. This knowledge they are happy to share with their guests. Dinner will be of traditional Northern Thai cuisine. Overnight at their homestay.
Day 6, Chiang Mai Explorer (B/L/D)
Get up early to prepare offerings for the monks on their morning alms round. Join the merit making ceremony, offer the food prepared and receive their blessings. Now it’s breakfast time for you before setting off to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. It is the most important temples in Chiang Mai, established in in the 14th century. Also visit Wat Suan Dok, built during the second half of the 14th century to house a sacred Buddha relic. Have lunch at Khao Soi Samerjai Fa Ham. Although several northern classics are on the menu, Khao Soi is the must here. Tender noodles, in a rich, tangy and creamy broth, go well with the topping of extra-wide crispy noodles. After lunch, visit Wat Phra Sing Woramahawihan. Built in 1345, It houses the North’s most revered Buddha statue, Phra Phuttha Sihing, which is enshrined in Vihan Lai Kham, a Chapel that features exquisite woodcarvings and northern-style murals. Midafternoon check into Imm Hotel Tha Pae https://www.immhotel.com/ Time to relax before heading off to a local restaurant for a traditional northern-style dinner.
Day 7, Elephant Nature Park (B/L/D)
After breakfast, set off to visit the Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation centre in Mae Taeng. Learn about the important work being done the to give a better life to some of the many elephants in Thailand needing help in the aftermath of COVID. Return to your hotel midafternoon. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 8, Free time and departure (B/-/-)
Free day until check out time. Optional activities include visiting the Umbrella Making Centre. Lanna Umbrella is a local handicraft of Ban Bo Sang for more than two hundred years. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.