Thailand Unusual 8 Days

Upon arrival at Bangkok airport, you’ll be greeted and transferred to your hotel. The glorious history of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is closely linked to the Chakri dynasty, which still reigns but does not rule. You’ll settle into the hotel and have free time to relax. Overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast, you’ll depart for Khao Yai, stopping to visit the fruit market in Klang Don, where you’ll find a variety of local products, fruits, and vegetables. You’ll then visit Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s first national park, which opened in 1962 and is now considered one of the most beautiful. Khao Yai is listed as a World Heritage Site due to its diverse fauna and flora.

After lunch, you’ll stroll through the heart of the park on the Haew Su Wat waterfall trail. Afterward, you’ll check in at your hotel and stay overnight in Khao Yai.

After breakfast, you’ll head north to Nakhon Ratchasima, commonly known as Korat. Your first stop will be Dan Kwian Pottery Village, renowned for its traditional pottery. In Korat, you’ll visit the Thao Suranari (Lady Mo) Memorial, dedicated to the heroine who resisted a Laotian invasion in the 19th century. In the afternoon, you’ll explore the Ban Prasat archaeological site, remnants of one of Thailand’s oldest cities. Next, you’ll visit the Phimai Historical Site to admire the stunning Prasat Hin temple and Sai Ngam, famous for its massive ficus tree. You’ll return to Korat for some free time before spending the night there.

Today, you’ll depart for Buriram, where you’ll visit Prasat Phanom Rung, one of the best-preserved Khmer ruins in Thailand. You’ll explore the site, which is accessed by a large staircase. A few kilometers away, you’ll visit Muang Tham, another Khmer building located near a large artificial lake that was originally dug as a water reserve for the community.

At Muang Tham, you’ll see two laterite walls, each with four gopuras and beautiful baluster windows, protecting the sacred buildings. You’ll notice the refined ornamentation of lintels, small columns, and door jambs, in harmony with the Baphuon and Khleang styles. The inner courtyard features five brick towers and two libraries, while the central prang (prasat) contains elements symbolizing Mount Kailas, the home of the god Shiva.

After lunch, you’ll continue your trip to Surin and visit its lesser-known but very interesting national museum (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays). The museum presents many pieces that trace the history of the region from prehistoric times and provides information about the various ethnicities living there today, including the Khmer (a historically significant minority that once dominated Southeast Asia and India over a thousand years ago), the Suays, and the Laos, each with their own languages, traditional clothes, and customs. You’ll stay overnight in Surin.

After breakfast, you’ll visit the village of Argentiere, Ban Khwao Sinarin, and then continue to the Khmer Sikhoraphum Temple. You’ll also stop at Ban Sam Kho village. Remained very traditional and completely unknown to tourists, this village is worth a visit to discover its unchanged lifestyle. You’ll see silk fabrics being produced in almost all the houses (or rather, ‘under’ houses built on stilts), making it one of the best places to buy ‘Pha Mai’ (Thai silk) directly from the producer at a lower cost.

You’ll then continue to the beautiful Sikhoraphum Temple to visit its five towers and central chedi, which is a place of worship for locals. Afterward, you’ll depart for Kamphaeng Yai to explore this little-known Khmer site, dating from the 11th century, which consists of six buildings. You’ll discover sculptures of Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu on the lintels, as well as Khmer inscriptions. Every year in March, an important celebration of the Khmer community is held here.

You’ll have lunch at a local restaurant, and then continue to Kong Jiam, a city located on the majestic Mekong River, the eighth largest river in the world and the third largest in Asia. Originating in Tibet, the Mekong travels 4,500 km, crossing China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia before flowing into the sea in Vietnam. You’ll stay overnight in Kong Jiam.

After breakfast, you’ll depart for Mukdahan, a border town with Savannakhet in Laos. There, you’ll have the opportunity to walk through its lively and colorful market, where products from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and China are sold and exchanged. Mukdahan has become a popular stop for game-loving Thais visiting Savannakhet in Laos, where casinos, banned in Thailand, have been established.

You’ll have the chance to try new culinary experiences, such as rice rat curry (a high-quality and expensive meat contrary to popular belief), red ant eggs, cobra or monitor lizard curry, and a variety of fried insects and peppers!

In the afternoon, you’ll continue to Nakhon Phanom, stopping at one of the most important temples in the Isan region for its inhabitants, Wat Phra That Phanom, which is built in a purely Laotian architectural style. Before arriving in Nakhon Phanom, you’ll visit the small village of Ban Na Chok, where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1923 to 1929. Upon arrival in Nakhon Phanom, you’ll check in at your hotel on the edge of the Mekong River.

After breakfast, you’ll depart for a visit to Sakhon Nakhon, where you’ll participate in the sacred thread ceremony. A monk will attach a thread to your wrist, symbolizing merits and omens and giving you the opportunity to make a wish. This animistic practice is based on the belief that the body is made up of 32 souls that can fly away, and the threads tied around the wrists help prevent diseases by keeping these souls attached to the body.

You’ll then continue to visit the traditional pottery and weaving village of Ban Chiang, renowned throughout the country. In 1966, a Harvard student discovered this important archaeological site in Southeast Asia. Subsequent excavations revealed pottery and bronze tools dating back more than 3,500 years, on a site that had been inhabited for at least 2,000 years. This discovery revolutionized our understanding of this period by uncovering evidence of livestock mastery (pigs, chickens, and cattle), rice farming, and the use of metal tools. The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

Next, you’ll visit Dong Yen Village to see bamboo weaving and Baan Pulu for pottery painting. In the afternoon, you’ll transfer to Udon Thani and head south of the city to visit the lake known as “Talay Bua Daeng,” or the “Red Lotus Sea.” From December to February, the lake is covered with red lotus flowers, and you’ll enjoy a pleasant boat trip in the heart of this “Red Sea”. You’ll stay overnight in Ubon Thani.

After breakfast, you’ll depart in the morning to visit an orchid farm. The owner of this farm developed a unique variety of endemic orchid with a delicate fragrance in 1977: the Udon Sunshine.

You’ll then continue to Nong Khai, a small border town with Laos. There, you’ll visit Sala Kaew Ku, a park featuring sculptures inspired by Buddhism and Hindu deities, some of which are up to 25 meters high. You’ll also explore the picturesque Tha Sadet Market, where you’ll find products and crafts from Indochina, including items traded with Laos. In the afternoon, you’ll return to Udon Thani for your flight to Bangkok to connect with your international flight. End of services.