TOUR CODE:THA11

thailand culinary

11 Days / 10 Nights

VISIT: BANGKOK, CHIANG MAI, PHUKET
ARRIVAL DATE
January 20th, 2017 / June 16th, 2017
February 17th, 2017 / July 21st, 2017
March 17th, 2017 / August 18th, 2017
April 21st, 2017 / September 15th, 2017
May 19th, 2017 / October 20th, 2017

Prices are based on per person, double occupancy. Land Only rates do not include international air tickets.

Charming Travel Destinations guarantees to quote you the lowest possible airfare available on the day that you book.

Minimum 2 passengers to guarantee departure.
All hotels are subject to availability. Hotels may be substituted with another or similar category.

Prices and availability are subject to change at any time and prices are not guaranteed until we receive your final payment.

We reserve the right to modify the itinerary to ensure a smooth and safe trip.
No visa is required for all US passport holders.

INCLUDED FOR ALL / EXCLUDED FOR ALL
  • Domestic air transportation
  • 10 nights hotel accommodation
  • Meals Per Itinerary
  • All transfers
  • Sightseeing per itinerary
  • Services of English-speaking guide
  • Entrance fees per itinerary
/
  • Travel insurance
  • Passport fees, visa fees, etc.
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Personal purchases
  • Meals/admission not in itinerary
  • Optional tours (If applicable)

Suggested tipping rate is $10 per personper day.

ITINERARY

Day 1: / Chiang Mai / Holiday Inn Chiang Mai or Similar

Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, transfer to the hotel and check in. The remainder of the day will be at your own leisure to enjoy.

Day 2: Sat / Chiang Mai / Holiday Inn Chiang Mai or Similar

For your first visit to Northern Thailand and to make you feel more confident to enjoy the tastes and smells the capital of the Lanna Kingdom Chiang Mai has offered, our first start is at the legendary Warorot Market which is home to many a tasty treat where you will learn specifically about ingredients and spices used for Northern Thai cooking. It is also a must visit for food lovers as it offers a wide range of ready-to-eat meals, local snacks and all kinds of fresh produce. Here, you can sample Sai Oua(grilled northern-style sausage), Nam Prik Ong & Nam PrikNoom (red and green chili dip) and Cap Moo (crispy pork skin). Besides tasting various mouthwatering treats, we will stroll around and watch the vendors preparing their products for the busy morning rush, experience the scents and sights of a bustling market and pick up tips on choosing herbs, spices and fruits. Adjacent to Warorot Market, we will wander to Ton Lam Yai Market, the city's main flower and fruit market. The sizes, shapes, colors, smells and tastes of Asian fruits will amaze you.

Afterwards, we head out of the city to sample the typical Northern Thailand dish “Kao Soi”, the soft and crispy wheat noodles in a curry broth. It is time to experience a historical and architectural charm of Chiang Mai. Visit the unveiling the ancient city of Wiang Kum Kam, situated in the vast plains of the far north of the country, the largest area of flat land at the site of present-day Chiang Mai and Lamphun. After the visit here, drive back to Chiang Mai city, stop for refreshment at Aka Ama, a small quaint coffee house and alsoone of the winners of the World Cup Testers competition 2011. Run by Lee Ayu, an Aka young man who is very knowledgeable about coffee and also working on sustainable agriculture project to his origin community. Enjoy an evening out by having a Khantoke Dinner which food being served in pedestal tray used as a small dining table while you sit on mats on the floor and be entertained by selection of northern cultural performances. After dinner, continue to the colorful Night Bazaar. There are plenty of stalls selling stuff, everything from local crafts to fun imitation goods.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 3: / Chiang Mai / Holiday Inn Chiang Mai or Similar

Today, we will bring you to enjoy beauty of the lush tea plantation and learn all about the tea growing process. Araksa Tea Plantation is located on a scenic, evergreen hill in Mae Tang District, about 60 kilometers north of Chiang Mai. It specializes in producing high quality Assam tea, a black tea named after India's largest tea growing region. You will be invited to join resident tea pickers, watch how the leaves are processed according to age-old traditions and then enjoy a cup of tea and traditional Thai snack. Take a break from Northern-Thai style food. As you may know that cuisine of Thailand's neighbors have mutually influenced on Thai dishes over centuries. For luncheon, we will take you to taste astonishing Yunnanese foods at a local restaurant which has been opened for three decades, run by an extended Chinese family from Yunnan. After lunch, drive up the serpentine road to the magnificently situated Wat Doi Suthep. Perched on a forested mountain, this most sacred Chiang Mai temple (3,280 ft) provides a superb view over the city, as well as a wealth of images and frescos.

Then, continue to hilltribe village with its unique marts at Doi Pui. Here you see the Hmong people in their colorful costumes, selling their wide range of antiques, curious decorative ornaments and fabrics. Tonight, you be driven to the city’s best food eateries and stalls, accompanied by our guide who can explain not only the ingredients and cooking methods of each dish, but also teach you a few Thai phrases to order some of the food yourself and guide you to properly eat of each dish. You will discover that there is so much more than the famous Pat Thai and Tom Yam Kung.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 4: / Chiang Mai - Bangkok / Holiday Inn Chiang Mai or Similar

Today, Your culinary adventure will not be completed if experience in a cooking course in Chiang Mai is missing. Let’s start cooking in a friendly environment with lots of fun at Pantawan Cooking School. The cooking course starts with a visit of local market, an introduction to Thai ingredients and actual cooking. The course has been designed as a half-day course with 4 of mouth-watering Northern Thai dishes.you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Phuket. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel and check in. Tonight, enjoy a superb Thai dinner while slowly drifting along the riverside of the Menam Chao Phraya. Whilst dining on your converted rice barge, shimmering temples, glistening skyscrapers and a rich stream of passing nocturnal traffic will greet you from every direction. The scenic river life by night and romantic candlelit ambiance are making this a simply unforgettable experience.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 5: / Bangkok / Aetas Limpini Hotel or Similar

After breakfast, meet up with your guide and transfer to "Samyan Market" for a Thai fresh market experience. As you stroll through the market, meet locals on their morning shopping jaunts, learn about the ingredients used in Thai cooking and sample some tropical fruits. Continue to "Century Year Old - Nanglerng Food Market" it was one of the most important markets in inner Bangkok a hundred years ago when this area of the city was flourishing. Back then, the market was a major trade centre for all the various communities living in the city. It now offers a lot of historical insights in terms of both the food and the architecture- you will see a lot of old-style wooden shop houses in the neighborhood and please your palate with local sweet and delicacies.A short ride takes you to a small but famous local restaurant near Bangkok City Hall to enjoy an authentic Thai lunch and wrap up the meal with a popular Thai dessert.After this tasty morning out in Bangkok, your guide will take you back to the hotel in the early afternoon. In the late afternoon, discover sophisticated flavors of Bangkok 200-year-old Chinatown district that is filled with rich ethnic tradition & delicious food. During the tour you will walk to explore & taste local cuisines and sample a variety of different street food. Between each tasting location, you will take behind-the-scene adventure for a closer look of this unique neighborhood: meeting the food bazaar’s lively characters and hearing its memorable stories. Dim Sum Dinner in a local restaurant.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6: / Bangkok / Aetas Limpini Hotel or Similar

This morning, acooking class will introduce you to the wonderful world of Thai flavors allowing you to take your knowledge home with you so you can make authentic Thai dishes back home in your own kitchen.The class will be a ‘hands on’ experience. An ideal home-style learning environment that aims at cooking a style of Thai food that is different from most of the hotels and restaurants in Thailand. Spend the morning learning to prepare 4 authentic Thai dishes.

During all classes, the school's instructional emphasis is always focused on the same three things: traditional Thai technique, innovative use of ingredients, and aesthetic presentation. You will be guided by professional teaching staff who possess years of experience in this specialized area of Thai culinary delights. Enjoy dining on the delicious Thai meals you prepared before returning to hotel.In the evening your guide will take you to a local street food in Rambuttri Alley near Khao San Road. You will enjoy the variety of foods serving at from the stalls to sit-down restaurants and get a chance to taste your light dinner at this area. This place is a popular spot for locals as well as visitors to the Thai capital.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 7: / Bangkok - Phuket / Centara Blue Marine or Similar

Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Phuket. Upon arrival in Phuket, transfer to the hotel and check in. The remainder of the day will be at your own leisure to enjoy.

(Meal: Breakfast)

Day 8: / Phuket / Centara Blue Marine or Similar

The morning will be at your own leisure to enjoy. Cruise towards the National Park while you enjoy a light Thai lunch and listen to a briefing on the wildlife and your schedule.In the afternoon you will be taken by kayak into various hongs and caves in Phang Nga Bay, enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

Phang Nga Bay has witnessed a rapid growth in tourism in the past 20 years, not just for its pristine white beaches but also for its unique topography. The 400km-wide area is decorated with a display of uniquely-formed limestone karst islands, some just an outcrop of rock, others with low-lying land and beaches. Often likened to Guilin in China, or the magical Halong Bay in Vietnam, Phang Nga’s most appealing and captivating attractions are the ‘’hongs’’ (lagoons) which lay hidden within the islands.In the evening enjoy a Thai Seafood dinner and then make your own krathong to float for luck that evening. Enjoy the sunset on board before returning in the dusk to a hong where you will launch your kratong, experiencing a magical moment.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9: / Phuket / Centara Blue Marine or Similar

Long known as the city of beautiful beaches, Phuket is also a top destination for foodies. In December 2011, Phuket Town was honored by UNESCO to join a list of ‘World’s Leading Cities of Gastronomy’. This is why we would like to invite you to discover the secret of Phuket Town and its delicious local menu.Start the day early by picking you up at your hotel. Then, move to Phuket Town, which has morphed into an artsy, charming cultural neighborhood. Enjoy your morning by tasting famous local Phuket’s style breakfast, Dim Sum and Rice Vermicelli with Southern Thai Curry served with Vegetable Buffet. Then, try the famous freshly made charcoal-fried Roti served with a locally made curry. After that, it’s time to explore the historic Tha-Lang road, where you will learn and see the charming Peranakan culture, also known as Baba tradition, as well as beautiful Sino-Portuguese architectures. After a cultural walk, try traditional Baba cuisines - Porpie and Moo Hong. We will finish this delicious trip at Khao Rang for a dessert with a beautiful panoramic view of Phuket city before dropping you off at your hotel. The afternoon will be at your own leisure to enjoy.

(Meal: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 10: / Phuket / Centara Blue Marine or Similar

Today, the entire day will be at your own leisure to enjoy. Spend an evening at Phuket Fantasea, the ultimate cultural theme park. Watch an award winning show that brings Thai legends to life. You will be mesmerized by the spellbinding "Fantasy of a Kingdom" as ancient myths are enacted on stage, enhanced by state-of-the-art technology and special effects. Learn about the 999 Asian elephants that protected the legendary Thai kingdom during a spectacular performance, an extravaganza not to be missed!Then head to the Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant inside the FantaSea complex. You’ll enjoy a sumptuous feast of royal Thai and international dishes for dinner.

(Meal: Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 11: / Phuket - Home

Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home as your trip comes to an end.

(Meal: Breakfast)