Day 1, Tuesday
Relax and prepare yourself for your adventure on world-class Singapore Airlines. Meet other students, watch on-demand movies and unwind. A Rustic Pathways Flight Leader will accompany each of our escorted group flights from Los Angeles, making sure that your journey is easy and enjoyable.
Day 2, Wednesday
Ghost Day - After flowing through different time zones and passing the International Date Line today is ‘lost’ in the ambiguity of international travel. Don’t worry - you’ll be able to pick up a free day on your flight home.
Day 3, Thursday
Sawat dee and welcome to Thailand! The morning begins as you arrive into Singapore after midnight. You’ll be greeted in Singapore by Rustic staff who will show you the way to our coach bus which will take us to Hotel 81 not far from the airport. We’ll get you checked in and you’ll be able to get some well-deserved rest until morning. You’ll get a wake-up call to come down and enjoy a nice buffet breakfast outside at the pool. Go for an early morning swim if you’d like before packing up your things and heading back to the airport for the connection to Bangkok. Arriving in Bangkok early afternoon, you’ll be greeted by many staff and program leaders who have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. After a quick ‘meet and greet’, we’ll head to the Regency Park Hotel in downtown Bangkok. We’ll enjoy a beautiful international buffet dinner, enjoy a traditional Thai massage or foot massage, and get some well needed rest.
Day 4, Friday
After a delicious breakfast buffet at our hotel, we’ll head out into town, and work our way toward the ‘Chao Phraya’ River, or ‘The River of Kings’. Here we’ll hop on some long-tail boats and go for a cruise upstream. Viewing Bangkok from the river is truly the most beautiful way to see it – away from the busy streets and with a cool breeze in your face. This tour will bring you past many of the city’s most famous sights, and finally to a floating restaurant, where we’ll grab some lunch. After a relaxing meal, we’ll head to a nearby floating market and check out how trade on the water works these days. Then, we’ll continue up the river to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Gaew, the King’s most official residence and the home of the famed Emerald Buddha. After wandering these beautiful grounds, we’ll head upstream again – this time to Wat Pho, another one of Bangkok’s most famous temples and home of the ‘Reclining Buddha’, the largest such Buddha in the world. With heaps of great photos, we’re on the move again – this time to the airport. We’ll hop a plane to Chiang Rai in the far north of the country, where we’ll stay for the night at our Chiang Rai Base house. Depending on how everyone is feeling, we may have a chance to check out a nearby market before heading back to the house for a good night’s sleep.
Day 5, Saturday
First thing in the morning, you’ll hop in our VIP vans and cruise up to Doi Tung, a quaint little village tucked in the mountains near the Burmese border. Here, visit a beautiful Royal Project Garden and Royal Villa, formerly the winter house of the King’s mother which is preserved exactly as it was when she lived there. On our way back, we’ll hop over the Burmese border at Mae Sai for a quick peek into this fascinating land. After just a short time, you’ll feel how different daily life is for people here in Myanmar. This is a great eye-opening experience, and helps provide important insight for students not familiar with the life situation of people in this region. After having a good look around, we’ll grab some lunch at a nice little restaurant, and reflect about the differences between Thailand and Myanmar.
In the early evening, return to a beautiful lake just behind the Chiang Rai Base house and enjoy the sunset behind the mountains. Then we’ll head out for a delicious Thai feast before retiring to the Base house for the night.
Day 6, Sunday
After breakfast, we’ll gather our belongings and drive up to the Golden Triangle, where 2 rivers and 3 countries (Thailand, Laos, and Burma) come together. This area is very interesting historically and culturally, and you’ll get a taste of this exploring local museums and temples. Take a long-tail boat ride into Burmese waters, and then downstream to an island in Laos. Take some pictures and pick up some souvenirs from Laos before heading back over to Thailand and beginning the voyage down to Chiang Mai. There are some great sights to see on the way, and the drive will take just over 3 hours. We’ll get situated at our Chiang Mai Base house and take some time to check out the neighborhood. Next, we’ll head into to city for the Sunday walking street market – a great way to get acquainted with northern Thai culture and the best shopping experience around.
Day 7, Monday
Rising early, we’ll hop back in the van and cruise up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the beautiful temple which overlooks the city and Chiang Mai’s most famous attraction. Enjoy the warm ambiance and the smell of incense as you take in the view of the city and valley below.
From here, it’s off to the mountains of Mae Hong Son province, Thailand’s most diverse and remote province. A few hours drive will bring us to Pai, a cool little mountain town surrounded by hot springs, elephant camps, and dozens of diverse Hill Tribe villEdad. Here you’ll have a couple hours to check out the town before sitting down for dinner, then heading up to our longhouse in a Lisu village where we’ll stay for the night.
Day 8, Tuesday
Wake up and step outside for one of the nicest views in northern Thailand right out your front door. After a simple breakfast, we’ll go for a nice walk around the village and then it’s on to the next stop at Cave Lod – where we’ll go deep into some of Asia’s longest caves. From here, we’ll carry on to Mae Hong Son, where a beautiful buffet lunch will be waiting for us. Here, we’ll settle into our guest house and relax. Take a walk around the lake in the center of town, or just relax in your room. Evening will be very relaxed as well, and after dinner you’ll have a few options to explore about town before heading off to sleep.
Day 9, Wednesday
In the morning, we’ll take a chartered long-tail boat trip upstream to a Long Neck Karen village. These people have fascinating traditions, and this is one of the few villEdad left in the area – definitely a unique experience. From here, we’ll hitch a ride on the back of Asia’s most revered animal – the Asian elephant! You’ll be amazed at the speed and grace with which these gentle giants cruise through the forest and how many greens they can devour along the way. Next stop is the airport where you’ll hop the quick flight over the mountains and back to Chiang Mai. After showering up and having a chance to relax a bit, head into town for a traditional northern Thai ‘khantoke’ dinner and dancing performance. Then we’ll go to Chiang Mai’s legendary Night Bazaar, where you’re sure to find something for everyone on your souvenir list. When our legs get tired and we just can’t shop anymore, we’ll head back to the Base for the night.
Day 10 – Thursday
Today, you’ll have this entire day to enjoy an exciting variety of optional activities in Chiang Mai while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Some options include swimming and gym time, a trip to Chiang Mai's newest mall - Central Airport Plaza, visiting some cool traditinal markets, going for a great hike to a meditation retreat and a waterfall, bowling or even go-kart racing. Tonight will be your last chance for a few days to use the internet and make phone calls as the elephant camp has only emergency phone service and no internet.
Day 11, Friday
After a great night's rest and a simple breakfast, we'll depart for the elephant camp by 8:30AM. From Chiang Mai, its just over an hour's drive into the mountains outside Lampang and your new home for the next week (or as long as you choose to stay!) We'll get together and meet the entire staff at the camp - including the elephants - and then the senior officials at the camp will offer an opening prayer ceremony, which is performed for good luck and to show the commitment of the group to the task at hand. With the ceremony finished, the program is officially underway - we'll waste no time and get right down to business. Your first order of business is to look the part - so everyone will receive a custom 'mahout' (elephant trainer) suit. Once everyone is comfortable in your fashionable new attire, we'll assign each person an elephant. Depending on the size of the group, there will be between 1-3 students assigned to each elephant. Straight away, you'll begin learning all of the basic mahout commands and how to interpret and communicate with these amazing animals. Soon you'll be riding the elephants into the jungle, learning their personalities, and communicating with the elephants - its all part of your new job as a mahout. In the evening, we'll settle in to jungle life, with plenty of time to relax and share stories with your new friends around the campfire.
Day 12, Saturday
The morning is truly a special time in the rainforest of northern Thailand. The birds bring the forest to life and the sun cuts bright rays through the fresh morning air. Rising early, you'll walk down to greet and bathe your elephant at 7AM. Once your elephant is fed and cared for, we'll head back for breakfast. Next, we'll hop on our elephants and ride down to the elephant show. The show is a fund raising event and great showcase of the amazing potential of elephants, and you'll have a unique insider perspective of the show. Afterwards, we'll head to the nursery to help care for and visit with the baby elephants. Then it's on to the elephant-dung paper factory, where you'll see how this useful product is made…but be sure to watch your step! Ride your elephant back to our camp base, where we'll set the elephants free to roam and be free in the jungle for the rest of the day. Tonight, we'll have a little fun competition with a team scavenger hunt - let the search begin!
Day 13, Sunday
After the standard morning routine of bathing the elephant and getting prepared for the day, we'll begin our focus lesson for the day - the life and practices of a mahout. Many people don't realize that being a mahout is a life-long career. Although they don't make much money and it is not glamorous profession, mahouts are necessary for the survival of elephants in the world today, and very respected in Thai culture. You'll learn about the unique relationship between the mahout and the elephant, the tools and skills involved, and learn more about how they communicate. You'll have a chance to practice your commands, weave rope for saddles, and learn how to strap cargo comfortably onto an elephant before returning them back to the jungle. Time to go back and shower, because tonight we're gonna hit the town - to downtown Lampang. As we're back to the 'city' and 'reality' (ok, not quite...just a cool little town in northern Thailand), you'll have a chance to use the phone and check e-mail. We'll check out a local market, walk the streets and enjoy a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant - always a hit with its live music and dancing.
Day 14, Monday
After our morning elephant bath and breakfast, its time to hit the trail and go deep into the jungle. You'll load up your elephant with everything we'll need (using the skills you learned yesterday) and then we'll ride to a jungle camp about an hour away. After reaching the camp, we'll give our elephants a warm 'pat on the back' for a job well done and head into the forest to help the mahouts search for bamboo for making bamboo products. After lunch, we'll hike to a nearby waterfall where we'll have plenty of time to relax and go swimming in the clear mountain water, and even try some natural waterfall sliding. As evening falls, we'll throw on our warmer clothes, eat a jungle feast, play some crazy games, before gathering 'round the campfire and singing and dancing the night away.
Day 15, Tuesday
Rising early in the jungle, we'll step outside into the fresh morning and go to greet our wonderful elephants. We'll take the elephants on a short walk to a new area where they can relax and munch on some quality greens while we 'gin kao' (eat rice) ourselves. Packing our bags once again, we'll go on a 2-hour hike through lush rainforest to a refreshing waterfall, where again we'll have time to enjoy our time deep in this pristine forest. We'll eat some lunch back at the camp before returning back to the main camp by elephant. Shower up, then we'll have a hearty dinner before getting comfortable and throwing on a movie to cap off a long day returning from the jungle.
Day 16, Wednesday
After the morning elephant bath/breakfast/shower, we'll head to the elephant hospital for a tour. See first-hand how the qualified individuals who work here care for elephants in need of special attention. Hear their dramatic stories about elephant rescues, and have the opportunity to ask them any questions you still have about these gentle giants with whom you've become acquainted over the last week. For those staying just one week at the camp, it's time to say goodbye to your group, your gracious hosts, and your new elephant friends. At the closing ceremony, you'll receive a 'certificate of completion' for the program. At 4PM, we'll depart for Lampang, where we'll catch the overnight train at about 8PM. Until then, we have some time to check out a nearby market, send some emails or call home, and grab a bite to eat in in town. The overnight train departs Lampang for Bangkok at 8PM, and we'll have some closing meetings and activities on the train before dozing off to the rhythmic sound of the train as it skates south towards Bangkok.
Day 17, Thursday
For students who are connecting to Tribal Trekking and Service, or Woks and Wonders, or Come With Nothing, Go Home Rich this is another free day to spend as you please exploring more sights and activities in Chiang Mai, before meeting up with the rest of your group when they arrive.
For all other students, you’ll take an early morning flight to Bangkok where you’ll meet up with your next Rustic adventure or say goodbye to everyone here and check in to your group flight home. Bon voyage, and we hope to see you again next year!
An Important Note about Schedule Changes :
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur. |
La combinación perfecta! 
Bangkok : Brillante y bulliciosa 
Tribus de las montañas, Barcos de cola larga 
