Depart from London on an overnight flight to Bangkok.

You’ll arrive at Bangkok airport and are met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon we include a tour of Bangkok. The city is full of fascinating palaces, temples and markets. It is best explored from the water and our tour includes a trip by longtail boat to glide along the busy ‘klongs’ (canals) for which the city is famous.

You’ll pass many stilt houses which face the Chao Phraya river and see local trade along the water. Local kids are everywhere too, jumping in the river, fishing and boating. Then climb into a tuk-tuk and we’ll take you to visit an important temple - Wat Phra Kaew, followed by a visit to the golden domes of the Grand Palace, with its stunning Emerald Buddha. We also recommend a walk in the park just behind the palace, where hundreds of people come to fly their kites each day. In the evening you can take dinner in a floating restaurant down on the river.

Today you travel to the island of Ko Samet by minibus followed by a 45-minute ferry crossing. Ko Samet has some of the best beaches in Thailand and a thoroughly relaxed atmosphere.

Less than seven kilometres off the coast of Rayong Province in the eastern Gulf of Thailand, it has been a safe anchorage for sailors since the 13th century and in the 19th century its sheer beauty was the inspiration for the literary masterpiece of Thailand's most famous romantic poet, Sunthorn Phu. It is part of the Khao Laem Ya – Samet National Marine Park and has developed into a much loved beach escape by both Thais and foreigners. Coves and beaches provide a choice of activities and you can snorkel, hunt for shells, take boat trips, watch the sunset, walk around the island or simply relax on the beach for the next few days.

Today you take the ferry to the mainland and return to Bangkok by minibus, arriving in time to catch the evening train to Chiang Mai. Enjoy dinner as you speed through the Thai countryside, go to sleep to the sound of the wheels clacking on the tracks and wake in time to have breakfast before you arrive in the morning.

You are met at the station and transferred to your guesthouse in Chiang Mai. Surrounded by mountains and forests, this is the second largest city in Thailand but much quieter than chaotic Bangkok. Rich in cultural heritage and a mecca for handicrafts, the old part of the city is contained in a square moat.

After you have freshened up you take a tour of some of the many ‘wats’ (temples); there are over 300 in the city. You then visit the Tribal Museum to gain an understanding of the hilltribes before your trek to stay in one of their villages. The hilltribes make their living by growing crops and then moving on when the soil is exhausted. However, their economy is having to adapt to modern day tourism and agricultural practices as the available land is running out. There is an optional visit to a hilltribe near Chiang Mai.

Today you drive through rolling hills and forest, almost to the border of Thailand and Burma, to the remote town of Soppong.

The road winds through some stunning scenery of cultivated valleys and hilltop forests, and passes through Pai, an oasis in the middle of a broad valley. The jungle on the other side of the river has so far avoided the slash and burn of other parts of the country, and you will be able to see indigenous teak trees. Wild orchids are abundant and along the way you stop at a local market and an orchid nursery before arriving in the peaceful town of Soppong. Two temples anchor either end of the village which is a trading and market centre for the many hilltribes in the region.

Today you have an opportunity to visit a hilltribe village in the highland region. The villagers will welcome you to stay the night in one of their houses and get a feel for their way of life, which they have maintained for nearly 1000 years. The hilltribes migrated from southern China over 100 years ago and made their way to Thailand, Burma, Laos and Vietnam, where they still make their living from farming and artisan crafts.

There are about 800,000 people divided into seven main tribes, and each tribe is quite distinct with its own customs and styles of dress. For instance the Karen women are famous for their weaving; the ‘long-neck’ Padaung women use brass rings to lengthen their necks; and the Padaung men and women decorate their teeth with gold. Your guide will brief you on local rules such as what to wear and whether you should ask permission before taking photographs or entering a house.

Today you’ll walk back to your base at Soppong. Optional activities include a ride on an elephant – it is magical sitting in a howdah 12 feet from the ground, swaying about; watch out for your legs as the elephant twitches its ears. There are more local excursions or you can visit Lod Cave, part of one of the largest cave systems in northern Thailand with wonderful limestone stalactites (these hang down – the stalagmites rise up!). They have been inhabited since prehistoric times. There are three chambers with a walkways to take you through the caves. To cross the river you’ll have to jump on a bamboo raft.

This morning you drive to Mae Hong Son, known as the Switzerland of Thailand and encompassed by soaring hills and plunging valleys. Being right on the Thai/Burma border, there is a strong Burmese influence in its culture and architecture. It is a short hop back from here to Chiang Mai by plane.

Today is free for you to enjoy Chiang Mai on your last day. This evening have a farewell meal at a local restaurant with a display of folk dancing.

In the morning you’ll begin your journey home. First you take an internal flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok airport. Cross from the domestic terminal to Bangkok International and fly to London.

Tour ends on arrival in London

Day 13 Fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap
From Bangkok you connect with a flight to Siem Reap and are met and transferred to your guesthouse. This is the jumping off point for your trip to the fabled temple complex of Angkor Wat. Guesthouse (breakfast).

Day 14 Guided tour of Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is one of mankind’s amazing achievements, built from around 800 to 1200 AD by the Khmer Empire. Over 200 of the temples have been restored in some way to allow visitors to imagine what it must have been like living during that period of time. There are actually over 1000 temple sites at Angkor, but most of them are now barely standing, if at all.

For hundreds of years, the lost city of Angkor was a legend. Cambodian peasants living on the edge of the thick jungle around the Tonle Sap Lake, said they had found "temples built by gods or by giants," which puzzled the French colonialists who arrived in Indo-China in the 1860s, and so when Henri Mahout discovered the Angkor temples in 1860 he opened up this `lost city' to the world. The legend became fact and historians and archaeologists came to Angkor to explain the meaning of these vast buildings. They found it hard to believe that Angkor had been built by the Cambodian people, believing the temples to have been built by another race who had conquered and occupied Cambodia maybe 2000 years before. However as the Sanskrit inscriptions were deciphered, the history of Angkor was slowly pieced together.

During your time here you’ll discover some of the main points of interest with a local guide and have free time to explore at your own pace. Guesthouse (breakfast)

Day 15 Boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake
You have a break from Angkor today and take a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, riding through the floating villages with their water houses, simple restaurants amongst the lilly pads, schools – complete with a caged basketball court attached, and a holy water church. You can also visit a silk farm nearby. Guesthouse (breakfast)

Day 16 Guided tour of Angkor Wat
Today you return to the temples of Angkor Wat for further explorations. Guesthouse (breakfast).

Day 17 Siem Reap Airport to Bangkok for overnight flight to London
This morning you transfer back to the airport for your flight to Bangkok and onward connection to London.

Day 18 Arrive London