Siam History & Culture: Seven-Day Thailand Itinerary

We recently completed a 29-day custom-designed tour of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with Zicasso’s travel company. As a couple, we have toured 100 countries on six continents. We always travel by ourselves and not in groups. We often plan and book our itinerary and activities on our own. We have experienced tour operators in the past who just string together “cookie-cutter” activities and call it a custom tour. I commend the travel company for not taking this path.

Our tour was completely tailored to our needs. We went through several iterations of the itinerary to match it to our interests and they were untiring in making adjustments to suit our particular needs. The hotels were all of excellent quality and very well located. The itineraries in each of the locations we visited met our expectations and addressed the interests we had discussed with the representatives of the travel company. All of the guides were good and several were amongst the best we have ever had. The support of the travel company was outstanding throughout our trip, with daily check-ins and immediate reactions when assistance was requested. I would rate the tour as exceptional. I unhesitatingly recommend the travel company.

The Zicasso travel team made my birthday "bucket-list" trip incredible! Every detail of my trip was expertly taken care of. All my scheduled tours were on time despite a little "liquid sunshine".

Our trip entailed visits to three areas in Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui). In each location, our tour guides were amazing!

In Bangkok, we were greeted and expertly ushered to the various incredible sights and activities by two guides. In Chiang Mai, we were greeted and introduced to the sights and history by another guide. Everyone was very knowledge and made each tour interesting and engaging,

We could not have asked for more on this incredible trip! Without a doubt, I will be seeing Thailand again in my very near future and with no other than the team from Zicasso's travel company! Thank you to our agent and his team.

A huge shout-out to Zicasso's trip coordinator, who orchestrated this incredible trip for us. Each outing was better than the previous one; our guides were awesome, both fun and informative; the hotel selections were just what we wanted, intimate and special. And everything was scheduled like clockwork.

Despite epic rainfall (which led to flash flooding in areas of Chiang Rai and, in fact, prevented normal access to the Black House Museum), they carried on, delivering every bit of our planned itinerary on time and to a tee. This type A control freak (me) never felt the need to “manage” a thing, which speaks volumes about this tour operator's extraordinarily high level of organization, communication, and coordination.

Thank you to everyone involved. It was clearly a team effort. We are most grateful for the magical, once-in-a-lifetime experience you made possible for us.

Our Zicasso travel agent did a wonderful job taking our requests and styling a complex, detailed itinerary. Everything worked perfectly. The guides all communicated with each other and the drivers were always at the expected locations. All accommodations were awesome and well-located. 

Beginning in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we visited Doi Inthanon National Park, the Doi Suthep mountain temple, and had an absolutely awesome time visiting with elephants at the elephant sanctuary, among other things. We even got to play with a two-week-old elephant. All our dining recommendations were awesome and we particularly enjoyed our time with the guides.

Next, we flew to Krabi for unforgettable views and relaxing beach time. Again, the resort was awesome. We even went mountain climbing on Railay Beach. My son got engaged at the New Year's gala at our hotel, which was spectacular; an unbelievable stay. We particularly enjoyed our time with the guide!

Next, we finished in Bangkok, where the highlight was riding in the tuk-tuks and doing a city food tour. Our guide was so awesome and knowledgeable.

Unfortunately, eight of the 10 of us then flew home, while my wife and I continued to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our guide was such a good travel companion and we left Cambodia with a true knowledge of Cambodian life/history/temples. He was very forthcoming about his life growing up under the Khmer Rouge. Although a long day, the temple tour was unbelievable, culminating in Angkor Wat. Our hotel was awesome and blocks from the nightlife on Pub Street. It was such a great stay.

Next, we flew to Saigon. We were met by our guide, who noticed we were hungry and immediately stopped at a local street food vendor for our first foray into bun bo. It was so good. The mix of history, countryside visits, and city tours with our guide was awesome and she even left us with a customized pictorial of our visit. The other excursion that needs mention is the Vespa city and food tour. Our main guide was delightful, giving us a true taste of Saigon culture and food. The drivers were so great.  This tour finished with a surprise visit to a local bar/club, where we had front-row seats to an awesome Latin band for a nightcap. It was truly unforgettable. Also, we cannot forget our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, where our guide did a great job educating and touring us through this unbelievable history.

Then, we flew to Hanoi to another awesome location. Highlights in Hanoi would be visiting the Hoa Lo prison, having dinner in a local family's home, and especially the Minsk backstreet tour. Our tour drivers were so awesome. This excursion really gave us a feel for the city/backstreets, as well as an idea of the frightening life of riding a motorbike through the city and back alleys of Hanoi. It was truly unforgettable. This tour finished with my knees about a foot away from the speeding train at Hanoi train station, another can't-miss site!

Next, we visited Ninh Binh for trekking, biking, and bamboo boating. The scenery was awesome and it was definitely a nice break from the busy city.

The trip finished with a two-night, three-day cruise on Hạ Long Bay. The scenery was unbelievable and the staff were excellent; so attentive and informative.

This trip truly was spectacular and we are so happy that Zicasso connected us with our agent to make all of this happen. We couldn't be happier with the entire trip!

We loved our trip to Thailand with our Zicasso agent, who provided expertise and details that fulfilled our goals. We had a short time period with a busy up-front schedule.  Thankfully, we could relax in sheer natural beauty at the end. 

Highlights: Our Bangkok guide, who kept in touch throughout our trip, was a wonderful surprise, and is now a friend! He wore an unsung hero cape as he juggled changes seamlessly! Some major highlights that we loved were the temples, temples, temples, train market, floating market, canal boat ride, Chiang Mai's mountain village, and the elephant sanctuary – that was a beautiful experience we will never forget. And the speedboat island tour was fantastic!! Those were the major Zicasso highlights and we are happy to provide more details too.  

Areas to change: Given this was our first Zicasso trip and we are now true fans (sharing with our friends), this one tweak is really for our family preferences. For us, it was hard to get back into the car once we hit the ocean. On our next Zicasso vacation, we know to ask how much driving will be involved in seeing the sites for awareness. We may have kept the same itinerary, it just would have been great to know ahead of time.

To our travel specialist,

We would like to thank you for putting such an amazing trip together for us.

Your hotel choices were spot-on! We were happy to be by the river in Bangkok.

In Hanoi, our guide was a walking Wikipedia. He adjusted our schedule to a perfect spot to see the train upon my request. The signature cruise on a lovely boat was a highlight of the trip.

Our guide in Ho Chi Minh City was great in communication. She reached out on WhatsApp before our arrival. We enjoyed the Happy Buddha and canoe experience.

The tunnel tour was very disappointing. We seemed very rushed and we listened to other tour guides for information. Lunch was at 10.45am and we arrived at the airport five hours before departure.

Our guide in Bangkok was so compassionate. She taught us about offerings and the lotus. The river location was perfect for us.

Our guide in Chiang Mai was very soft-spoken and gave us a fabulous tour. She wanted us to experience the “northern food!"

The elephant sanctuary you chose was perfect, with just the right amount of time.

In Phuket, we were not picked up by our assigned driver. Our guide was there with a driver. She was helpful in the airport upon our return to Hong Kong.

This was an amazing trip for both of us!

Thank you so much!