Setting off from the neon lights of bustling Bangkok, this comprehensive, eleven-day tour travels up through the ancient Siamese Kingdoms of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, to the mountainous jungle landscapes of northern Thailand.
Venture deep into the heart of Khao Sok National Park for an unforgettable tented camp experience - where you'll wake to the sounds of the jungle, walk alongside gentle elephants, kayak across emerald-green lakes, and explore ancient rainforest trails teeming with wildlife and wonder.
Depart on your indirect, overnight flight to Bangkok International Airport.
On arrival into Bangkok you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel. The day will be at leisure to settle in and explore your new surroundings. Originally a small harbour village, Thailand's vibrant capital infuses grand Buddhist architecture within an ultramodern metropolis interspersed by aromatic food markets and waterways that unite this Venice of the East.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today's full day city tour takes you through Chinatown to the city's colourful flower market where beautifully scented jasmine buds are hand made for temple offerings. Visit Wat Pho, home to one of the country's longest and most impressive reclining Buddha images, before visiting Thailand's most important landmark, The Grand Palace. The royal complex displays European-inspired halls partitioned by tranquil gardens, ornate pavilions representing 200 years of successive Kings and the magnificent golden chedi of Thailand's most sacred temple - Wat Phra Kaew. In the afternoon board a traditional long-tail boat to navigate Bangkok's khlongs, where local wooden-stilted houses line the banks. Pass the domineering Wat Arun temple, encrusted with porcelain mosaics that reflect the sunlight with a lustrous glow. In the evening, Take a great experience with an enchanting dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River on Grand Pearl. You will enjoy various Thai classical dances and live music band on board with sumptuous Buffet dinner of Thai and International Cuisine.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning, leave Bangkok to visit the famous floating market of Damnoen Saduak, a man-made river network populated by wooden canoes piled high with colourful produce. En-route, pass mango and lychee plantations and make a brief stop at a coconut farm to learn how the nuts are harvested and manufactured into a variety of products by hand. On arrival at the floating market, observe local traders paddling their fragile boats whilst preparing fragrant dishes within teetering woks. Continue west to the historical jungle town of Kanchanaburi to visit the humbling war cemetery and nearby Thailand-Burma railway museum which documents the brutal Japanese occupation and harrowing conditions faced by prisoners during World War II. Enjoy lunch at a floating restaurant near the infamous railway bridge that inspired Pierre Boulle's novel and the film - the Bridge Over the River Kwai. Transfer to the city of Ayutthaya for dinner and a well-deserved rest.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Start your day at the ancient royal monastery of Wat Yai Chaimongkhol to see impressive constructions built after King Naresuan's victory over the Burmese in 1592. Visit Ayutthaya's UNESCO historical park, an ancient royal capital that was once considered one of the region's most illustrious cities. Wander the Summer Palace, surrounded by rivers and lakes, the beautifully landscaped grounds boast romantic European style architecture, commissioned by the Royal family and still used on special occasions. After your guided tour depart Ayutthaya and journey through rural Thailand past typical Thai houses, peanut plantations and farmers working on the verdant rice paddies. A lunch stop will be made before continuing on to Sukhothai for your overnight stay.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
One of Thailand's most impressive UNESCO sites awaits this morning - the ancient Sukothai Historical Park. The peaceful surroundings contain ancient ruins hidden amongst lakes of lotus flowers, a stunning setting crafted during the country's golden era of religious architecture that formed the blueprint of quintessential Thai style. Continue north to Si Satchanalai Historical Park where you will see one of the largest monasteries, Wat Chang Lom. The main bell shaped Stupa is surrounded by 39 elephant sculptures. After having lunch near the Yom River, continue your drive to Chiang Mai nestled in the mountains of Northern Thailand.
Breakfast
Take the morning to relax before travelling north of Chiang Mai to visit Kanta Elephant Sanctuary in the afternoon. Change into traditional clothing and prepare fruits for the animals before feeding them and watching them in the water. This evening you can enjoy some free time to relax or experience a local tuk tuk ride to the nearby famous night market - head out after 7pm to explore the many stalls, restaurants and bars with live music and delicious street food.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After being collected from your hotel this morning, you will visit a local market to learn how to choose fish, meat and vegetables whilst at the same time learning about the herbs and spices that are needed and used in Thai cooking. From the market you will proceed to The Best Cooking School where you can try your hand at cooking some of the most famous food and desserts in the country. This afternoon, your guide will take you to Doi Suthep, a nearby mountain, for panoramic views over the city's vast tropical plains. Near the summit discover Wat Phra That, Northern Thailand's holiest shrine, where kneeling worshipers gather around the dazzling golden dome to light aromatic incense and lay lotus flowers before immaculate icons of the Buddha. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure before sampling a traditional evening at a Khantoke dinner and show. Enjoy a performance by local Lanna dancers while eating food served on large platters to share at low tables. A Khantoke platter usually consist of 9 small dishes such as Hang Ley Pork Curry, Fried Crispy Chicken, boiled vegetables and sticky rice.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today, begin your assent of northern Thailand's mountainous regions, through mist-coated fern forests to the charming town of Thaton. Board a traditional long-tail boat for a tranquil cruise along the Kok River; traverse slow moving waters to a chorus of cicadas to observe the thatched bamboo huts of the northern hill tribes dotted throughout the picturesque countryside. Disembark and drive to the infamous Golden Triangle, a mountainous range where Thailand, Laos and Burma converge which was once a prolific area for opium production. Continue to your hotel for a night in the laidback city of Chiang Rai.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning visit the stunning Wat Rongkhun, an art instillation in the form of a temple. Designed by visual artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, its striking white exterior is mixed with mirror fragments to create a mesmerising effect symbolising the Buddha's purity. Wander to the temples entrance over a sea of sculpted hands reaching out in desperation and admire the interior murals, an incongruous mix of traditional Buddhist images with modern icons including Superman, the international space station and George Bush. After lunch head to Chiang Mai Airport for your flight to Bangkok, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for a farewell dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Transfer to Bangkok airport for your flight to Phuket. You will be met at the airport and transferred to Elephant Hills for your unforgettable Tented Jungle Camp experience in the heart of Khao Sok. After lunch, your adventure begins with a tranquil jungle river canoe trip down the Sok River. Drift gently along the water, surrounded by towering limestone mountains and cliffs blanketed in lush, tropical vegetation. Keep your eyes peeled for hornbill birds soaring overhead and reptiles basking in the sun along the riverbanks. From your canoe, you’ll glimpse some of the last remaining areas of primary rainforest—a timeless world, virtually untouched for thousands of years.
After your canoe safari, you’ll continue to the elephant park for the awe-inspiring elephant experience. Here, you’ll have the rare opportunity to see, touch, and learn about Thai elephants up close while gaining insight into the conservation efforts of Elephant Hills. Your guide will introduce you to the life of the mahout, the devoted caretaker of the elephants. You’ll help prepare and feed the elephants one of their daily meals, including special supplements essential for their digestion and health. This immersive encounter offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to connect with Asia’s largest land animal in a respectful and meaningful way.
As the day draws to a close, return to your safari tent to unwind and enjoy the panoramic views of jungle-covered mountains. Relax at the club bar with a wide selection of drinks available before enjoying the optional evening entertainment. Dinner is served in the open-air restaurant nestled beside the rainforest—an atmospheric and memorable dining experience surrounded by the sounds of nature. Retire for the night in your comfortable tent.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Wake up to the soothing sounds of nature, with birds calling from the bushes just outside your tent. As the sun rises and the morning mist lifts from the rainforest-covered mountains south of Elephant Hills, the echoing calls of gibbons fill the valley—an enchanting start to your day.
Today, you'll embark on an unforgettable journey to explore Cheow Lan Lake by traditional long-tail boat. This stunning man-made lake is surrounded by dramatic limestone mountains and rainforest-clad cliffs that rise majestically from the water and stretch far into the horizon. The breathtaking scenery has drawn comparisons to Guilin in China and Halong Bay in Vietnam, yet it remains a hidden gem, known to few and visited by even fewer. Spanning over 60 kilometres from north to south and dotted with more than one hundred islands, the lake is a vast and tranquil wonder.
In the 1970s, the area served as a remote refuge for communists and students resisting the military dictatorship, which helped preserve its untouched natural beauty. As you cruise across the emerald waters, take in the spectacular surroundings and enjoy a refreshing swim—don’t forget your swimwear. Towels will be provided at the local floating raft house, where you'll stop for lunch and some well-deserved relaxation.
In the late afternoon, return for dinner and a restful night in your tent. With a day full of discovery and experiences behind you, let the gentle chorus of jungle insects and frogs lull you into a peaceful sleep under the rainforest canopy.
Breakfast & Lunch
Begin your final day at Elephant Hills with a wholesome breakfast, fuelling up for an immersive adventure into the heart of the jungle. Today, you’ll explore the rainforest on foot giving you an incredible opportunity to witness the wonders of nature up close.
As you walk slowly through the lush undergrowth, you’ll encounter an astonishing variety of exotic plant life: towering tropical hardwood trees with massive roots, delicate orchids, palms, ferns, bamboos, mosses, and much more. High above, hornbills may soar between the treetops, gibbons call to one another across the canopy, and if you're lucky, you might spot a macaque or leaf monkey swinging through the branches. Brilliant butterflies flit through the air, adding vibrant colour to the green world around you. Every walk through the rainforest is different, and each moment reveals something new. Take your time—look, listen, and learn—and you’ll begin to uncover the hidden secrets of this ancient jungle.
After your morning exploration, return to the camp to enjoy a Thai buffet, offering a final taste of the local cuisine. Following lunch, transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
Your flight lands back in the UK today.
Use discount code TOUR200 at the checkout to save £200 per person on selected tours departing in January 2026, February 2026, June 2026 and July 2026
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Thank you Mercury for an outstanding trip. This was my first time taking a trip out of Europe and it exceeded my expectations. Jeff our guide was so knowledgeable and really looked after us. Our driver was also very helpful. All the hotels were excellent with fabulous staff and a choice of food at breakfast and in the evening.
Alison Hadfield
01 Nov 24Our wonderful guide Grace went above and beyond to look after us all, and made us feel very special. It was a wonderful trip and was above all our expectations we would definitely go back.
Alison Armstrong
06 Mar 24The guide Wat was superb. Nothing was too much trouble and he went out of his way to make the trip enjoyable. He would buy fruit (and bugs!) from the market and let us all try them, as well as giving top tips about how to get to various places in the evenings, such as night markets, and guidance on how much we should pay for a tuk tuk. Hats off again to Mercury for a really comprehensive escorted tour - felt we covered Thailand well!
Dawn Goudge
21 Jan 24The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however order of events and sightseeing may vary according to the local conditions.
If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
A visa is not required before you travel to Thailand; you will be issued with a tourist visa valid for 60 days on arrival into the country. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity. You will be required to fill in a digital arrival card 3 days before arrival in Thailand. You can do this online here - https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/#/home
Please note your final documentation will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0333 188 0407, quoting HX313.
IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Classic Thailand is rated as Intermediate. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. Your tour involves climbing steep stairs, getting on and off coaches and boats. It also includes travelling by overnight train. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.
The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). We recommend that you exchange you currency before you leave the UK, however cash machines are available in all the major cities to withdraw money in the local currency. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Money can be exchanged at the airport or branches of government banks. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and some shops and restaurants.
As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels.
You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any dinners where these are not mentioned on your itinerary and personal purchases, such as souvenirs, extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £200-£300 per person should be sufficient for the duration of your tour.
Tipping
Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion to tip both your driver and guide. We would recommend to tip approximately £1-2 per person per day. This is a total of £22 per person to budget for tips on your trip. Tips will be collected at the beginning of your tour. Tips are accepted in the local currency.
Elephant Hills extension:
Please note that only cash payments are accepted at Elephant Hills Camp due to its remote location.
Tipping is entirely at your discretion. However, if you wish to show appreciation, we recommend a tip of 100 THB per day, which can be given directly to your guide at the end of your stay.
The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 11, and the maximum will be 30. If in the unlikely event there are less than 11 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
This is a fully escorted tour meaning that you will be met on arrival and will have a guide with you throughout your stay until you depart Chiang Mai, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.
Private Tours: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.
Your Elephant Hills extension is a fully guided with a fully trained, TAT-licensed English speaking Thai tour leader.
Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Thailand. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. If you have booked a triple share please note that your room will be a twin room with a rollaway bed or sofa bed added. This may limit the floor space in the room.
Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and Dinner (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.
Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.
It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. 1 bottle of water are supplied per day.
At the Elephant Hills Camp, you will find complimentary fill up stations for drinking water.
The three most important Buddhist holidays are Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day and Asahna Bucha Day. All three are public holidays in Thailand. During this time many shops and business close for the celebrations. Because they are such important religious occasions, there are temporary restrictions in place on alcohol sales with entertainment venues in some areas also closing.
During visits to Churches/Temples please note both men and women need to wear long trousers or skirts to cover knees, tops with sleeves should be worn to cover shoulders.
On your arrival in Thailand, you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Asian Trails, at Gate 6 on Floor 2 inside the airport. The Mercury Holidays/Asian Trails representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.
If you need to contact Asian Trails, during your stay the details are:
Address: 12th Floor, The regent house, 183 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
Phone: +66 (0)6-5120-7183 (Dedicated English-Speaking Emergency Line)
Email: attinboundenglish@asiantrails.org;
Elephant Hills:
Operation Team (Opening Hour 08.00-22.00) - Tel +66 61-414-1992 – in resort or next day arrival
Residence Executive - Tel +6693-5757344 - In resort only outside of office hours
