Today you take an overnight flight to Bangkok.

On arrival in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, you are taken to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, an early check-in is worthwhile so you can move into your room straight away (optional, see add-ons). In the evening you explore the city on a street food tour by tuk-tuk: you head to the flower market and Chinatown, passing well-known sights in the evening light. Your local guide tells you lots about Bangkok while you sample the food stalls. (D)

2 nights · Double room · With breakfast The Centara Life Hotel Bangkok Phra Nakhon is centrally located in the old town: Wat Saket is about a 15-minute walk away, and a free shuttle runs to Khaosan Road. There is a gym, a pool with terrace and modern rooms with air conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast is served as a buffet.

By longtail boat you travel on the Chao Phraya, the “River of Kings”, and turn into the quiet canals (khlongs) of Thonburi. Stilt houses, children playing in the water and small places reachable only by boat give you an insight into traditional life on the water. After lunch at a local restaurant you visit Wat Arun, the “Temple of Dawn” with its ornate façade on the riverbank. You then tour the Grand Palace with Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Thailand’s national shrine. Finally you see Wat Pho with its famous Reclining Buddha and the richly decorated chedis of the kings. (B/L)

In the morning you drive to Kanchanaburi province. During the Second World War, Allied prisoners of war and Asian forced labourers had to build the “Death Railway”, including the Bridge on the River Kwai, under brutal conditions; tens of thousands of them died. At the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, exhibitions and films give you a moving insight into this period. You then visit the Don Rak War Cemetery and see the famous Bridge on the River Kwai. Afterwards you ride the train on the historic line yourself – the journey over the wooden viaducts along steep slopes is particularly impressive. In the evening a BBQ dinner awaits you at the hotel (seasonal). (B/D) (Distance: approx. 250 km; driving time: approx. 3.5 hrs)

2 nights · Double room · With breakfast The Hintok River Camp lies right on the River Kwai in the Kanchanaburi countryside. It has a restaurant, a bar, a natural pool, massage service, mountain bikes, an art gallery and a souvenir shop. You stay in stylish tents or bungalows with private bath or shower/WC.

Today you visit a sustainable elephant camp in Sai Yok National Park, where the animals are treated with respect: no riding, no chains, no hooks. Together with the mahouts you prepare the food, feed the elephants and accompany them on a walk into the forest. Then you watch them bathe in the river. After a vegetarian lunch and a final feeding, it is time to say goodbye. In the afternoon you visit the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum and walk through Hellfire Pass, a rock cutting dug into the mountain by hand under the harshest conditions during the Second World War – a quiet place of remembrance. (B/L/D) (Distance: approx. 95 km; driving time: approx. 2.5 hrs)

If you like getting up early, you can walk to a suspension bridge before breakfast. From there you look out over rubber trees, a village and a temple where monks receive alms in the early morning. Then you head south. In Phetchaburi province you visit Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park, known locally as Khao Wang: the former summer residence of King Rama IV spreads over three hills and combines Thai, Western and Chinese architecture. A cable car takes you up for a view over Phetchaburi. You then continue to Hua Hin, where you can spend the rest of the day on the beach or at the hotel. (B) (Distance: approx. 290 km; driving time: approx. 4.5 hrs)

1 night · Double room · With breakfast The Amari Hua Hin is located on the Gulf of Thailand coast, about 400 m from the beach. It has a large pool, a hotel bar serving Thai street food and a restaurant with live cooking stations. Rooms have air conditioning, safe, flat-screen TV and minibar.

Along the coast you continue south to the Kui Buri area, where pineapple plantations stretch to the horizon. You learn what else can be made from the fruit besides eating it. Then you go on a safari in an open vehicle through Kui Buri National Park, home to gaur and wild elephants – with a bit of luck you will spot some of them. If the national park is closed during the rainy season, you visit Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park instead. Overnight in Bang Saphan. (B/L) (Distance: approx. 210 km; driving time: approx. 3.5 hrs)

1 night · Double room · With breakfast The Baan Grood Arcadia Resort lies on the Gulf of Thailand coast in Bang Saphan. The rooms and bungalows overlooking the sea or the tropical garden have private bathroom and air conditioning. There is a restaurant serving Thai and international cuisine, a beach bar and a pool.

Today you visit a small community in southern Thailand, the first region in the south to become known for high-quality Robusta coffee. On the fertile volcanic soils of “Tham Sing – Din Daeng”, only the ripe red coffee cherries are picked by hand, sorted and processed traditionally. You watch the process and taste the coffee. In the afternoon you reach Khao Sok National Park with its dense rainforest and towering limestone cliffs. In the late afternoon you arrive at your lodge, where you end the day with dinner together. (B/D) (Distance: approx. 465 km; driving time: approx. 6.5 hrs)

2 nights · Double room · With breakfast The Anurak Community Lodge is set in a palm plantation near Khao Sok National Park. It has a restaurant and bar, with free Wi-Fi in public areas. The air-conditioned bungalows have a balcony and a bathroom with shower.

Today you experience Cheow Lan Lake (Ratchaprapha Reservoir), surrounded by limestone cliffs and rainforest. At a raft house, one of the floating bungalows, you can swim, relax or explore the scenery by kayak. If you like, you can hike along small trails to caves and waterfalls. At midday you enjoy a local lunch. In the evening, at a traditional jungle dinner, you learn how villagers cook with ingredients from nature – grilled in palm leaves or cooked in bamboo tubes over an open fire. (B/L/D) (Distance: approx. 50 km; driving time: approx. 1.5 hrs)

Through the green landscape of southern Thailand you drive to Phuket today. Here your tour ends in a relaxed way on Thailand’s dream beaches. (B)

2 nights · Double room · With breakfast The Dewa Phuket Resort & Villas is a few minutes’ walk from Nai Yang Beach. It has a large outdoor pool with pool bar, a fitness centre, a spa (at extra cost) and a restaurant serving Thai and international cuisine. The rooms combine modern design with Thai flair and have air conditioning, flat-screen TV and free Wi-Fi.

Spend the last day just as you like: by the hotel pool, swimming in the sea or on a long walk along the beach. (B)

Today it is time to say goodbye. At the appropriate time you are taken to the airport for your flight home. (B)

With many memories in your luggage, you land back home today.