Itinerary - Thailand Beach Life: from Bangkok to Koh Tao and Koh Samui

Roundtrip flights or transportation to reach the destination are not included in the package, so you can decide from where and when you want to leave! This gives you complete freedom of choice to adjust your travel itinerary to your needs.

Bangkok hotel check-in and welcome meeting. We all meet in this city that is a bit of a symbol of Southeast Asia, with chaos reigning supreme in the streets, traffic, honking horns, and markets where they sell a little bit of everything. The first impact will be intense, but in the meantime we get acquainted in the best way possible: let's start with food! With what dish will we kick off this journey - also culinary! - discovering Thailand? Let's take a guess: pad thai for everyone!

Since it is precisely the markets that are one of the most characteristic places in this city and Thailand in general, this morning we reach the Railway Market, a market that is literally crossed by the tracks. When the train arrives, the vendors simply move their wares and the tents they use for shade - the train passes by and then everything goes back to the way it was! After watching the train brush past food of all kinds, if we have enough time, we move on to the klongs, which are nothing more than the canals that were formerly used to transport goods and people as well as to organize real floating markets. Aboard the typical long-tail boats we thus discover another face of Bangkok - which is not by chance nicknamed the "Venice of Asia."

After a quick lunch, we get back on the road and say goodbye to Bangkok for good. If we have time, we move on to Phetchaburi City. We are here for a specific reason: after the chaos of the capital we are ready for some peace, and we seek it in Tham Khao Luang Cave*. This cave, inside which we find a Buddhist shrine, is made incredibly atmospheric by the sun's rays filtering through the ceiling. Here we will also be able to make our first acquaintance with the famous little monkeys found almost everywhere in places like these in Thailand-will they be friendly? We continue on to today's final stop: by dinnertime, we are in Hua Hin, where we can get to the night market and finally sample some street food. Will there be fried grasshoppers? More importantly: will anyone dare to taste them?

Today is our last day on the mainland: tomorrow we will reach the islands of the Gulf of Siam for a few days of pure relaxation - but first we need to check off a few items from the list of things to do on a trip to Thailand.

First item to cross off: visit a Buddhist temple; most of the Thai population is Buddhist, so there are temples all over the country. Hua Hin is no exception, and Wat Khao Takiap is one such extraordinary Buddhist temple complex on "Chopsticks Hill" south of downtown Hua Hin. It is one of the city's most recognizable temples, situated on a 272-meter-high hill that juts out into the Gulf of Thailand and is visible from the coasts to the north and south. The second item to cross off: encounter some monkeys - spoiler: we will walk to Wat Khao Takiap and will encounter quite a few on the way!

Third item to cross off the MUST HAVE list of a Thai trip: visit at least one national park! Well, this is it: the Sam Roi Yot National Park is the park for us. Khao Sam Roi Yot Nature Park is the most important one in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Established in 1966, it is located halfway between Bangkok, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Hua Hin. Despite this proximity to the capital, Khao Sam Roi Yot is one of Thailand's National Parks that is less known to tourists, making it perfect for those of us who want to discover little-used corners of Thailand. After visiting the park, we set out again to reach Chumpon: sea, here we come!

Ready to go to paradise? This morning we move to Koh Tao: this island is famous for turtles and snorkelling, so we definitely won't be sitting on our hands. For those of us who feel like exploring the sea (crystal clear, of course), we can go exploring the seabed. Maybe we can even see some turtles and, fingers crossed, even swim with them! We have two whole days to spend on this island paradise, so let's take our time to explore it, unearth the most beautiful beaches and enjoy the nightlife as well.

Imagine waking up in Koh Tao with the sun shining and the smell of the sea in the air... what more could you want? A typical day in Koh Tao sounds like this: for starters, we can take a stroll around the local market, where we can find everything from quirky hats to unique souvenirs. Then, we head to one of the breathtaking beaches for a refreshing dip and some snorkeling to discover the marine life. We continue the day with an underwater adventure - the diving here is crazy! For lunch, we can indulge in a delicious meal of fresh seafood at one of the seafront restaurants while being lulled by the tropical breeze. Finally, to end the day on a high note, we take a boat ride at sunset, sipping cocktails and dancing to the rhythm of local drums. Koh Tao is an island full of surprises and adventures to discover together!

Today we move to Koh Samui. After having breakfast, we reach the port, board the ferry and enjoy the sea-if we are really sleepy, we can take a nap lulled by the waves. When we arrive at our destination, we settle into the facility, very ready to discover this Thai island as well. In the afternoon we can rest and recharge our batteries for the first evening ahead in Koh Samui: we now know what to expect from Thai nightlife. Are we ready to dance the night away on the beach?

This morning we wake up in this paradise and have the whole day at our disposal. We can customize it by organizing the activities that interest us most with the support and at the suggestion of our coordinator. One idea, after having breakfast, is that we can use the morning to discover two nearby islands with a boat excursion: direction Koh Tan and Koh Madsum. These are two small islands in the Mu Koh Samui archipelago surrounded by a vibrant and colourful coral reef, almost deserted - barely 50 people live there - and accessible only by sea. Real little marine paradises off the coast of which we can dive and snorkel.

The time to leave these wonderful islands has already come, those who are sad raise your hands! Today is dedicated to returning to Bangkok but first, we have the morning completely free to enjoy a few more hours of sea and rest! In fact, our ferry leaves around 5 p.m. We will arrive in Donsak after about an hour and a half of travel and from there we have an hour or so drive until we get to the train station. What would a WeRoad in Thailand be without an overnight train! And indeed here we are, ready to try this adventure as well!

There are always some places in a city that should not be missed. That's why in the morning we'll take a walk among Bangkok's temples and then continue on to Wat Pho, with its giant reclining golden Buddha, and Wat Arun, across the river - to reach it we'll take a short boat ride. Known as the "Temple of Dawn," it has a timeless atmosphere that instills deep peace.

In the afternoon we have some free time and it will be a good opportunity to do some shopping before heading home. To close out the day, we are treated to a combo of incredible local experiences: a street food tour of about three hours - we eat Thai! - through the streets of Bangkok, not on foot, but aboard the iconic tuk-tuks. We will have a local guide with us who will accompany us on this tour where we will get to try some of the local cuisine and end at a stylish bar in the city while sipping a delicious drink. What better occasion to look back on our adventures together before saying goodbye?

Time to say goodbye - we'll see each other on an other adventure!