Highlights of Southern Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket & Krabi

Board your overnight flight to Bangkok today.

Welcome to Thailand! As you settle into your hotel tonight, you might be greeted with a wai—a gesture where hands are placed in a prayer position followed by a gentle bowing of the head. You can choose to return the gesture if you want.

Join your Tour Director for a sightseeing tour of Bangkok, the bustling capital city set on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

• Explore the sprawling Grand Palace complex—home to the kings of Siam from 1782 to 1925—featuring traditional Thai architecture as well as European Renaissance inspiration
• Pass by the Wat Phra Kaew temple complex, or Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is the spiritual core of Thai Buddhism and a pilgrimage site for devout Buddhists
• Step inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, or Wat Pho, to admire the grandeur of the gilded 150-foot-long statue depicting the passing of the Buddha into nirvana (it’s the biggest Reclining Buddha statue in the city)
• Visit the nearby flower market’s rainbow-hued rows of blooms before taking a walking tour of the Chinatown neighborhood—one of the largest Chinatowns in the world—bursting with mouthwatering food stalls, ornate temples, and the rich history of Chinese immigrants
• Enjoy an included welcome lunch at a local restaurant with your fellow travelers
• Tour the city’s canals, called klongs, on a motorized longboat as you sample local fruits from floating markets. Canals once criss-crossed Bangkok, earning it the nickname Venice of the East

Fly to Phuket this morning, Thailand’s largest island, and embark on a walking tour to get to know this slice of heaven in the Andaman Sea.

• Learn about Phuket’s importance to trade routes between Europe and China
• Admire the restored, candy-colored shophouses along Dibuk Road in the Old Town. The café-lined street is a feast for the eyes
• View the Chinpracha House as it peeks through palm trees, an ornate Sino-Portuguese-style colonial mansion
• Sample regional snacks in a restored coffee house. Keep your eyes out for o-aew, a shaved ice and jelly dessert that originated in Phuket

Tonight, enjoy an included dinner with beer or wine alongside your fellow travelers.

Please note: On some departures the included dinner will take place on day 5 and the night market visit on day 5 will move to day 4.

Depart Phuket Island and spend today boating the deep turquoise waters surrounding jungle-crowned tropical islands on a guided sightseeing tour.

• Board a speedboat and cruise around Ao Phang Nga Bay National Park, known for its towering limestone rock formations, known as karsts, thick mangrove forests, and almost 200 bird species
• Enjoy an included lunch aboard your boat while surrounded by the bay’s clear water bejeweled with karsts
• Head to Talu Island and canoe through dramatically arched sea caves with experienced local paddlers as your guides
• Visit the iconic steep shores of Khao Phing Kan, or James Bond Island, made into a popular tourist destination when it was chosen as one of the locations for The Man with the Golden Gun starring Roger Moore

Tonight, immerse yourself in authentic local flavor when you head to the night market on Phuket, where you’ll find stalls of fresh fruit, drinks, fiery snacks, slurp-worthy noodles, and for the adventurous—fried insects. Spend time exploring the seemingly endless stalls, stopping for sips and bites along the way.

Please note: On some departures the night market visit may take place on day 4 and the included dinner from day 4 will move to day 5.

Enjoy a free morning on Phuket—warming your feet in the fine, white sand of Karon Beach or lounging by the pool—before traveling north to the Khao Sok region, renowned for its national park—an unspoiled area where towering limestone cliffs, unspoiled jungles, and teal water meet.

After freshening up at your hotel, gather together for an included dinner served with beer or wine this evening.

Take to the water this morning for a full day in Khao Sok National Park, home to the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world, exploring the stunning Cheow Lan Lake aboard a traditional long-tail boat.

• Admire dramatic, jungle-topped limestone cliffs and karsts as you cruise across the lake’s turquoise waters
• Khao Sok is teeming with diverse fauna. Keep an eye out for wildlife, including long-tailed macaques and gibbons. The national park is also home to the Malayan sun bear, cobras, and hornbills
• Enjoy an included lunch at a floating restaurant followed by free time to swim, canoe, or just relax and take in the majestic scenery

Travel south to Krabi, an iconic port town where you’ll find postcard views, pristine beaches, and a laid-back atmosphere. Spend the morning taking part in a service project with a local conservation effort where a guide will teach you about mangrove reforestation and sustainable development projects. You’ll have the chance to make a direct impact—planting a tree or joining another conservation activity.

Afterwards, enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to your hotel where you can spend a free evening in the Krabi region, or add an optional excursion to try your hand at whipping up Thai dishes alongside professional chefs at a local culinary school.

Drive south to the island of Koh Lanta and visit Following Giants Elephant Sanctuary, an organization which has taken steps to move away from elephant trekking to become a genuine, observation-only sanctuary, where elephants can just be elephants. Prepare yourself for the heart-filling experience of a lifetime.

• Hear how the organization has worked to create a safe living environment for the elephants and an educational experience for visitors
• Learn about Asian elephants as you watch these gentle giants roam freely during a hands-off elephant exploration walk
• Take part in a hands-on replanting activity where you’ll create fertilizer seed balls and slingshot them into the surrounding fields. When grown, they’ll provide vegetation for the elephants to eat
• Sit down to enjoy an included lunch at the sanctuary

Join an optional excursion aboard a Junk, an ancient, fixed-sail Chinese ship design, and set sail on the Andaman Sea for more island exploration, swimming, snorkeling, or taking in the views. Choosing to spend your free day in Krabi? Ask your Tour Director for activity recommendations—how about unwinding in the Krabi Hot Springs, a natural thermal spa, or Phra Nang Cave Beach, known for its sugar white sand and—as its name suggests—interesting caves to explore.

Fly to Bangkok this afternoon and freshen up at your hotel.

Tonight, celebrate your trip with your fellow travelers during a farewell dinner served with beer or wine at a local restaurant.

Transfer to the airport for your early morning flight home, or continue your tour on the extension to Cambodia, where the massive lotus bud-shaped towers of Angkor Wat and flourishing night markets of Siem Reap await you.