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.
Thailand and Laos
Meet your AdventureWomen Thai guide and the women with whom you’ll be journeying in 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.
After Bangkok, travel to Laos, where you will explore historic Luang Prabang, Vat Mai, and Vat Xieng Thong by tuk-tuk with your expert Laotian guide. 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. This traditional Laotian ritual provides alms to Buddhist monks and novices.
Return to Thailand and reunite with your Thai guide to 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’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!
Your hotel on a beautiful stretch of beach is a perfect jumping-off point for a large variety of fun activities and excursions. The area boasts great surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving, as well as awesome opportunities for exploring ocean caves or just relaxing on the soft sand.
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 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!
At your farewell celebration, join your guides for a Krathong Ceremony, where you float a leaf basket holding a candle while offering prayers. Reflect on how sharing this cultural experience in Thailand and Laos with the other Adventure Women on your trip made this adventure truly spectacular.
Main Attractions
- Kayak, float by long-tail boats, explore floating markets
- Dine on Thailand's famously fresh, delicious, and spicy cuisine
- Meet local Laotian artisans and entrepreneurs at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center
- Spend a full day at the Elephant Nature Park
- Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang, Laos and participate in spiritual ceremonies
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
