Grand Thailand: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Krabi, Kanchanaburi and Bangkok in 22 Days

Welcome to northern Thailand. Your guide and driver meet you at Chiang Mai International Airport and take you to your hotel. Check-in is from 2 pm, so if you land early there is time for a slow lunch and a first stroll before the days of touring begin.Overnight: Chiang Mai

A morning with your guide among Chiang Mai's most important temples. Wat Chedi Luang has a vast 14th-century chedi that once held the Emerald Buddha. Wat Phra Singh, founded in 1345, has some of the finest Lanna art in the north. Then drive up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, 1,050 meters above the valley, and climb the 306 naga steps to the golden chedi and its view over the city. Please cover shoulders and knees for temple visits. The afternoon is free.Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B

Spend the day on Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain at 2,565 meters. Walk the short Angka Nature Trail through mossy cloud forest near the summit, then visit the twin Royal Pagodas, built for the King and Queen, with sweeping views over the ridges. After lunch, see the Royal Project gardens, where hill communities grow flowers and vegetables on terraces, and Vachirathan Waterfall, which drops dramatically over a high cliff, before driving back to Chiang Mai.Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, L

Drive north with your guide to the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet on the Mekong. The Opium Museum explains the long history of the opium trade in the region. Continue to Baan Dam, the Black House, a sprawling collection of dark teak buildings and artworks created by artist Thawan Duchanee. Check in to your hotel in Chiang Rai.Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B

Visit Chiang Rai's two most photographed temples: Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, with vivid indigo halls, and Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, gleaming with white plaster and mirrored glass. Then a driver takes you to Chiang Rai Airport for your flight to Phuket, where you are met and taken to your hotel to rest.Overnight: Phuket · Meals: B

A relaxed half-day tour with your guide. Start at the Big Buddha on its hilltop, with views across the island, then visit Wat Chalong, Phuket's most important temple, to see local religious life up close. Finish in Phuket Old Town, where pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses line the streets, with free time to wander and stop for coffee.Overnight: Phuket · Meals: B

Join a small-group speedboat trip to the Phi Phi Islands. See Maya Bay inside its ring of sheer cliffs, swim in the emerald water of Pileh Lagoon and pass Viking Cave. After a buffet lunch on Phi Phi Don, stop at Monkey Beach, where wild macaques roam the sand, and finish with snorkeling over the shallow reef at Khai Island. Back at your hotel in the late afternoon.Overnight: Phuket · Meals: B, L

Today's small-group boat trip leaves from Royal Phuket Marina for Phang Nga Bay. Explore Panak Island, then canoe into the sea caves and hidden lagoons of Hong Island. See Khao Tapu, the famous needle of rock known as James Bond Island, and have lunch at Koh Panyi, a fishing village built on stilts over the water. End with swimming and snorkeling at Koh Khai Nai before returning to Phuket.Overnight: Phuket · Meals: B, L

A full day to slow down after two days on the water. Sleep in, linger over breakfast and spend the day on the beach or by the pool.Overnight: Phuket · Meals: B

Free time until your driver collects you for the scenic road transfer to Krabi, passing limestone hills and rubber plantations. Check in to your hotel in Ao Nang and enjoy the evening by the sea.Overnight: Krabi · Meals: B

Join a small-group speedboat trip into the Andaman Sea. Visit Phra Nang Cave, a shrine long honored by local fishermen, and Chicken Island, named for its curious rock, with snorkeling over the reef. At low tide, a sandbar appears between Tup Island and its neighbor. Finish at Poda Island with lunch, a long white beach and time to swim before returning to Ao Nang.Overnight: Krabi · Meals: B, L

Cruise through the Hong Island group, one of Krabi's most striking clusters of limestone islands. Look out from the viewpoint over the main beach, then slip through a narrow passage into the island's quiet interior lagoon. Lunch is served on Koh Hong. Two more beach stops follow: Lao Lading, with sheltered coves under high cliffs, and Pakbia, where a low-tide sandbar makes for a memorable swim.Overnight: Krabi · Meals: B, L

A full free day after the island trips. Enjoy the beach, the pool or a long massage, or walk along Ao Nang's seafront at sunset.Overnight: Krabi · Meals: B

A driver takes you to Krabi Airport for your flight to Bangkok. Your guide meets you on arrival, and you drive west to Kanchanaburi, about two and a half hours. Check in to your riverside hotel; the pace here is noticeably calmer than on the islands.Overnight: Kanchanaburi · Meals: B

A day of moving history. Walk onto the bridge on the River Kwai, built by Allied prisoners under Japanese occupation in 1942 and 1943. Visit the Allied cemetery in town, where nearly 7,000 Allied prisoners who died building the railway are buried, and the JEATH Museum with its photographs and personal items. Then ride a train along the original Death Railway line, past river views and rock cuttings, with lunch at the end of the line.Overnight: Kanchanaburi · Meals: B, L

An early start brings you to Erawan National Park before the crowds. Its seven-tier waterfall drops through the forest in a chain of emerald pools. The lower tiers are an easy walk, while the upper levels need a bit more effort on forest paths and wooden stairs. Bring swimwear for a dip. After lunch on your own near the park entrance, return to Kanchanaburi for a relaxed evening by the river.Overnight: Kanchanaburi · Meals: B

On the way to Bangkok, stop at the Maeklong Railway Market, where vendors fold back their awnings in seconds as a train rolls through. Then take a longtail boat along the canals of Damnoen Saduak, Thailand's best-known floating market, with boats full of fruit and noodles. Continue to Bangkok in the afternoon.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B

A full day in the heart of the capital. Visit the Grand Palace, home of Thai kings for two centuries, and Wat Phra Kaew with the Emerald Buddha, the Royal Pantheon and its eight colored towers. In the afternoon, board a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya and drift into the quieter Thonburi canals, then end at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. Please wear long trousers or skirts and covered shoulders for the palace.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B

A day at your own pace. Visit Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, shop in the city's malls, book a spa afternoon or simply rest by the pool.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B

Another day of your own to revisit a favorite corner of the city or discover a new one, from Chinatown's food stalls to a river cruise at sunset.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B

Your last free day, ideal for the Chatuchak weekend market or Chinatown, or a slow, unhurried close to the trip.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B

Breakfast at the hotel and a final free morning before your driver takes you to Bangkok Airport for your flight home.Meals: B