Discovery of Issan and stay in the Gulf of Siam

Do you want to enjoy a relaxing stay and a cultural trip off the classic tourist trails ?

We suggest you explore the Issan region (northeast of Thailand, close to Laos and the Mekong). A region little known to tourists, and yet rich in exciting discoveries, such as its Khmer remains from the Angor Wat period, its prehistoric site and its landscapes; you will enter the heart of current Thai rural society, meeting its music, its cuisine, its festivals and its way of life.

At the start and end of the trip, you will relax on the edge of the Gulf of Thailand, with its peaceful and uncrowded beaches.

Circuit:
One month Issan and Gulf of Siam

Departure dates in Issan

• In October to enjoy two festivals in Issan at the end of October (wax floats with parade and music Prasat Phung in Sakon Nakhon, and illuminated boats Lai Rua Fai in Nakon Phanom).
• In November with the famous elephant festival in Surin.
• In December depending on demand.
• Departure to Issan between March 7 and 10, 2025 already firmly scheduled.

Depending on your arrival date, you can flexibly recombine the program (by shifting the stay in Ban Phe before or after the date of the trip to Issan) depending on the flights you find.

And if you only have a few days (outside high season) and you want something more personalized, we can still offer you the discovery of the Issan region, in a private version: its Kmer temples, its cuisine, rice fields and the rural world, silk, elephants, Buddhism and animism, a night with locals, canoeing, etc... and all this à la carte, according to your desires and your time, and in tour organized just for your family and friends. For lovers of discoveries off the tourist trail and looking for slices of life.
Do not hesitate to contact us!

Program

NB: The seaside part of the program can be shifted more or less before and after the trip to Issan, depending on the dates of arrival and departure in Thailand that suit you.

• Day 1: Arrival. Private transfer Airport/resort (approximately 2h30 journey). To recover from the trip and get into the relaxed atmosphere, a free Thai massage or foot massage. Dinner at the resort.
• Day 2: Discovery of the village of Ban-Phe: crafts, shopping, lunch, seaside at Souan-Son beach.
• Day 3: Typical market and street. Visit to the aquarium. Lunch by the sea at Mae Ram Phung. Seaside afternoon in Laem Mae Phim.
• Day 4: Market and shopping day in Rayong (the small prefecture of the province, a typically Thai town). Barbecue evening.
• Day 5: Walk to Rayong Botanical Park. Picnic by the sea. Seaside afternoon at Souan Wang Kheo Park.
• Day 6: Walk to the Ban-Phe botanical park. Fisherman's market. Lunch and seaside afternoon at Souan-Son beach.

• Day 7: Beach day in Laem Mae Phim. Seaside restaurant "Plao Sea Food". Orchid garden. Discovery of the Klaeng market.
• Day 8: Visit to a temple populated by monkeys. Weaving crafts. Seaside afternoon at Khen's Beach.
• Day 9: Departure for Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of the Thai kingdom, a city which shined even at the court of the French king Louis XIV before its destruction by the Burmese army.
  Visits to the main monuments, and local market and artisanal products. Boat trip on the Chao Phraya with the monuments along the river then dinner on the banks of the Chao Praya river. Night in Ayutthaya in a small resort.

• Day 10: Departure for Issan. Landscapes of the rural world of Southeast Asia. Stone carvings and temple. Evening and Dinner in Phimai in a small hotel.
• Day 11: Visit to the village and the prehistoric site of Ban Prasat and the Me Yamo memorial.
  Afternoon: century-old banyan tree Sai Gnam And, visit the ruins of the famous and first castle of the Khmer era: Prasat Phimai. Evening at the night market and dinner at the hotel.

• Day 12: Historical parks of the Khmer era (Phrasat Hin Khao Phnom Rung and Muang Tam): from the Angkor Wat period, the relatively well preserved 1000 year old temple, and the remains of the city. Craftsmanship. Along the way, visit sites with hundreds of storks, then direction Ban Ta Klang and overnight at the famous "elephant village", in a small resort.
• Day 13: Ban Ta Klang village. The life of pachyderms with their mahouts (mahouts). Elephant ride in the village, elephant show and museum. Discovery of the temple and the elephant cemetery. Night in Kalasin in a small resort.

• Day 14: Discovery of Kalasin: nicknamed the “valley of dinosaurs”, Sirindhorn museum with reconstructed dinosaurs, and archaeological excavations. Phu Kao Temple with granite and wood sculptures in the middle of the rice fields.
  Lunch by the lake with fish farming. Passage to the village of Prewa to discover the manufacturing of cotton and silk.
  Dinner and night in Ban Don Wai, for a five-night stay, in a large house in the countryside, in a single air-conditioned room with private shower and toilet.
• Day 15 to 19: Visits to discover life in the village: agriculture, school, crafts, etc.
  Visit the town of Sakhon Nakon with its museum and lotus lake.
  Visit to the town of Nakon Phanom on the banks of the Mekong, with viewpoint, lunch by the river and walk.
  Visit to a village of Vietnamese origin and the house and mausoleum of Ho Chi Mhin, then an Indochinese period residence as well as the Indochina market.
  Discovery of the Prehistoric site and the museum and the archaeological excavation, as well as various crafts.
  Visit to Ban Chiang: museum and archaeological excavations, typical Phu Tai village, factory and introduction to pottery.
  Visit an indigo factory and a temple at the top of a mountain with a magnificent view of Phu Pan national park.
  Visit to the craft village of Kut Nakham.
  Boat trip on Nong Han Lake and visit an ancient temple in the middle of an island with its buffaloes.

• Day 20: The journey resumes: en route visit to Bueng Kan and visit to Phu Sing Park and its Whales Rocks (rocks resembling the silhouette of whales).
  Ahong Siwalas site, the navel of the Mekong, discovery of the landscapes of the northeast. Lunch by the river in Pakhat. Phon Phisai and its giant Nagas.
  Three-night stay in Nonghkai in a small resort, on the Laotian border.

• Days 21 and 22: Wat Pha Tak Sua and Skywalk with viewpoint over Laos and boat ride on a lotus-filled pond.
  Phu Phra Bat National Historical Park and its museum.
  Sunset on the banks of the Mekong. Tasadet Indochinese market and walk and dinner by the river.
  Salakeoku Park and Temple with various sculptures.
  Boat trip with the Friendship Bridge and sunset.
• Day 23: Return by plane and transfer to the Souan-Son Beach Resort.
  The visits mentioned will take place but may be reversed depending on festivals, weather or public holidays.
• Days 24 to 29: Beach days at the beaches of Souan Son, Ken, One beach, Laem Mae Phim, Mae Ram Phung. Temple visits. Markets and village. Thai dinners also including Paella/Barbecue/Couscous evenings. Private return transfer to the airport.

NB: The Issan circuit program is given for information only; particularly depending on the festivals, the program will be modified to take this into account. Contact us for the exact program based on your date.

Price with outings

	A single person	Two people (double bed or two beds)
Full board	190€ upon reservation + 88,500 baht balance	285€ upon reservation + 126,000 baht balance
Half board	180€ upon reservation + 85,500 baht balance	265€ upon reservation + 120,000 baht balance

NB: 5% additional if there are only two couples participating in the trip.
If you are a group: 5% reduction.

These prices include:
All outings, entry to visits, journeys in an air-conditioned vehicle, overnight stays (during the trip to Issan, hotels and resorts are of a level equivalent to a two-star), full board (excluding drinks and extras) during of the trip to Issan and either full board at the resort or half board at the resort depending on the option chosen, pick-up from Bangkok airport.
They do not include the return flight and the transfer from Nongkhai to the resort, which depending on the time of booking costs approximately 2000 to 2500 baht (we will take care of purchasing the tickets for you as soon as you have made a firm reservation and given your passport numbers).

These prices are for a departure with at least two couples (possibility of grouping up with other travelers, contact us with your date options). The group size will be a maximum of eight people.
Possibility of paying only the deposit upon reservation and the balance on site.

The number of days of the tour can be adapted if necessary!

For the baht rate updated live, you can consult the site www.bangkokbank.com.