Thailand

Participants meet at Montréal-Trudeau airport and take off for Bangkok.

Dinner, overnight stay and breakfast on board

On arrival at Bangkok airport, meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel.

In the evening, you’ll share a friendly dinner in a charming local restaurant.

Dinner included

Breakfast at the hotel before your tour of Bangkok with your guide. The first visit of the morning is to the Grand Palace, Thailand’s largest and most impressive royal palace. It is home to the country’s most revered statue – the enigmatic Emerald Buddha. The tour continues to Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s oldest temples, home to the famous 45-metre-long Reclining Buddha and the first school of traditional Thai massage. Later, you’ll climb aboard a long-tail boat and cruise the Thonburi canal to observe the daily life of the famous “water people”. On the way back, stop off at one of Bangkok’s landmarks, the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), with its glass and porcelain-encrusted spires glistening in the sunlight. Transfer to the train station for your overnight train to Chiang Mai.

Breakfast, lunch and picnic dinner included

On arrival at Chiang Mai station, meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel for breakfast. You’ll then head to Doi Suthep to explore some of the mountain’s best-known and secret spots. Your first stop is Wat Pha Lad, a quiet little temple hidden away in the jungle. Continue to the foot of Doi Suthep temple. To climb the mountain, you’ll board a songthaew, a local vehicle with rows of seats at the back. Enjoy a cup of local coffee at the Doi Chang Khian Coffee Research Center before continuing on to the village of Khun Chang Khian. The village is home to the White Hmong people, who still practice some of their centuries-old ancestral traditions. On the way back, visit Doi Suthep, one of the city’s most spiritual temples. Indulge in a private blessing and witness the chanting of the monks: an impressive and exotic experience that will give you plenty to meditate on. After lunch, transfer to your hotel for a short rest. In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant, where you’ll be able to savor a variety of typical Thai cuisine dishes, offering a true culinary immersion in the local culture.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

After breakfast, you’ll head to Phrao, a quiet town 100 kilometers north of Chiang Mai. Here you’ll meet your local guide, who will take you to explore the remote Akha villages in the surrounding mountains. Pack your backpack for the night and you’ll be transferred to the first village inhabited by several ethnic groups. You’ll start the hike by following a small trail through agricultural areas, forests and dense, lush jungle before arriving at the next village. About halfway along, you’ll come across a small waterfall before enjoying a unique lunch. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy nature while your guides prepare a succulent “jungle meal”. You’ll then explore the village and meet the locals before heading off to the Akha community. This final hike takes you to the top of the mountain, where the path is very steep, but the view is well worth the effort! Finally, you’ll head to a village near the top of the mountain and spend the night in a local house. The villagers will prepare a local meal for you before introducing you to their traditional songs and dances.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 9 km / Approximate walking time: 5 hrs / Elevation: +1200m

You’ll continue your exploration after savoring a cup of local coffee over breakfast. You’ll discover more villages and locals eager to explain their way of life. To round off this unforgettable excursion, you’ll take a final rural trail down into the valley before returning to Chiang Mai after lunch. Back in Chiang Mai, enjoy a well-deserved dinner with your guide, then free time to relax. Overnight stay at the Chiang Mai Hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 5 km / Approximate walking time: 2 hrs / Elevation: -500m

After breakfast, you’ll leave the city and start driving through the countryside for about 1 hour. Your guide will make a short stop at a local market where you’ll stock up on essentials before continuing to the start of your hike. You’ll have a picnic lunch on the way, and with your backpacks ready, you’ll continue walking through a large forest, following the ridgeline and passing some tea plantations along the way (on a walking trail part of which is steep and downhill). In the late afternoon, you’ll arrive at your sleeping area near the Tae Lae Po waterfall, where you can take a swim or relax before enjoying a hearty supper to round off the day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 12 km / Approx. walking time: 5 hrs / Elevation: +375m

Pack your day bag again for another day of hiking through breathtaking scenery. In the morning, you’ll trek through a bamboo forest near a river, then climb through an evergreen forest to Pha Hin Luang.

Pha Hin Luang means “Great Rock” and the viewpoint is 1700 meters above sea level, offering superb views, weather permitting. Here you’ll enjoy a picnic lunch wrapped in banana leaf before continuing your walk back to the village. You’ll stay in accommodations close to the village, and weather permitting, your guide will take you out to explore the surrounding area. End the day with a delicious local supper.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 11 km / Approximate walking time: 6 hrs / Elevation: +650m, -650m

After a nice breakfast, it’s time to pack your day bag again and get ready for the last day of hiking. Today, you’ll walk along the river and through rice fields until you reach the Huay Hoi waterfall. This waterfall is quite special in that it has a cave behind it. It’s the perfect place to cool off or have a “waterfall massage”. You’ll have lunch here before starting the final hike along the river to Baan Huay Pong, where the truck is waiting at the end of the itinerary. From here, you’ll be driven back to Chiang Mai, arriving later in the afternoon. Overnight hotel stay in Chiang Mai.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 11 km / Approx. walking time: 5 hrs / Elevation: +350m, -350m

Breakfast and free time to explore on your own, and transfer to Chiang Mai airport for your flight to Bangkok. On arrival, you’ll be taken to your hotel to settle in and rest after the journey. In the evening, it’s off to discover the real Bangkok lifestyle! You’ll board a tuktuk at dusk for an unusual gastronomic adventure from street vendors to small restaurants crowded with regulars. Your driver and guide will first take you to a street food paradise in the heart of Chinatown. This is a superb opportunity to discover the simple yet unique dishes that the locals love so much. You’ll continue the evening by tuktuk to Pak Klong Talad, the flower market, and then contemplate the silence and serenity of a temple and its stupas illuminated at night (an important form of Buddhist architecture, a stupa is an earthen mound covered with stone). Before returning to your hotel, you’ll make one last stop for a breathtaking view by the river.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your return flight to Montreal.

Breakfast included