Embark
Transfers from Bangkok Airport to the hotel are included. Please advise flight details well in advance. Transfers from the hotel in Bangkok to the ship are also included.
Day 1: Bangkok
An English-speaking guide will be waiting to welcome you at Bangkok Airport and will accompany you on your private transfer to the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort and Spa (or similar), your home for the next three nights.
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Day 2: Bangkok
After breakfast in your hotel it is time to commence your sightseeing tour of Bangkok. First you will head for Thonburi, the western part of Bangkok, located on the Chao Phya River, where we take a boat along the canals which lead Bangkok to be dubbed ‘Venice of the East’. Enjoy the unique and bustling atmosphere of life on the canals and visit the Royal Barges and the Temple of Dawn. Your tour then continues with a visit to the Grand Palace, one of the most beautiful examples of an ancient Siamese court and one-time residence of the Kings of Thailand. At the end of the tour you will be accompanied back to your hotel, where there will be plenty of time to make use of the Resort’s extensive facilities. In the early evening you will be picked up and taken to ‘Siam Niramit’, a world-class performance depicting Thailand’s art and cultural heritage with over 150 performers and 500 costumes. Also visit the Thai village to see how delicate handicrafts are made and enjoy a buffet dinner here before returning to the hotel.
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Day 3: Ayuthaya
Today’s excursion is to the ancient Thai capital of Ayuthaya, located just 90km north of Bangkok. Ayuthaya was the administrative and cultural capital of the Thai nation until it was conquered by Burmese invaders in 1767. Here visit the giant bronze statues of Wat Mongkol Borpith, Wat Phra Srisanpetch and Wat Yai Chai Mongkol before continuing to Bang-Pa-In which is the former Royal Summer Residence and a fine example of traditional Thai architecture. Finally, you will board the ‘Grand Pearl Cruise’ for lunch and a scenic cruise back to Bangkok.
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Day 4: Kanchanaburi
This morning you will depart by coach for Kanchanaburi via Nakorn Pathom. As you leave Bangkok behind you there will be stops at Phra Pathom Chedi, the largest pagoda in South East Asia, Khao Noi Cave Temple and Tiger Cave Temple, whose great Buddha image and pagoda are revered by all Buddhists. Continue to Kanchanaburi and visit the JEATH War Museum, a realistic depiction of a prisoner of war (POW) camp with bamboo huts which give an inkling of the grim living conditions and atrocities endured. Then it is time to board the RV River Kwai where lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon commence your cruise up-river, stoppping to visit Khaopoon Cave Temple and Sri Nakharin Stone Garden. On board the ship this afternoon, you can choose to study for your 'Elephant Driving License'. This is an optional package, which can be purchased in advance, or on the ship, and which includes lectures about elephants, followed by a visit to Elephant Camp to learn how to sit, ride, feed and take care of an elephant. Dinner will be on board the ship.
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Day 5: Ban Kao - Sai Yok
While breakfast is served, the ship continues upriver to the Muang Singh Historical Park and you will take a train ride on 'Death Railway' over a long wooden viaduct to Tham Krasae. Here you will visit Krasae Cave on the bank of the Kwai Noi River. Before lunch, travel by coach to Sai Yok Elephant Village where you can take an optional elephant ride through the jungle and along the river. Those who have chosen to take their elephant driving license will have training followed by a practical exam at this stage. Then there will be a late lunch back on the ship and this afternoon is at leisure as you cruise upriver. You may like to take a traditional Thai Massage on board. Dinner will be on the ship tonight.
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Day 6: Sai Yok – Sai Yok Yai – Ban Hin Dad
After breakfast take a walk up to Kaeng Lava Cave with its spectacular stalagtites and stalagmites. Then continue via Hell Fire Pass to Hin Tok Bridge and Konyu Cutting, where a plaque commemorates the work of Australian and British POW's who undertook hazardous work in precarious conditions. Then it is back on board to cruise up past the Sai Yok Yai Waterfalls. In the afternoon you will visit a school set up by H.R.H Crown Princess Sirindhorn for refugee children. Tonight dinner on board will be at Daowadueng Bridge.
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Day 7: Ban Hin Dad - Thong Pha Phum - Ban Hin Dad
First thing this morning you will pay a visit to a local temple to offer food to the monks. Then, after breakfast on the boat travel by coach to Vachiralongkorn Dam, an immense lake created from the waters of three rivers. There will also be the chance to shop at a local market on the way back to the RV River Kwai. After lunch visit Daowadueng Cave with its fantastic rock formations before continuing downstream on the Kwai Noi River. Dinner and overnight will be on board at Sai Yok Yai Waterfalls.
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Day 8: Ban Hin Dad - Sai Yok Yai - Sai Yok
Today you will reboard the coach for a visit to the Hin Dad Hot Spring and the Pha Tad Waterfall, known as one of the most beautiful falls in Kanchanaburi Province. This afternoon you have the chance to try out some river rafting or canoeing on the Kwai Noi River, or you may prefer to just relax on board with a traditional Thai massage.
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Day 9: Sai Yok - Ban Kao
This morning will be at leisure on the boat while you cruise downriver. In the afternoon visit the Ban Kao National Museum with its impressive collection of prehistoric skeletons, potteries, stone tools and ornaments. Then it is on to the Indochinese Tiger Conservation Project at Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua where you can see how the tigers have befriended the Temple's Monks. This evening there will be a Farewell Dinner on board the RV River Kwai.
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Day 10: Ban Kao - Kanchanaburi - Bangkok
After breakfast on board, travel by coach back to Kanchanaburi to visit the world-famous Bridge over the River Kwai. You will also stop at the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre Museum, an interactive display dedicated to presenting the Railway's history. Then it is on to the Donrak War Cemetery, where the 6982 Allied POW's who died in the construction of Death Railway are buried. Rejoining the ship at Saphan Mai, take lunch on board as you cruise towards Nong Ya Dock. Here bid farewell to the RV River Kwai and return to Bangkok by coach, where you will be dropped off at the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort and Spa for your last night in Bangkok.
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Day 11: Bangkok
Breakfast will be served in the hotel this morning and your room will be available until midday. A transfer back to Bangkok Airport from the hotel is included.
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Disembark
Transfers from the ship to the hotel in Bangkok are included, as are transfers from the hotel back to Bangkok Airport. Please advise flight details well in advance of your arrival in Bangkok.
Includes
- Four nights' accommodation in a deluxe room at the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort and Spa (or similar) on bed and breakfast basis
- Six nights' accommodation on the River Kwai
- Full board during the cruise
- Sightseeing and Excursions as detailed in the itinerary
- Transfers from Bangkok Airport to the hotel and vice versa
- Transfers from the hotel to the ship and vice versa
Excludes
- Early check-in or late check-out from the hotel (these are subject to availability on the day - if you wish to guarantee these, please request extra nights as appropriate)
- Optional tours/packages
- International and domestic flights
- Beverages (these can be purchased on board)
- Gratuities
Sailing dates