SOUTH ISARN / KHMER TEMPLES TOUR (5 days/4 nights)
DAY 1 – BANGKOK – KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK
Depart from your hotel in Bangkok to Maenam River Boat Pier for a cruise from Bangkok to Ayutthaya by the “Pearl of Siam”, with Lunch onboard. Visit to Bang Pa In Summer Palace, the former summer residence of the Rama Kings. Drive in the direction of the southern entrance of the Khao Yai National Park with a stop at a fruit market in Nakhon Nayok. Dinner and overnight stay at Khao Yai Grandview Thani Resort.
DAY 2 – KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK – KHORAT
American breakfast at the hotel. Drive into the Khao Yai National Park to visit the Heaw Suwat Waterfalls and make various stops en route for photo opportunities. Continue in the direction of Khorat for lunch and check-in at the Sima Thani Hotel.In the afternoon, you will visit the Phimai Temple complex, Baan Prasart Archeological Site and the “Sai Ngam” Banyan Tree. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at the Sima Thani Hotel.
DAY 3 – KHORAT – SURIN
American breakfast at the hotel. Depart south to visit the Dan Kwian Pottery village. You will then visit the second Khmer temple of Phanom Rung Historical Park with its well-known Prasat Hin Phanom Rung, located on the top of the Phanom Rung Mount. This is said to date back to the 12th century A.D. We also visit Prasat Hin Muang Tham, which is believed to have been constructed in the 11th century. Both temples resemble the Angkor temple ruins and complexes in Cambodia. Lunch at a local restaurant. Next, You will visit the Centre of Blending and Integration Rural Development (CBIRD). This project is an initiative to train the local community to earn a living from producing handicrafts and agricultural projects. You will then continue to Surin for dinner and overnight stay at the simple Thong Tarin Hotel (the best hotel available in Surin).
DAY 4 – SURIN – KHONGJIAM
After an American breakfast at the hotel, you will visit the Baan Talkang elephant village at Surin. You will then continue to Preah Vihear (‘’Khao Phra Viharn’”) located between Thailand and the Cambodian border. This magnificent temple, built and added to over many monarchs’ reigns, occupies the most spectacular site of any Khmer sanctuary. Today the ruins of the temple guard many secrets about its use from the 9th- 12th century. Stone carvings depict not only the gods, but animals, both mythical and real, and the rich foliage of the forest. Lunch en route is at a local restaurant. You will then proceed to Ubon Ratchathani and Khongjiam, a district overlooking the mighty Mekong River. Dinner and overnight at the Tohsang Khongjiam Resort
Note: In case the border between Thailand and Cambodia at the Khao Phra Viharn is closed, the programme on day 4 will be revised to visit the “One Million Bottles Temple” , a temple made entirely out of bottles.
DAY 5 – KHONGJIAM – BANGKOK
American breakfast at the resort, followed by a tour around the Khong Chiam area to see the following attractions: Kaeng Tana, the largest rapids of the Mun River (the cataract itself is a big stone platform lying across the Mun River, causing the water which flows through Kaeng Tana to take the form of beautiful waterfalls; Mae Naem Song Si, the bi-colour river where the Mekong and Mun Rivers meet; Chongmeck, the border between Thailand and Laos; Sirindhorn Dam, one of Thailand’s major multi-purposes dams; Pha Taem & Pha Mon, the two steep cliffs overlooking the Mekong River with a clear view into Laos (on the cliff’s surface, there are prehistoric paintings dating back 3,000-4,000 years); Sao Chaliang, this place is scattered with natural mushrooms, like piles of stone slabs with a large amount of shells stuck in their texture, the area is believed by geologists to be a dried-up sea. Lunch is en-route at a local restaurant. Dinner not included. Continue to Ubon Ratchathani Airport for flight to Bangkok Domestic Airport and transfer to your hotel in Bangkok. |
