• 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
• 7 nights 3 - 4 star & Special Class hotels, 1 night floating hotel in the jungle, 1 night overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
• Economy class flight Chiang Mai - Bangkok
• Airport arrival transfer day 1 & departure transfer day 10
• Escorted by an English-speaking Thai tour guide
• Guided sightseeing - Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Erawan National Park, Ayuthaya and Chiang Rai
• Train ride over the River Kwai and visit to Hellfire Pass
• L ongtail boat cruise on the canals of Bangkok and on the Kok River
• River cruise from Ayuthaya to Bangkok
• E xcursion to the hill tribe villages around Chiang Rai
• All relevant transfers and transportation in private air-conditioned vehicles

Sunday 29 October 2017. Welcome to Thailand and the start of your holiday! Upon arrival to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, after attending to immigration, please proceed to the Arrivals Hall, EXITING VIA DOOR B, where you will be met by an On The Go Tours representative, carrying an On The Go Tours sign. Note: our representative will be waiting for you outside Door B, should you happen to exit via Door A or Door C, please walk to the Door B exit – 100m away where our representative will be waiting for you. Please show this tour voucher to our representatives upon arrival and ensure it is returned to you as you may need it later on your travels. If, for any reason you are unable to commence your trip as scheduled, or on arrival, you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the emergency contact persons as listed on your tour voucher. Please do not exit the airport and make your own way to the start hotel, please follow the advice given by our emergency contact persons. If arriving to Bangkok via Don Mueang International Airport, our arrival procedure is the same as above with the exception that after attending to immigration and entering the Arrivals Hall, please proceed to the 'Information' counter near Door No 5 where our representative will be waiting for you. Once you have met our representative you will be escorted to our awaiting transportation and a driver will transfer you to our hotel. Upon arrival please give your name to the hotel receptionist and check into your room. Now, the adventure begins! For those arriving a day or two earlier than Day One of the tour, you can spend your time exploring and getting acquainted with the city. Nana BTS Station (Sky Train) is located approx 500m from our hotel. The Sky Train is inexpensive and a great way to travel around the city and connects into the underground rail network truly making all main sites easy to reach. Day One is designed to be an arrival day for all passengers. Spend the day discovering the city, your way before heading back to the hotel this evening for our welcome meeting hosted by your tour guide, scheduled to commence at 6pm. After you might like to join your guide and other members of the group for a meal.

This morning we visit the spiritual and religious heart of the city - the striking Grand Palace. Topped by golden stupas, the complex has been the site of royal coronations and is home to the legendary Emerald Buddha. We’ll also visit the House of the Reclining Buddha, the Original Thai Massage School and the 24hr Flower Market before boarding longtail boats to explore the city’s canals. Known as khlongs, the canals enable surface water to make its way to the sea and have long been a way of getting around Bangkok. On our journey we’ll glide by curious stilted houses and gleaming temples whilst old men fish and children folic about on the waters edge. Our boats drop us off within walking distance of Khao San Road, popular with backpackers and hippies. Late afternoon offers free time for you to enjoy the many bars, restaurants, street performers, market stalls and tailors - that will measure you up for a new suit, that line this vibrant road. Overnight - Bangkok (B)

Bangkok - Kanchanaburi. Departing at approx 7am, it’s an early start today as we drive 2.5hrs west of the capital to the small town of Kanchanaburi. Here we pay our respects to the thousands of Allied POWs who perished in the area under the hand of the Imperial Japanese Army. After pausing at the Allied War Cemetery we continue to the infamous ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’, immortalised by the film of the same name. You have a chance to take pictures before you board a train for a 2 hour journey that crosses the bridge before following the tracks dug by the POWs and locals some 75 years earlier. Disembarking at Nam Tok we have a short drive to ‘Hellfire Pass’ where the POWs dug through a mountain often using only their bare hands. A fascinating museum at the entrance details the region’s history. After our day’s sightseeing a leisurely longtail boat ride leads us to our fabulous floating jungle raft hotel. To the beauty of a hundred softly glowing lanterns and the sounds of the tropical forest and cool water flowing by we enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening on the deck.

Kanchanaburi - Ayuthaya. This morning we travel on to the beautiful Erawan National Park, to explore the rivers, waterfalls and trails on foot. The park boasts a stunning tiered waterfall and there’s time to take a quick dip in the crystalline waters before we visit the Taweechai Elephant Camp to watch the beautiful creatures bathe. Our final destination today is Ayuthaya, the former capital of Thailand. Note: a visit to Taweechai Elephant Camp is only offered on tours departing prior to 01 Sept 2016. If travelling after this date, tours will travel from Erawan National Park direct to Ayuthaya. Overnight - Ayutthaya (B)

Ayuthaya - Bangkok - Chiang Mai. Ayuthaya was sacked by the Burmese, leading them to abandon the site and relocate the capital to Bangkok. All that remains are the stone and brick temples from the era. Today we explore Ayuthaya’s famous ruins, visiting the magnificent stupas at Wat Phri Sanphet, the giant Bronze Statue of Buddha and iconic Wat Mahatat where the head of a damaged Buddha statue has slowly been embraced and lifted by a nearby tree. This is one of Thailand’s most religiously significant places. Departing Ayuthaya we board a cruise ship on the mighty Chao Praya River, for a scenic cruise back to the Bangkok, enjoying lunch on board. On arrival there’s time to explore the nearby shops and bars before heading to Bangkok’s main train station to catch our overnight express sleeper train (2nd class A/C sleeper cabins) to Chiang Mai. The train is scheduled to arrive to Chiang Mai at 07:40. Although the train near always departs on time, expect our arrival time to be two hours later that scheduled.

This morning we arrive into the picturesque city of Chiang Mai, nestled in the foothills of northern Thailand. This afternoon we take a trishaw ride and explore the old city of Chiang Mai before driving up to the majestic Doi Suthep, standing like a sentinel overlooking Chiang Mai. The tranquillity of monks chanting as the sun slowly heads to the horizon is a highlight for many. In the evening we head into the night market to explore many of the street foods on offer and perhaps try our hand at haggling. This evening we begin to enjoy the festivities of Loi Krathong and Yi Peng. Yi Peng & Loi Krathong Festivals Celebrated throughout the Kingdom on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, the Loi Krathong festival is named after the floating lanterns, boats and ornaments that are set adrift onto rivers during the celebrations. For some, floating a Krathong, especially when lit, are meant to honour Buddha. For most Thais, it’s a way to thank the Hindu Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha, for her help in providing the most basic of all human necessities. The practice is also associated with creating good luck and ridding oneself of anger and negative thoughts. Some will cut their fingernails and hair and add them to the Krathong, to symbolise the letting go of the bad elements of one's self. In Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of the former Lanna Kingdom, Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as ‘Yi Peng’ where a multitude of Lanna-style sky lanterns adorned with good luck wishes and prayer are released into the sky. Tonight, as both Loi Krathong and Yi Peng are being celebrated at the same time, we will see lanterns floating on the waters, strings of pretty lights hanging from houses and temples, and hundreds of beautiful lanterns floating by in the sky. Setting out on foot with our guide, we'll aim to catch the lantern releases and join the other festivities which usually include fireworks, boat racing on the Ping River and parades through the streets. Overnight - Chiang Mai

Today is free for you to enjoy at your leisure or enjoy more of the Yi Peng and Loi Krathong festivities. With our guide, we head to the market to stock up on all materials needed to make our own Krathongs, then learn how to make them ready to be sailed this evening. There will also be a host of other festival activities that we can enjoy during the day. Not to mention activities unrelated to the festival such as cookery courses and flying through the jungle canopy on zip lines! Overnight - Chiang Mai (B)

Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai. Our journey today takes us through stunning karst and jungle scenery. Stopping for lunch at Ta Thon we board private long tail boats for a cruise down the Kok River watching rural life pass us by. Farmers work the land where oranges grow whilst men fish along the banks and buffalo wallow in the shallow waters. From our arrival point continue to the unique Wat Rong Khun Buddhist temple depicting scenes from modern movies including the Matrix, Star Wars and Superman!We continue to our hotel in Chiang Rai arriving in the early evening. Once you have checked in the guide will take you down to the night market for you to do some last minute bargain hunting and to sample some of the delicacies of the region.

Chiang Rai - Bangkok. After breakfast, we check out and depart at 8.00am. Our first stop is at a village where you have the chance to encounter the famous Long Neck or ‘Karen’ (pronounced Car Ren) tribe. We continue to the border frontier town of Mae Sai, where you have the chance to cross briefly into Myanmar and enter the Burmese town of Tachileik (optional). Tachileik - Burma Thai's pop across to Tachileik for a weekend of gambling, officially illegal in Thailand or to purchase goods not available locally. The town's sole existence now a day is trade, particularly counterfeited merchandise made in China or Taiwan. Although the town doesn't offer any great sightseeing opportunities, this maybe possibly the only opportunity you might get to visit a land that was closed for such a long time. If you are making the hop you won't need to change currency as the town uses Thai Baht and not the Burmese/Myanmar Kyat. Currently the visa cost is 500 baht, though technically this is not official and can vary on the day depending on the angle of the sun, and whether Manchester United managed to beat City in the local derby. We continue to Chiang Saen, better known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ a name earned from the fact that so much opium passed through the area, a drug at the time what pound for pound was worth more than gold. We stand at a viewpoint that lets us see Myanmar in front of us, and Laos to the right. We take time to visit the Opium Museum before returning to Chiang Mai to catch our flight back to Bangkok. Flight arrival time to Bangkok approx: 21:45 On arrival in the city, we transfer to our hotel arriving late into the evening, not really a problem in ‘the city that never sleeps’

Tuesday 07 November 2017. Today marks the end of your Thai adventure. After breakfast and hotel check out we will transfer you to the airport in time for your onward departure flight. Your most welcome to extend your stay in Bangkok. If choosing to book post tour accommodation with us a departure transfer to the airport will be offered at the completion of your post tour accommodation arrangements.

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