Step inside the Living Crafts Centre to watch master weavers create intricate textiles on wooden looms. Learn how traditional Lao weaving uses natural riverfront dye gardens—from indigo to jackfruit bark—to achieve rich, lasting hues.

Founded in 2000 by Joanna Smith and Veomanee Douangdala, this women-led social enterprise supports artisans with fair income and skills training. Explore galleries by the Mekong and discover designs that carry stories from village to runway.

Glide along the Nam Xeuang on a simple local boat, tracing jungle-fringed banks and quiet village scenes. Stop with your hosts to try gold panning and traditional fishing, gaining hands-on insight into riverside livelihoods.

This is everyday Laos: sandy coves, bamboo fish traps, and easy conversation with boatmen who know every bend. Learn time-tested techniques and the patient rhythm required to work with the current, not against it.

Join a family cooking session at your village homestay—pounding jeow dips in a mortar, steaming sticky rice, and seasoning herb-bright laap. Trade tips over the hearth before sitting down to a shared Lao feast of regional favourites.

Learn the flavours behind daily home cooking, from foraged greens to preserved sauces. The meal unfolds as cultural exchange: a communal table, warm smiles, and stories swapped with your hosts long after the last spoonful.

Take a guided village walk through rice paddies, kitchen gardens, and timber-framed homes to understand the daily rhythm of rural Laos. Meet farmers and craftspersons who keep skills alive beyond the tourist trail.

Depending on the season, pitch in with farm tasks or simple crafts—planting seedlings, weaving bamboo, sorting harvests. Gentle, hands-on moments reveal how land, river, and community shape life in this serene valley.

Navigate by longtail boat to colourful floating markets where vendors cook from canoes and piles of tropical fruit glow under woven hats. Bargain for snacks and watch the ballet of boats on narrow canals.

Slip into the city’s historic klongs to glimpse stilt houses, shrines, and waterside life unfolding at paddle’s length. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the Grand Palace complex and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), admiring gilded stupas, guardian demons, and mirror-mosaic galleries that define Bangkok’s royal heart.

Afterward, ride a longtail through the Thonburi klongs to see wooden houses and spirit shrines along the water. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Sample regional street foods from wok-fried noodles to coconut sweets as night markets glow and vendors call out their specialties. Learn to order like a local and balance spicy, sour, sweet, and salty.

Decode favourite dishes at busy stalls, pick up hygiene tips, and follow aromas down side streets for hidden bites. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Shop a local market for lemongrass, galangal, and fresh herbs before learning to pound curry paste and wok-fry Thai classics like pad kra pao or tom kha. Taste as you go to perfect the balance.

Finish by dining on your creations and take recipes home to relive Chiang Mai’s flavours. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Train with a Muay Thai coach in a local gym, learning stance, footwork, and basic strikes before working the pads. Expect sweat, focus, and a supportive atmosphere.

Hear how the national sport blends ritual and respect, from hand wraps to the wai kru. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Visit a renowned sanctuary near Chiang Mai to observe rescued elephants as they roam, forage, and interact—no riding or shows. Learn each herd’s story from caregivers who prioritize rehabilitation.

Help prepare fruit or watch, from a respectful distance, as elephants bathe in the river. Your visit supports ongoing rescue and care. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Ride pillion on a vintage-style Vespa through quiet backstreets to illuminated temples and atmospheric viewpoints. Feel the cool evening air and the hum of the city after dark.

Stop for street-side tastings and snapshots while driver-guides share local lore. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Climb 328 steps to Wat Chom Si for sunset over the Mekong, with rooftops and mountains glowing gold. The panorama reveals Luang Prabang’s peninsula and the confluence of rivers.

Capture the city’s silhouette beneath the pagoda’s golden stupa as evening bells ring. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Rise early to participate respectfully in Tak Bat, offering sticky rice to saffron-robed monks moving silently through the streets. Guides outline etiquette to preserve the ritual’s harmony.

Support local vendors by purchasing offerings and observe from an appropriate distance after giving. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Paddle the Nam Song beneath jagged limestone karsts, drifting past rice fields and riverside hamlets. Gentle current and easy rapids keep the focus on scenery and simple adventure.

Expect splashy fun, photo stops, and guides who point out caves and cliff formations. Dry bags and safety gear are provided. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Travel by 4WD into the hills to meet the Lahu community of Doi Pu Muen. Wander tea and coffee terraces, try hand-picking tender tea leaves, and learn how families still pan-fire harvests over woks, preserving techniques passed down for generations.

Share stories with your hosts and taste freshly pan-fired tea against a backdrop of misty ridgelines. This visit blends flavour, landscape, and living culture—an intimate look at how crops shape daily life in Thailand’s uplands.

Cruise the Mekong River aboard a private wooden slow boat, settling into shaded decks as river life drifts by—fishermen casting nets, water buffalo on sandbars, children waving from bamboo hamlets. Swap tales with the Lao crew and savour a simple lunch served onboard.

Known as the “Mother of Waters,” the Mekong threads forested hills and sleepy villages in an ever-changing panorama. This unhurried passage reveals rhythm, scale, and the quiet beauty of Southeast Asia’s great waterway.

Visit the cliffside Pak Ou Caves, where centuries of pilgrims have placed thousands of Buddha images in niches and ledges above the river. Enter candle-lit chambers at the dramatic confluence where the Mekong meets the Nam Ou.

From river-level Tham Ting to the upper cavern, wooden, bronze, and stone figurines crowd the dim grottoes—offerings of hope, thanks, and remembrance. It’s a serene encounter with Laos’ quiet, enduring devotion.

Walk shaded forest tracks to turquoise pools and tiered cascades, where you can swim beneath limestone falls framed by lush greenery. Wooden bridges and viewpoints reveal milky-blue water shaped by mineral-rich karst.

Beyond the pools, visit the nearby Bear Rescue Centre that cares for sun and moon bears saved from illegal trade. Cool water, birdsong, and conservation stories combine at Luang Prabang’s most beloved natural escape.

Climb the famous Bua Thong falls where mineral-rich limestone creates remarkable grip, letting you climb the “Sticky” Waterfall barefoot. Cool spray, shady forest, and terraced cascades make this a playful, hands-on encounter with Northern Thailand’s jungle scenery.

Set inside Sri Lanna National Park, the waterfall’s travertine deposits act like natural tread underfoot. Scramble up tiers, pause for photos and reflection by jungle-lined pools, and relish a fresh, active break in nature.

Explore the subterranean world of Chiang Dao Cave on a torch-lit, guided walk through vast limestone chambers. Stalactites glint overhead as incense curls above hidden Buddhist shrines, lending a meditative hush to the echoing tunnels.

Long revered by locals, these caverns sit beneath the limestone bulk of Doi Chiang Dao. Hear folk beliefs and geological insights while tracing pathways past time-smoothed rock formations and quiet corners of devotion.

Unwind in nature at natural hot springs framed by forested slopes and mountain vistas. Soak in mineral-rich pools or warm up in a simple steam room as mist rises against the hills, easing travel-weary muscles.

In this serene corner of Thailand’s far north, geothermal waters have long drawn locals seeking restorative balneotherapy. Drift between temperatures, listen to birdsong, and savour the unhurried pace of a highlands spa day—no tiles, no chrome, just rock, water, and sky.

• 5 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Lunch (L)
• 1 Dinner (D)

• Chiang Dao: Time to test the name. Head to Bua Thong Waterfall, where the mineral-rich rock makes the surface surprisingly grippy (meaning you can actually climb straight up the cascading tiers!). Shoes off, camera ready, and straight into nature’s version of a jungle gym.
• Chiang Dao: Step into Chiang Dao Cave, a vast limestone cavern packed with stalactites, stalagmites, and hidden Buddhist shrines. With a Local Guide leading the way, we’ll wander through echoing chambers and learn how this place became both a natural wonder and a spiritual site.
• Fang: Deep in the hills, we’ll visit Doi Pu Muen — a beautiful town that’s home to the Lahu hilltribe community. Expect tea plantations, warm welcomes, and a look into everyday village life and what shapes the rhythm of the day.
• Pak Beng: Float down the Mekong from Pak Beng, past craggy caves and sleepy hillside villages. A proper taste of Laos life. 
• Luang Prabang: Definitely the most surreal caves we’ve ever seen. Rock caverns packed with thousands of mini-Buddha statues. Pics or it didn’t happen. 
• Luang Prabang: Kuang Si waterfalls have a beautiful aqua colour. With transfers and entry included you can check out the 4 different swimming areas. You might even be fortunate enough to check out the nearby bear conservation centre.
• Luang Prabang: Step inside the Living Crafts Centre in Luang Prabang and watch over 50 Lao artisans at work, creating beautiful clothes and homeware using traditional weaving techniques. Learn how Ock Pop Tok, founded by Joanna Smith and Veomanee Douangdala in 2000, empowers women by turning their skills into a viable career, while promoting Laotian textiles and crafts across the globe.
• Luang Prabang: Hop onto the train from Luang Prabang, travelling at a dashing 160 km/h. You’ll catch some breathtaking views on the way.
• Ban Laesivilay: Settle into a homestay in Ban Laesivilay and experience village life the local way. Expect a warm welcome, time to wander the surrounding plantations, and a shared family feast where we’ll help cook authentic Lao dishes before sitting down together to eat and swap stories.
• Ban Laesivilay: Boat time, people. We’ll hop on a local boat and glide along the Nam Xeuang River, passing jungle-covered banks and quiet village scenes. Along the way we’ll stop to try traditional river skills like gold panning and fishing — a hands-on look at how the community lives alongside the river.
• Ban Laesivilay: Head out with our host for a walk through Ban Laesivilay and get a proper look at the village rhythm. Expect a deeper dive into rural Laos — from learning how locals farm and plant to pitching in with seasonal tasks and everyday chores that keep the community running. It’s hands-on, human, and the kind of morning that makes the homestay feel real (and not just a place to sleep).

Contiki

Discover Bangkok’s nocturnal energy on a guided stroll where you’ll meet your Trip Manager and dive into the pulse of Khao San Road. Neon signs flicker over sizzling woks as buskers play and market stalls hum. Nibble on street food snacks like pad thai or mango sticky rice while soaking up the buzzing first-night atmosphere.

Hear local tips on navigating tuk-tuks, river ferries, and night markets, plus where to find the best late-night bites. This vibrant introduction sets the tone for Thailand’s capital—colourful, convivial, and endlessly social.