This Thailand & Malaysia small group tour has some history, hilltribe trekking, both warm island and cool mountain relaxation, great shopping, many friendly cultures and is our best itinerary for food with both Thai and multi cultural Malaysian. It has the lot and is a great introduction to Asia as both countries are friendly, safe and hassle free.

Food is no doubt a major highlight of this trip.

Baktrax’s food advisor from France declares without hesitation that, “Malaysia is undoubtably the food capital of the world, and Penang is the best place in Malaysia to try a lot of it”. Thai’s will no doubt disagree with this so you can be your own judge as to who has the best. Baktrax takes no responsibility whatsoever for gained weight during this trip. Whether it’s Thai, Malay, Indian or Chinese, this trip has it all.

Group Size: Minimum 1, Maximum 8

Guaranteed to depart

English speaking tour coordinator

Visiting
BANGKOK - THE RIVER KWAI - SUKOTHAI - SUKOTHAI HISTORICAL PARK - CHIANG MAI - PAI - VARIOUS HILLTRIBE VILLAGES - PENANG (Malaysia) - TANAH RATA - LANGKAWI ISLAND.

Accommodation

• Three star hotel, (3 nights).
• One to two star guest houses and hotels, (9 nights).
• Simple guest houses, (12 nights).
• Hill tribe villages, (2 nights).
• Overnight sleeper train (2 nights).

Transport
Bus, Train, Taxi, Plane.

Day Trips

• River Kwai, (full day).
• Sukothai historical park, (half day).
• Pai district, (half day)
• Hill tribe trek, (three days, two nights).
• Cooking course, (half day).
• Thai massage, (one hour).
• Cameron highlands, (half day).

Entry Fees

All included when part of the itinerary.

Meals
44 meals included as per itinerary.
B = Breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner.

Itinerary

Day 1:

Tonight our Thailand & Malaysia small group tour will stay in; BANGKOK - Our Thailand & Malaysia small group tour officially starts when you check into your Bangkok accommodation. A welcoming dinner will be had in the evening. If you arrive early enough your free time could be spent visiting the enormous Chatuchak weekend market and/or, Wat Phra Kaew & the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, MBK or Siam shopping centres or take a boat ride with the locals on the Chao Phraya express to some local shops in Nonthaburi.

A few of the  dozens of other options may be Vimanmek Teak Mansion, Chinatown, Wat Traimit, Jim Thompsons House, Silom or Sukhumvit road shops.

OR? Maybe just lay back and have a traditional Thai Massage. A month in the capital wouldn't allow you enough time to see it all. D.

Day 2:

BANGKOK - A free day to explore the amazing city of Bangkok, known as Krunthep, (city of angels), in Thai.  Markets, shops, temples and numerous other distractions will keep you busy whichever way you decide to go. B.

Day 3:

BANGKOK - A local operator will take you on a full days tour to the bridge on The River Kwai. En route you will visit a floating market and the Phra Pathom Chedi which is the tallest Buddist monument in the world.

As well as the bridge in Kanchanaburi you will also visit the Allied War Cemetary and the Death Museum.  B. L. D.

Day 4:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; SUKOTHAI - Today our small group tour will take a bus  to the first capital of Thailand, Sukothai. The rest of the day is free to relax or explore before dinner.    

While the centuries old, Old Sukothai is the main reason for our visit New Sukothai is an interesting town in itself.  A great Night Market will get the taste buds going for a start. B. D.

Day 5:

SUKOTHAI - Sukothai Historical Park; A local operator will take our small group tour to explore the old ruins of Sukothai which is now a UNESCO World Heritage listed historical park. B.

Day 6:

Tonight your small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; CHIANG MAI - Another local bus trip takes our small group tour to the northern capital of Thailand, Chiang Mai. Just a few of the easy to visit sights by foot, Tuk Tuk or Sawngthaew, (share taxi) include Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Jet Yot and Wat Phan Tao among dozens of others.

If you don't temple out there is still the mountain top temple of Phra That Doi Suthep, approx fifteen kilometres away in a national park. For Shoppers it doesn't get much better than Chiang Mai. After a day at Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Centre, Worowat Market, Airport Plaza and/or dozens of other speciality shops all over the place you can barter hard at the famous Night Bazaar. Arts and crafts, textiles, silver and clothing are but a few of the great bargains to be had in Chiang Mai. A budget trip to a dentist is another possiblity as well. B. D.

Day 7:

CHIANG MAI - A free day to explore more of the above mentioned or numerous other sights. Want more activity? Then maybe a visit to the Chiang Mai Night Safari, take a balloon flight, go Horse riding, take a cruise on the Ping River or go Rock climbing or mountain biking

B.Add/Edit

Day 8:

  Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; PAI. Today by mini bus takes our small group tour to a very special town in Thailand. Situated in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery, Pai has an aura all of its own.   

Pai is possibly the chill out capital of Thailand, especially in low season. A vibrant night life of music, restaurants and bars is just the beginning B. D.

Day 9:

PAI - A local operator will show our small group tour around the district with the possibility of swimming under a cool mountain waterfall (seasonal). Other sights include the Viewpoint, Wat Phra That Mae Yen Temple on the hill and Pai Canyon all with spectacular scenery in every direction.

In the evening you will meet your trekking guide who will  brief you about your upcoming trek. B. D.

Day 10:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; HILLTRIBE VILLAGE - Pack just a day pack, (your main bag will be safely stored in Pai), for the three day trek to Lahu, Lisu and Karen hill tribe villages, where your small group tour will experience a totally different culture and way of life. You will sleep in very basic huts with your local hosts and be prepared for some surprises. They usually have no gas or electricity and live a very simple subsistence life, but you will never meet more hospitable people. B. L. D. daily

FITNESS -  Trekking is not a contest to see who is the fittest or fastest. Although it is generally easy walking at your own pace, being mountain trekking as such, there will be some uphill sections so a reasonable level of fitness is required to get the most out of it. But relax, enjoy the scenery and local hospitality is the best way to approach it.

Day 11:

See Day 10

Day 12:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; PAI - Your cultural trek will finish back in Pai after a fascinating three days and you saw the real thing because you were in a small group tour rather than than a large herd of tourists.     A traditional Thai dinner will be had with our hosts in the evening. B. L. D.

Day 13:

PAI - A day to relax in this magical town of Pai including a complimentary Thai massage to ease out any hard earned aches and pains. A half-day cooking course is also part of today's itinerary. At night we will devour what you have created. Other things to consider are a visit to the nearby KMT village of Ban Santichon which has Yunnanese influence. A visit to the hot springs where a mud wrap or other treatments are on offer at Thapai Spa. B. D.

Day 14:

PAI - Another free day in Pai for the energetic to do some more exploration of this wonderful town, or just relax a bit more. At night you will be treated to another traditional Thai dinner  as we farewell our hosts in Pai-adise. B. D.

Day 15:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; CHIANG MAI - Sadly our small group tour will leave Pai and return to Chiang Mai . Rest of the day is free for any last minute shopping or sightseeing in the region. B.

Day 16:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay on; OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN - A short  domestic flight in the morning to Bangkok will connect our small group tour with the always enjoyable International Express overnight sleeper train to Malaysia. B.

Day 17:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay on; PENANG  - Our small group tour will arrive around midday in Butterworth and take the short ferry trip across the Melaka Straits to Georgetown the big and busy capital of Penang Island. Georgetown has an atmosphere unlike any other place known to Baktrax in Malaysia and possibly all of S.E. Asia. It's one of our all time favourite destinations. Go back in time as we walk the fascinating streets of the state capital. Streets being the way to go much of the time as the footpaths are often owned by the resident house or buisness and as such are often blocked off for public use. Just a few of the main attractions include:

• Fort Cornwallis
• Penang Museum
• Khoo Kongsi Chinese Clan House
• Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
• Alpha Utara gallery

Acheen Street Mosque or Hainan Temple and dozens more mosques, temples  and colonial buildings or head up to Penang Hill at 800 metres to get  some great views of the island. Do this either by a long  hard walk or take  the historical Funicular Train where a monkey or two is  often seen  scampering around the tracks. Lastly, but not the least, maybe a  budget visit to a local dentist to offset some of your holiday costs. No Meals.

Day 18:

PENANG - A free day to explore some of the above. But without doubt the main purpose of coming to Penang is the FOOD! Your accommodation is within a few minutes walk of a multitude of Malay, Chinese or Indian restaurants. Penang's Curry Laksa or Indian Tandoori chicken with Garlic Nan bread are just but 2 of the better known local favs. This will also be your first  chance to eat the local way with a  Banana Leaf Meal and it doesn't get much better than a bottomless one at Krsna Villa restaurant in  Little India. B.

Day 19:

Tonight our Thailand & Malaysia small group tour will stay in; TANAH RATA - A chance for our small group tour to cool down for a while as we head by local bus via Ipoh to the hill station town of Tanah Rata, the main town in the Cameron Highlands. At 1800 metres above sea level it's blankets year round at night with cooler but not cold days most of the year. Some of the attractions include the Tea Estates. Sam Poh Temple and the Sri Tehnadayuthapany Swamy Temple.

But with the cooler climate the major pastime for most visitors is hiking along the mountain trails of which there are numerous marked ones.

Once again another foodies delight awaits in Tanah Rata with some of the best South Indian restaurants in Malaysia. Just one worth a mention is Restaurant Number 14 with their Honey Chicken just about as good as it gets. Lots of Arts and Craft shops nearby to tempt you also. B.

Day 20:

TANAH RATA - A short walk along a stream and around a golf course will see you in the nearby village of Brinchang. For anyone not wishing to do this leisurely 1 hour walk a local bus will have you there in 15 minutes. Explore this peaceful village before returning to Tanah Rata for a traditional Chinese Steamboat dinner. B. L. D.

Day 21:

TANAH RATA - Check out the enviromental awareness in the highlands before either a morning or afternoon half day tour of the region today. The tour includes a visit to the Boh Tea Estate a chinese temple and a butterfly farm while all the time enjoying the great scenery as you go. B.D.

Day 22:

TANAH RATA - A free day to debate which mountain town is the best, Pai or Tanah Rata? B.

Day 23:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; PENANG - Our small group tour returns to Penang this morning for a free afternoon of last minute shopping,sightseeing and eating. B.

Day 24:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay on; LANGKAWI ISLAND - A short ferry ride will see our small group tour on lovely Langkawi Island for three days of relaxation. Being a duty free island Langkawi  has some of the cheapest beer in the country but at the same time please respect the local culture if they ask you not to drink it in certain places. No meals.

Day 25:

LANGKAWI ISLAND - Your beachside accommodation and the warm waters will see you in relaxation mode for your last days in Malaysia. Beachside or some strolling are the main two choices today. OR?  Shopaholics can take a taxi to one of the duty free malls. B.

Day 26:

LANGKAWI ISLAND - Repeat day 25. B.

Day 27:

Tonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay on; OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN - A little bit different in getting our small group tour back to Bangkok today. Firstly a ferry back to the Thai border province of Satun. Then after immigration duties a bus trip to nearby Trang province for a few hours. Late afternoon we catch the sleeper train back to Bangkok. B.

Day 28:

BTonight our small group Thailand & Malaysia tour will stay in; ANGKOK - Our small group tour will arrive a.m. in Bangkok for a final nights accommodation. A farewell dinner will be had in the evening.  Your free time in between could be used to visit one of the famous Bangkok temples within easy reach of your accommodation. Maybe Some more shopping or  another Thai massage to finish up on? A final toast can be made in the nearby travellers Gecko Bar which is a great place to watch the passing parade for a last time

Very few people ever get bored in Bangkok. Just watching the amount and chaos of the traffic is entertaining enough in itself. D.

Day 29:

Our Thailand and Malaysia small group tour is officially over when you check out of your Bangkok accommodation. An airport transfer is included also. B.

Tour Departure Dates

2012
02 Jun, 07 Jul, 21 Jul, 04 Aug, 18 Aug, 01 Sep, 15 Sep, 06 Oct, 20 Oct, 03 Nov, 17 Nov, 01 Dec

2013
05 Jan, 19 Jan, 02 Feb, 06 Apr, 20 Apr, 04 May, 18 May, 01 Jun, 15 Jun, 06 Jul, 20 Jul, 03 Aug, 17 Aug, 07 Sep, 21 Sep, 05 Oct, 19 Oct, 02 Nov, 16 Nov

Any other date on application. (Minimum two people).

Price

P/P, land only; (includes flight Chiang Mai to Bangkok).
USD $2,750
Single Suppliment: USD $650