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Jewels of
Isan
9
days/8 nights
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Day 01. Bangkok – Saraburi –
Khorat (L)
We pick you up at your
hotel in Bangkok and depart for Saraburi where we
will see “Pha Phutthabaht”, a footprint of
the Lord Buddha. We then continue to Phimai, an ancient temple
from the
Khmer period. On the way we stop at “Wat Thep Phitak Punnaram" to see the impressive
white marble Buddha located on a hill and a
visit a local fruit market at Klang Dong.
We have lunch at a local restaurant. The charming
little town of Phimai, to the northeast of Khorat,
is known for the magnificent Khmer sanctuary Prasat Hin Phimai.
Here we visit the
historical park and its museum. On our way
to our hotel in Khorat we will
stop at one of the biggest Banyan Trees in
Thailand. Accommodation at the Sima Thani Hotel. |
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Day 02.
Khorat – Phanom Rung – Surin (B,L)
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In
the morning we stroll over the
morning groceries market, visit the
monument of Thao Suranari,
commemorating Khun Ying Mo, who
saved the city from an invasion of
the Laotian army during the reign
of King Rama III. We aslo visit “Wat Sala Loi,
located on the banks of Takhong
River with its most outstanding feature: the main chapel
in the shape of a
Chinese Junk. We continue to the
pottery village of Dan Kwian and
have lunch in a local restaurant .
After this we
continue our journey to the Lost
Khmer Temples and visit Prasat Hin Khao Phnom Rung,
a
temple built of an extinct
volcano. |
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The
temple’s construction began in the
early 10th century and like other Khmer sites it
is built on a route to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Wat Phanom Rung is considered the finest Khmer
Temple in Thailand and reflects many
features of its mother temple, Angkor Wat. Close by is Muang Tam,
yet another impressive Khmer temple that can
be visited.
Accommodation at the Thong Tharin Hotel. |
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Day 03. Surin
– Kong Jiam (B,L)
After breakfast in our hotel
it's on to Ubon where we visit a typical
northeastern
market. We then continue to Khong Jiam along
the Mekong River and lunch on the banks of this
river.
We travel on the Mekong River by boat and
stop at the Wat Hiew Chai temple. Overnight
at the Tohsang Khong Jiam Resort.
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Day 04. Kong Jiam (B,L)
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After breakfast we visit the
Thai–Lao border market of of Chongmeck, where products from
countries from
the Mekong delta, that is Vietnam, China, Laos and Cambodia,
are sold. We continue to Phra Taem National
Park to see the pre-historic cliff paintings, that date
back some 2 to 3000 years. We then walk a trail and
enjoy a superb view of the mighty Mekong River. After lunch we return
to the resort. Overnight at Tohsang Khong Jiam
Resort. |
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Day 05. Kong
Jiam – Roi Et – Khon Kaen (B,L)
We leave
Khong Jiam for Khon Kaen. On the way we
visit a catholic village with a wooden
church and in Roi-Et we visit the city lodge
and one of the largest Buddha images in the
World: the 68 meter high Buddha of “Wat
Buraphaphiram”. Before going to our Khon
Kaen hotel we first stop at the “Kosum
Phisai” monkey park where you can buy fruit
and peanuts to feed the monkeys.
Accommodation at the Charoen Thani Princess
hotel. |
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Day 06. Khon Kaen – Loei – Den Sai (B,L)
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Via Chum Phae we
visit the barely known village of Little Kung Ming.
This unspoiled village in the middle
of Isan is surrounded by mountains
and has
a mystic atmosphere that cannot
easily be
described. The Thai word for Loei means “beyond” or “to the
farthest extreme,” a befitting name
for a town that lies in the
northernmost part of Northeast
Thailand, on the edge of the Khorat
Plateau. We visit a lively
local market naer the bridge
that crosses
the river, Lak Muang or the city pillar
and Chao Pho Kut Pong an old
shrine. Accommodation at the Phu Pha Nam
Resort. |
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Day 07. Den
Sai (B)
After breakfast we visit
the wine yards of
Château de Loei and enjoy
the taste of the local wine. Return to our
resort where you can relax and enjoy the
facilities of the resort. Accommodation at
the Phu
Pha Nam Resort. |
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Day 08.
Den Sai – Phitsanuloke – Sukothai – Tak (B,L)
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After breakfast
we visit “Wat Nae Ra Mit Wi Passana
Temple” in Den Sai. Then it's on to Phitsanuloke
where we visit Wat Mahatat and it’s
highly revered Buddha statue, Phra
Buddha Chinaraj. We then continue to Sukothai,
where you visit the ancient ruins
from the Ramkhamhaeng Historical Park and
Wat Sri Chum with its gigantic
Buddha statue. Accommodation at
the Viang Tak 2 Hotel. |
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Day 09. Tak –
Lampang – Lamphun – Chiang Mai (B,L)
In the early morning we
visit one of the most beautiful and famous
temples in Northern Thailand "Wat Phra That Lampang Luang".
The eventful history of this 1000-year-old
temple is described in its many murals. We
then continue our journey and visit the Lampang Elephant
Conversation Centre, one the most beautiful elephants
schools from the North where we see a
demonstration of how these gigantic
animals work in the forest. It is also
possible to have a ride on the back of an elephant
as an optional excursion. After the show we visit
the FAE (Friends of
Asian Elephants), an elephant hospital at another part
of the area. Around lunchtime we visit the Dan Kwiang
Forest market, a market (in)famous for its variety
of edible insects. After lunch we proceed to Lamphun and visit Wat Phra That Haripoonchai,
one of the most important Buddhist temples
in the North of Thailand. From here
it’s a short drive to Chiang Mai where our
program ends. |
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Included:
English speaking guide, 8
lunches, and visits as mentioned in the program,
entrance fees
B=Breakfast
L=Lunch
D=Dinner
Not included:
flight to
Thailand, airport taxes, meals not mentioned,
drinks,
tips,
optional excursions and travel insurance
Note: small deviations in the
tour program are sometimes necessary, depending
on weather, road conditions and room
availability
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