DAY 1
Depart on your scheduled flight to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand.
DAY 2
Arrival in Chiang Mai followed by transfer to your hotel for a three night stay.
DAY 3
Morning at leisure. Afternoon visit to the magnificent hilltop Doi Suthep Temple for spectacular views over Chiang Mai. You will also visit umbrella, jewellery and lacquerware factories.
DAY 4
Morning visit to an elephant camp on the outskirts of the city. Here you will see a demonstration of working elephants. During the afternoon, a trip will be made to watch silk and cotton fabrics being made.
DAY 5
Travel on the daytime train service from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. This fascinating 12 hour journey covers over 470 miles and will afford close up views of Thai rural life. On arrival in Bangkok transfer to your hotel for a three night stay.
DAY 6
This morning we include a sightseeing tour of Bangkok, visiting the famous Temples of the Golden Buddha and the Reclining Buddha. Bangkok is a sprawling city situated on the Chao Praya River, 30 miles north of the Gulf of Thailand, a fascinating amalgam of saffron-robed Buddhist monks, floating markets on the klongs (canals), street stalls, exotic restaurants and a legendary nightlife. This afternoon you will visit the famous Rose Gardens, where many aspects of Thai culture are on display, including Thai boxing, folk dancing, working elephants and monks’ ordination ceremonies.
DAY 7
Included full day tour to the River Kwai and the allied cemetery at Kanchanaburi – start of the infamous ‘Death Railway’ of World War II.
DAY 8
Transfer to Hualampong station and join the ‘International Express’ for the journey south to Butterworth in Malaysia. Accommodation will be in comfortable open plan carriages, with a dining car being provided as far as Hat Yai, just north of the Malaysian border. From Bangkok, the train heads through sprawling suburbs then into a vast landscape of rice fields. Major towns passed include Hua Hin, the old royal capital. Overnight on board the train.
DAY 9
After alighting for customs and immigration checks at Padang Besar, re-board the train and travel through an increasingly tropical landscape to Butterworth, a further three hours away. On arrival transfer by road across the impressive 8 mile long bridge to Penang Island – Pearl of the Orient, a place of mysterious temples and palm-shrouded beaches. Stay for three nights at your beachside hotel.
DAY 10
Today, a three-quarter day sightseeing tour of the island is included. You will see traditional batik printing, view a spice estate and a Malay Kampung, where houses are built on stilts. You will also drive around the capital, Georgetown, see Fort Cornwallis, Little India, bustling Chinatown, majestic Khoo Kongsi and the Wat Chayamankalaram which houses one of the world’s largest reclining Buddhas. You will then join the Penang Hill Railway, a funicular, up to the cooler temperatures of this hill station.
DAY 11
Free to relax or explore this wonderful island further on one of our optional excursions.
DAY 12
Morning drive to Ipoh for an included sightseeing tour and lunch. Continue to Kuala Lumpur and an included sightseeing tour of this bustling capital of Malaysia, home to one of the world’s tallest buildings, the Petronas Towers. Colonial buildings nestle beside Chinese shops, both overshadowed by towering office blocks. Other highlights are the Jamek Mosque, Chinatown, the Royal Palace, beautiful Lake Gardens and the National Museum. Transfer to your hotel for a two night stay.
DAY 13
At leisure in Kuala Lumpur.
DAY 14
The final stage of your fascinating rail journey is on board the ‘Express Sinaran Seletan’, in first-class air-conditioned seating. Refreshments will be available. Once clear of Kuala Lumpur you travel past oil palm plantations which gradually give way to tea plantations, before arriving at Johor Bahru, Malaysia’s newest economic hub. Then across the causeway to arrive at Singapore Station. On arrival, transfer to your hotel for a two night stay. Afternoon and evening at leisure.
DAY 15
Today we have included a morning sightseeing tour of Singapore which was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. You will see Orchard Road, Mount Faber, Raffles Place, the waterfront and Little India then walk through Chinatown, and finally the Botanic Gardens. Singapore is the world’s second busiest port, known as the ‘Garden City’. Singapore offers a fascinating insight into the dignity of the old colonial days, mixed with fast developing and futuristic commercial enterprise. It is famous for its astonishing selection of shops, markets and bazaars, all with amazing duty free prices. The city itself is quite compact, and you can explore the narrow streets with their delightful open-air food stalls, stroll through the quiet squares or watch the chaotic and frenzied activity of the harbour area.
DAY 16
Most of the day at leisure until your transfer to the airport for the return flight to the UK.
DAY 17
Arrival in the UK.