Trip Overview
Join AdventureWomen for ten delightful days of cultural discovery in Southeast Asia’s Thailand and Laos as you boat among local vendors at a floating market, explore elaborate temples honoring Buddha, ride a tuk tuk, and lounge on the beach on a Thai island.
Centuries ago, the people of Thailand and Laos harnessed the forces of nature to create a verdant, harmonious, and deeply spiritual paradise. Travel with AdventureWomen well off the beaten path in Southeast Asia to live as the locals do, discovering the region’s most spectacular sites, iconic temples, and wonderfully welcoming people of these two countries.
Meet your AdventureWomen guide and the women with whom you’ll be journeying in the Bangkok airport where you will board a flight for Laos, where you will explore by bike with your expert Laotian guide, exploring historic Luang Prabang, Vat Mai, and Vat Xieng Thong. Explore the Pak Ou Caves by boat where thousands of gilded Buddha statues fill two caves. Take part in a Laotian Baci spiritual ceremony, get to experience Laotian theater, and participate in Tak Bat, a traditional Laotian ritual where alms are provided to Buddhist monks and novices.
Next up, visit more temples, shop in galleries of traditional Thai artisans, and visit the Elephant Nature Park, a globally recognized elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. You will get to help prepare the elephants’ food and then feed them! Speaking of food, you’ll also take part an exciting Thai cooking with a cooking class remembering your chef’s words, “Mai pet, mai aloi!” – not spicy, not delicious!
Travel to Bangkok, a city in Thailand where rivers have traditionally served as highways and shopping “centers.” Over the next few days, you’ll journey out to discover Bangkok’s wonders in two exciting and thoroughly less traditional ways, by kayak and authentic longtail traditional Thai river boat! Cruise by water to reach the illuminated, highly ornate Wat Arun, or “Temple of Dawn”, its radiant towers sparkling with embedded colored glass, and travel by river the traditional way to learn about the ethnic communities clustered along the riverbanks. Glide in a Thai longtail boat to pull alongside vendors of the colorful Lad Mayom Floating Market. Enjoy enchanting traditional marionette and Thai shadow-puppet performances then learn about the lifestyles of local Thai women who you meet on a visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (TAEC), as you are welcomed by one of the organization’s two female founders. Trying local Thai cuisine can be a big adventure in itself too, so for your first Thai meal, dive right into the delicacies of Bangkok’s night markets, an unforgettable street-food scene where your delicious meal is cooked right in front of you. Don’t worry! Your helpful Thai guide will explain to you what you’re buying at the market as you shop for your dinner as well as what part of Thailand it’s from!
To cap off your adventure, travel to Phuket’s port where boats await to row you and your companions into the Hong Archipelago for three nights of beach fun on Koh Yao Yai Island. The fine sand, jade green seas, nearby islands, and mangroves make this the most perfect adventure finale: world-class snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, and simply soaking up the sun on emerald-rimmed white sand beaches.
At your farewell celebration, join your guides for a Krathong Ceremony where you float a leaf basket holding a candle while offering prayers, and reflect on how sharing this cultural experience in Thailand and Laos with the other Adventure Women on your trip made this adventure truly spectacular.
- Day-by-Day Itinerary: Thailand and Laos Women’s Adventure Tour
- What’s Included on Your Thailand and Laos Cultural Tour
- Where You Stay in Thailand and Laos: Accommodations
- Travel Tips & Information About Traveling to Bangkok and Luang Prabang
- Detailed Itinerary for November 2022 Thailand & Laos Adventure
- Detailed Itinerary for December 2022 Thailand & Laos Adventure
Main Attractions
- Explore Thailand and Laos by kayak, long-tail boat, and tuk tuk
- Meet local Laotian artisans and entrepreneurs at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center
- Spend the day caring for elephants at the Elephant Nature Park
- Bike through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang Laos and participate in spiritual ceremonies
- Snorkel and kayak among remote islands in the Andaman Sea near Phuket, Thailand
What You'll See and Do
- Anthropology
- Architecture
- Bicycling
- Canoe and Boat Travel
- Cooking Class
- Cultural Exploration
- Cultural Performances
- Historical Sites
- Local Delicacies
- National Parks
- Natural History
- Sightseeing
- Snorkeling
- Spa Element
- Swimming
- Walking
- Women-To-Women Exchanges
Download Extended Itinerary
- Nov 12 > Nov 21, 2022
Download Itinerary PDF - Dec 10 > Dec 19, 2022
Download Itinerary PDF