Chiang Mai Experience (6 days/5 nights)

Your day begins at Wat Sri Kong's boat landing where you will board a scorpion-tailed boat to take in the historic sites of the river including the old trader community of Wat Gatekaram. Stroll past old buildings and check out an eclectic collection of items dating back to the earliest days of Western trading with Chiang Mai. Enjoy the must-eat signature dish of northern Thailand - "Khao Soy" - and browse the wares of the nearby night bazaar before heading to your hotel. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Today, you will take you through Chiang Mai's picturesque countryside to Mae Kampong village, and stop en route at a local market to select the ingredients for your lunch. You'll stroll through the community forest before enjoying lunch prepared by your host family. Relax with a Thai traditional massage and take a walk around the village to see the processing of fermented tea leaves and various handmade products before heading back to Chiang Mai. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

You will visit Wat Prathat Doi Suthep. It is a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai Province. Afterwards, you'll drive you up the mountain in a "songtaew", pick-up truck to the Chang Khien Coffee Research Project and a traditional Hmong village. Then you'll head to the Mae Sa valley to visit an orchid farm and butterfly sanctuary before arriving at the Lisu Lodge where several interesting cultural displays await. Overnight at Lisu Lodge.

Today, you'll visit a local elephant camp and enjoy a 1-hour ride through beautiful mountain scenery before embarking on a white-water rafting ride on the Mae Tang River. Stopping at a lovely waterfall en route, we will then bring you to Phrao where you'll be welcomed at Khum Lanna by local Lanna people and have a chance to relax before your first Thai cooking class. Enjoy the fruits of your labors with a full 4-course sit-down Thai dinner with your host and friends before capping the evening next to a relaxing campfire in the garden. Overnight at Khum Lanna.

Greet the sunrise with a bike trip along a rural country road to visit an early morning local market and Wat Pa Gee with its sacred Buddha image as you peddle past a local canal and rice fields. Upon return to the lodge, a local Lanna-style breakfast awaits to be enjoyed riverside before your culinary discovery continues with another Thai cooking class. Following a lunch with your hosts, the rest of the afternoon is enjoyed at your leisure with several activities available including a fruit carving, artificial flower making or a hot-pressed herbal massage. In the late afternoon, you'll transfer you back to Chiang Mai. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

This morning, you'll bring you west of the Old City to Ton Payom Market and the 14th century forest temple, Wat Umong. You'll also enjoy the scenery at picturesque Wat Suan Dok before visiting the International Buddhist Studies center and have a unique opportunity to learn and exchange ideas with the monks. You will then transfer you to the airport for your onward flight. Tour ends.