Thailand & Laos: Teen Family Adventure

Arrive in Bangkok and meet your guide for the transfer to the hotel. This evening, explore Chinatown on foot, starting near Hua Lamphong Railway Station and winding through the backstreets to the bright lights of Yaowarat Street, learning the neighbourhood's history while tasting Chinese dumplings, peppered pork noodles, Chinese donuts and sweet desserts along the way, finishing with a stop at a local tea shop. Overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast, join a fun half-day treasure hunt through Bangkok's historic Rattanakosin district. Meet your local guide at Loha Prasart, split into teams and receive a booklet of clues, then follow a trail of missions through the Golden Mountain and the local community of Ban Baht, cracking codes and interacting with locals along the way, finishing at a local printing house and café to crown the winning team. In the afternoon, hop aboard an e-tuk tuk through Bangkok's old town to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, two of Thailand's most important landmarks, timed for a quieter visit than the morning rush, learning about the country's royal history and spiritual traditions. Overnight in Bangkok.

After breakfast, check out and fly to Chiang Mai, where your guide meets you and transfers you to the hotel. In the afternoon, set out on foot along the monk's trail through the forest for around 30 minutes to Wat Phalad, one of Chiang Mai's least-visited temples, tucked away in the jungle. Continue by private van up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, admiring its golden chedi and taking in sweeping views over Chiang Mai city while learning about the temple's significance. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Pick-up is at 08:00 for a full day of adventure. Head to Sri Lanna National Park for a climb up the multi-tiered Sticky Waterfalls, so named for their unusually grippy limestone surface; the more adventurous can continue to the source of the falls for a look at its seven-coloured natural spring. Swap hiking boots for bikes and cycle paved roads away from the falls, passing fruit orchards and wide rice paddies as the scenery opens up. At Mae Ngat Dam Reservoir, trade bikes for a 20-minute long-tail boat ride across the green water to a floating raft house for lunch, with time to swim or kayak the lake before the ride back to shore and the transfer to Chiang Mai. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Check out after breakfast and set off for Chiang Rai, stopping first for a cultural morning in the local community of Tha Sala. Ride a private electric tuk tuk to Wat Buak Krok Luang, a lesser-known ancient temple known to locals for its mural paintings, hunting for hidden 'Dalmatian' horses among the artwork, then continue to meet the 7 Saonoi, a group of women all in their seventies who demonstrate how to make traditional paper lanterns at their actual workstation. Move on to Wat Don Chan for a 90-minute lantern and tung weaving workshop, learning the craft's techniques from local teachers before hanging your finished piece on the temple grounds, followed by a private blessing from a monk. Continue the roughly 3-hour drive to Chiang Rai, stopping en route at the White Temple to admire its intricate kanok architecture. Overnight in Chiang Rai, at the Ahsa Farm Stay.

Spend a full day immersed in rural life at Ahsa Farm Stay, starting with a visit to the morning market and the chance to offer alms to local monks. Try your hand at rice cultivation, tap rubber trees, and meet the farm's resident water buffaloes. In the afternoon, choose between a jungle trek followed by a bamboo barbecue, or a relaxing Thai massage overlooking the rice paddies. Lunch and dinner are served at the farm. Overnight in Chiang Rai.

Rise early (or take a breakfast box) for the roughly 90-minute drive to the Chiang Khong border. Board a private cruise to cross the Mekong, passing through Thai immigration and crossing the bridge into Laos, where a representative assists with visa formalities on the Lao side (bring two passport photos and cash in USD for the visa on arrival). Continue by private long-tail boat along the Mekong River to Pakbeng, with lunch served on board and a stop at a local hill tribe village for a first-hand look at rural Lao life. Arrive in Pakbeng, a peaceful riverside town built along a steep hillside street, in time to relax and watch the sunset over the Mekong. Dinner is served at the hotel. Overnight in Pakbeng.

Cross the Mekong by longtail boat to the Mekong Elephant Park (MEP), a sanctuary certified by the Asian Captive Elephant Standards and dedicated to protecting Asian elephants. Walk guided forest trails to meet the elephants in their natural environment, observe their daily bath in the river, and learn about the positive-reinforcement training used in their daily veterinary routine from the park's mahouts, finishing with the chance to feed the elephants fruit and vegetables as a reward. Enjoy a local lunch at the park's restaurant before returning across the river to the hotel, with dinner served in the evening. Overnight in Pakbeng.

Depart around 08:30 by private long-tail boat to continue the Mekong cruise to Luang Prabang. Stop at Ban Baw village to see the traditional process of making lao lao rice alcohol, then enjoy a buffet lunch on board. Before reaching Luang Prabang, stop at the Pak Ou Caves, home to thousands of gold-lacquered Buddha statues tucked into a limestone cliff face, with sweeping views over the meeting point of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers. Arrive in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon after a final two-hour cruise. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Explore compact, flat Luang Prabang by bike on a half-day cycling tour, starting at the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, and continuing past several of the town's most beautiful temples, finishing along the banks of the Nam Khan River at Wat Xieng Thong, the city's most revered temple. Total cycling distance is around 5 kilometres. In the evening, join a foodie tour of Luang Prabang: start at the Mekong-side Sunset Restaurant, known for its "Obama Coconut" (a former US president once stopped by for a fresh coconut), for a spread of the owners' favourite local snacks, then continue to the night market food stalls for grilled chicken and papaya salad. Finish at Tangor, a trendy Indochinese-inspired restaurant, for a main of red duck curry or fish ceviche, before a nightcap and chocolate mousse in a cozy 1920s-speakeasy-style room. Alternatively, spend the afternoon at a bamboo weaving workshop at Ock Pop Tok, or take a one-hour Lao language lesson with a local teacher, both bookable in advance. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Drive through the countryside to Kuang Si Waterfall, a cascading series of forest pools; relax by the clear blue water or trek to the top of the falls. Continue to Free the Bears, where a behind-the-scenes tour with a sanctuary team member introduces the resident bears one by one, learning their individual stories and how the sanctuary cares for them, followed by the chance to make enrichment food traps from dried fruit and husks and watch the bears work to open them. Enjoy a swim and lunch at Carpe Diem in a tropical garden setting, then check out of Luang Prabang and transfer to The Namkhan, a riverside glamping property nearby, for the next two nights. Overnight at The Namkhan.

Spend a half day at The Namkhan's working farm, learning about permaculture systems such as the "chicken tractor" and black soldier fly larvae composting used to keep the property self-sufficient. Harvest vegetables and fruit for your own meal, then head to the kitchen to cook simple, homey local dishes with a local chef, finishing with a taste of the farm's own jams and dried fruit before relaxing by the forest pool along the Nam Khan River. In the evening, take part in a traditional Baci ceremony, a blessing ritual that fuses Buddhist and animist beliefs and is one of Laos's most revered traditions. Receive chanted blessings of good luck as cotton bracelets are tied around your wrists, one of the most memorable and genuinely spiritual moments of the trip. Overnight at The Namkhan.

Transfer to Luang Prabang International Airport for the connecting flights via Bangkok to Trat, then continue by private vehicle and car ferry across to Koh Chang. Overnight in Koh Chang.

A free day to enjoy the hotel's beachfront facilities. Overnight in Koh Chang.

After breakfast, check out and transfer by car ferry and connecting flights via Bangkok for the journey home.