Upon arrival, you are met and escorted to the hotel.
The rest time will be free in Bangkok city.

Content TextYour journey commences with a leisurely drive from Bangkok, passing through salt fields and rice paddies before embarking aboard your long tail speed-boat on your journey to the floating markets. The floating markets are a fascinating experience, a complete contrast to how we shop for food in the west, and are made up of Thai style canoes laden with colorful and succulent fruits, vegetables, sweets and meats - gently plying their way through the canal, selling as they go. It is one of most popular Thai sightseeing experiences and not to be missed. If you want to take a closer look your local Thai guide will help you organize a local boat ride through the markets (optional extra).
 
You will then board your coach for the journey west to Kanchanaburi, home to the River Kwai and it's infamous bridge. The building of the bridge in 1943 was part of a wartime project to link existing Thai and Burmese railway lines to create a direct route from Bangkok, Thailand to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) in an effort to support the Japanese occupation of Burma. Over 100,000 conscripted laborers and 12,000 prisoners of war died during the whole project.
 
Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant before visiting the bridge after visiting the JEATH war museum, which houses pictures and paintings from this period. Combining the two attractions unfortunately means there is not enough time to take a train ride, before your journey back to Bangkok and your hotel.

You will visit the Royal Grand Palace and have a Bangkok City Tour after landing.
Depart from hotel to Rattanakosin Island, the original area of Bangkok when it was first established as the capital over 200 years ago.Visit Wat Trimit, known for its famous Golden Buddha. The beautiful image of solid gold is three metres high and weighs five and a half tons.
 
Continue the tour by passing through beautiful city scenery of the colorful flower market and Chinatown. The bustling business area of Chinatown is especially known for its gold jewellery shops. The atmosphere is totally changed at night - hordes of food stalls line the streets.
 
Visit Wat Pho or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, founded in the 16th century, the oldest and biggest temple with the largest number of pagodas (95 in all) in the city. Wat Pho was the first open university of Thailand which offered courses in several branches of knowledge like literature, astrology, medicine and massage. It's well known for its huge Reclining Buddha, 46 m. long and 15 m. high. 
 
Visit The Grand Palace has an area of 218,400 sq. metres and is surrounded by walls built in 1782. The length of the four walls is 1,900 metres. Within these walls are situated government offices and the Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha besides the royal residences. Wat Phra Kaeo, the most beautiful and important Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is so richly and intricately decorated that, once entering the temple, you will feel as if you are in a real "city of angels". 
 
City-sightseeing tour along Ratchadumnoen Rd.(The Royal's Way). En route you can see many magnificent temples and architectural buildings, including the City Pillar Shrine, National Museum, Democracy Monument, Golden Mountain, Thai Boxing Stadium, Anantasamakhom Palace, Parliament House, Dusit Zoo and Chitlada Palace King's Residence. A
Take the night flight to Chiang Mai, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel.

Take the morning flight to Chiang Mai, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel. You will be free in the afternoon and explore Chiang Mai city by yourself. Leave the afternoon at leisure for you to stroll around the market of this walled city. In the evening we will have a very typical Thai Kantoke dinner, and while sitting on the floor, see ancient dances from northern Thailand, followed by a performance of dances and songs by various hill tribes.
 
-Chiang Mai is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and is the capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. The city is on the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.
 
In recent years, Chiang Mai has become an increasingly modern city and attracts approximately 1 million visitors each year. Chiang Ma gained prominence in the political sphere in May 2006, when the Chiang Mai Initiative was concluded here between the ASEAN nations and the "+3" countries (China, Japan, and South Korea). Chiang Mai's historic importance derived from its strategic location on the Ping river and major trade routes. The city has long been a major center for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewelry (particularly silver) and woodcarving.
 
While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 150,000, the urban sprawl of the city now extends into several neighboring districts. This Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of Chiang Mai Province.
 
The city is subdivided into four wards (khwaeng): Nakhon Ping, Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kawila. The first three are on the west bank of the Ping River, and Kawila is located on the east bank. Nakhon Ping district comprises the north side of the city. Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kawila consist of the west, south, and east respectively. The city center—within the city walls—is mostly with Srivijaya ward.

Drive to the north of Chiang Mai to visit an elephants working site. Watch the elephants taking their daily bath in the stream before beginning to haul timber in the forest. Be amazed by their strength and intelligent team work. On the way back, we will visit the Rukachati National Park and its picturesque waterfalls, and lunch at a local restaurant.
 
In the afternoon, we will visit the most beautiful temples in Chiang Mai which include Wat Phra Singh with its famous Buddha image, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Chiang Man, the oldest temple in Chiang Mai built by King Mangrai, Wat Suan Dok which houses the remains of many generations of the old Chiang Mai Royal Family and Wat Jet Yot.
And the most beautiful of all, Wat Doi Suthep, tucked away in the mountains at 3,520 feet (1,056 meters). The temple is reached by a staircase with 290 steps, flanked by a NAGA balustrade on either side. The Monastery was built by King Gue-Na in 1383. The center is a big Chedi (spired pagoda) which contains partial relics of Lord Buddha.
 

We depart Chiang Mai for Chiang Dao and Fang, a 5 hour boat journey up to Chiang Rai, stopping en-route at hill tribe villages in the jungle, with lunch at a local restaurant.

--Chiang Rai is the most northern province of Thailand. The mighty Mekong river creates a border in the north to both Laos and Myanmar (Burma). The place where all these countries touch is the famous-infamous Golden Triangle. The terrain of Chiang Rai province is mountainous and covered in large parts with tropical rain forests.
 
The scenery is among the most  beautiful of Thailand and one of the best things about Chiang Rai province is its rich cultural diversity - lots of different ethnic communities - various hill tribes, Thais, ancient aboriginal people like the Lawa or Khamu, Shans, Lao, Chinese, and Mon, they all live peacefully and friction free together. In addition, the province offers opportunities for boat tours (on the river Kok and on the Mekong), elephant rides, hill trekking, and sightseeing. Combine all these and you'll know why it is a very worthwhile destination for travelers. 

In the morning visit the best Opium Hall at the Golden Triangle Park., which is sponsored by the Empress Dowager? An Invitation to the Mysterious World of Opium From darkness to light, the 5,600 square-meter Hall of Opium presents the history of opium from its natural properties to its use as long ago as 5,000 years. It traces opium' s global journey through trade routes in the age of imperialism, culminating in the Opium Wars-an event that disgraced both winners and losers, leading to the fall of the Manchu Dynasty through to the Siamese wisdom in confronting the West and the eventual control of opium problems.
 
Visit Golden Triangle Archway and Wat Pa Sak Temple , about one kilometer to the west of Chiang Saen in Tambon Wiang, was built by King Saen Phu in 1295 and three hundred teak trees were planted, hence the name Pa Sak (Teak Woods). It was then the residence of the patriarch. The temple' s chedi is of the beautiful Chiang Saen architectural style and the exteriors are elaborately decorated with designs. The chedi itself measures 12.5 meters tall with a base of 8 meters wide.

After breakfast you will say goodbye to your Laotian crew. Check-out and disembark.
You will take Tianda Speed Boat to Jinghong Port in XishuangBanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
 
In the afternoon arrive in Jinghong port in XishuangBanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, you will say goodbye to your Laotian crew and disembark from Mekong Prince Ship, then transfer to the hotel for checking.                                                

After breakfast, transfer to visit Galanba (Olive Dam) with an elevation of 530 meters above the sea level, a small town where you will see typical Dai bamboo cabins, Dai ethnic villages, Mangting Park, tropical plants and colorful fruits. Visit the Morning Ganlanba bazaar, here you will see some ethnic people decorated colorful costume in the market.
 
After lunch, step cross a suspension bridge to visit Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden, which has the riches plant diversity in China. Drive back to Jinghong City in the late afternoon.
 
----Monglun Tropical Botanic Garden is located in a island which is called Calabash Island. Its shape just likes a calabash with two ends big and middle narrow. The silver-belt-like Luosuo River( a tributary of Lancang(Mekong) River )surrounds the three sides of the island and only a narrow path connects it with the high Cuiping Peak. This is the home of Xishuangbanna Tropical Plants Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Science. The environment here is so beautiful with mountain and river around it. It is praised as "the Emerald on the Crown of the Kingdom of Plants".

After breakfast, drive to visit Wild Elephant Valley in Sanchahe Nature Reserve, enjoy the elephant show in the park, then take cable car to get through the primitive raining forest. After lunch,visit Dry Dai people Village on the way back as well as the Jinuo Ethnic village. In the late afternoon, come back to Jinghong City to try local tea in tea-house. Have Dai people' s barbecue as dinner at night. 
 
--Wild Elephants Valley covers an area of 369 hectares by the Sancha River in Mengyang Town, and is situated 47 kilometers north of the city of Jinghong. With hills rolling gently at an altitude ranging between 747 and 1055 metres, the valley is covered by tropical rain forests, crisscrossed by rivers and streams, and teeming with such endangered species as Asian wild elephants, wild oxen, green peacocks and monkeys. In the Wild Elephants Valley, the first passenger cableway with 2,063 meters of length in the equatorial forest sends the tourists to the main scenic spot in which the wild elephants live.
 

Take the morning flight to Dali which is a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest and Bai ethnic culture. After lunch, you’ll cruise in Erhai Lake by the small boat to the Jinsuo Islet in the east Erhai Lake. There are 200 Bai ethnic families around 1000 people in Jinsuo Island.In Erhai Lake cruise, you will enjoy the green Cangshan Mountain and the Three Pagodas from a far as well as lots of birds and seagulls flying over the lake.
 
At last, you will visit the Ancient Dali Town, walk around the Foreigner Street and enjoy the relax time with local people. After climbing up to the City Wall of Dali, you will have panoramic view of the Erhai Lake.

In the morning, you visit the Three Pagodas in Chongshen Monastery which has a history of over 1,800 years located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain facing to the Erhai Lake. Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle.
 
Before leaving for Lijiang, you will head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style traditional architectural courtyards, taste their fragrant Three-Course Tea and explore their distinctive culture. Visit Zhoucheng Village and the Bai people's Tie-dying cloth workshop where you can take some special souvenir with the Bai ethnic style.
 
Visit the Shaping Balaar happened every Monday in Shangguan Town. Drive about 180KM to Lijiang with the beautiful farmlands and ethnic villages on the way. In the late afternoon, explore Lijiang Old Town.Lijiang Ancient Town has a history more than 800 years; it was listed as the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997. Here you will see the wonderful wooden architecture of Naxi ethnic people. After dinner, you will attend the Naxi Orchestral Music in Naxi Concert in Lijiang Ancient Town.

Enjoy the sunrise of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Ancient Town in the morning, drive about 30KM to Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M), you will take the sightseeig bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. You will hike around1 hours in the original forest in Spruce Meadow (3200M).
 
After lunch, you will enjoy the Impression Lijang Ethnic Show directed in Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M). A cultural show demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai peoples of the area. The show takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park at 3500m in an outdoor theater specifically designed to showcase the mountain which is used as a backdrop. The production itself was designed by Zhang Yimou, Fan Yue and Wang Chaoge, a cast of over 500 people, and a number of horses.In the afternoon, you'll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village.  Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.
 
--Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches a length of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a width of 20 kilometers (13 miles). Looking from Lijiang Old Town in the south which is 15 kilometers (nine miles) away, the snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain resembles a jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The highest peak named Fan Peak (Shanzidou in Chinese) which is about 5596 meters above sea level. There are three cablecars in the mountain, the fist to the Glacier Park(4500M),the second to Spruce Meadow(3200M),the third to Yak Meadow(3700M).

From Lijiang, you'll drive about 60KM to the First Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, visit the Iron Chain Bridge,the Red Army's Long March Memorial Monument in the Shigu town. The town of Stone Drum got its name from a large, cylindrical, marble tablet shaped like a drum. The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks. You will have an experience of the floating from the First Bend of the Yangtze River to Longpan Town, after one hour floating, meet the driver and trasfer to Tiger Leaping Gorge.
 
Visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area because you can find gold in the river. Afternoon, you'll head for Shangri La, the former Zhongdian which is welknown as the paradise destination for every tourist. Upon arrival in Shangri La, you will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys. Walk around Dukezong Ancient Town, an important town of the Ancient Tea-horse Trade Caravan from Yunnan to Tibet and India.
 
-- Tiger Leaping Gorge is on the Jinsha River of the upper reaches of the Yangtze, located 105 kilometers south of Shangrila County. The gorge is 17 kilometers long with a drop of 213 meters. Tiger Leaping Gorge is divided into three sections: Upper, Middle and Lower Hutiao. At the narrowest spot the river is only 30 meters wide. The mouth of the gorge is 1,800 meters above sea level. The river is flanked by Yulong and Haba snow mountains, with a height difference of 3,900 meters. It is one of the deepest gorges in the world.

In the morning, visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. Songzanlin Monastery has another alias - 'the little Potala Palace ', so named because the whole monastery is in the traditional style with mysterious atmosphere.And afterwards you'll visit the tranquil Bita Lake & Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park Pudacuo National Park is located in one of the most biologically-diverse regions of the world. While the region comprises only 0.7 percent of China's land area, it contains more than 20 percent of the country's plant species, about one-third of its mammal and bird species and almost 100 endangered species.
 
Visit Dukezong Tibetan Ancient Town in the late afternoon, climb up to the top of Guishan Hill or tortoise Hill, you will see the largest Prayer Wheel of the world and have a panoramic view of shangrila county and Dukezong Ancient Town. Finally, you will visit a Tibetan's family to experience the local life in the bonfire party with Tibetan dance and music and you will try Tibetan home-made yak and cheese.

Take the morning flight to Kunming.
After landing, you'll begin your journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming. You will drive 86 km to the Stone Forest. An old local saying says that 'If you have visited Kunming without seeing the Stone Forest, you have wasted your time.' Truly, the Stone Forest is one of the most important attractions of Yunnan.
 
Drive back to Kunming and visit the Jingxing Flower and Bird Market.You will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings. If time permits, you will have a Kunming city tour.
 
After dinner, you will have an option to enjoy the large-scale dance drama "Dynamic Yunnan" which has been an outstanding innovation on the Chinese stage in recent years directed by Yang Liping. Primitive, unsophisticated folk dances and a fresh artistic concept converge in the programme, giving audiences a unique "Yunnan Impression." Sixty-two drums and 120 masks of strong ethnic characteristics are incorporated in the performance.
 
-- Kunming is the capital of southwest China's Yunnan province, a primarily agricultural province of 45 million. Kunming has a population of five million and is located in one of the world's most geographically, ethnically, biologically and linguistically diverse regions. Situated at 1,900 meters (6,233ft) above sea level and 25° north of the Equator it has a rather unique and pleasant climate for a Chinese city.

Transfer to Kunming International Airport for returning.
Service ends.