Sukhothai: a World Heritage in depth

Sukhothai: the first capital

Day 1: Arrival in Sukhothai

Total distance today appr.45 km, driving time about 45 minutes

Your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel at the Sukhotai Airport for your trip named Sukhothai: A World Heritage in depth. They will transfer you to your hotel, located close to the Sukhothai Historical Park.
Overnight at the Thai Thai guesthouse.

Day 2: Sukhothai Historical Park

After breakfast, we will start our exploring the Sukhotai Historical Park. Together with Kamphaeng Phet and Sri Satchanalai, Sukhotai is a UNESCO World Heritage site under the name “Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns”. We love all three of them but Sukhothai is the jewel in the crown.

In 1238, Sukhothai became the capital of the Thai kingdom. Thai people consider Sukhothai the cradle of Thai civilization. You will start your visit at the Ramkamhaeng Museum which is the perfect introduction to our exploration of Old Sukhothai. Opposite the museum is the most important temple ruins within the moat: Wat Mahathat, Wat Sri Sawai, Wat Trapang Ngoen, and Wat Sa Si. We rent bicycles and visit these magnificent temple ruins. It will be almost noon but we will continue to Wat Si Chum with its giant sitting Buddha image and the prangs of Wat Phra Pai Luang. We will not skip Wat Sorasak with its protruding elephant images on the way back but it will be time for a swim.

We will overnight again at the Thai Thai Guesthouse.

Day 3: Sukhothai

The countryside around Sukhothai is lovely and authentic. After breakfast, we will embark on a half-day bicycle ride to explore the backroads. It is almost like time has stood still here. We pass through villages and stop often to chat with local people along the way. You will get a good impression of how life is in this typical Asian rural landscape. We will take some single-track dirt roads through rice paddies and enjoy the quietness of a world far from the hustle and bustle of the city. When there are opportunities we will stop and do some rice planting or harvesting, depending on the season. Enjoy the ride.

After our ride, it is time for lunch. In the afternoon you can relax at the pool but if you want we can explore some of the remote forest temple ruins such as Wat Saphan Hin and Wat Phra Bat Khao Noi. They are located on a range of hills overlooking the historical park and are well worth visiting.

We will overnight again at the Thai Thai Guesthouse.

Day 4: Sukhothai – Phitsanulok – Chiang Mai

Total distance today appr.75 km, driving time about 1,5 hours

After breakfast, you will have some free time until we transfer you to the railway station of Phitsanulok. We love train travel and highly recommend you to join us on the day train from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai. If the train runs on time we will board at around 1300. Enjoy the ride. It is the most scenic train journey in Thailand. We will pass through Khuntan National Park. Enjoy the passage through the famous Khuntan tunnel and the crossing of the iconic White Bridge. If all goes to plan we will arrive in Chiang Mai at around 1930. It is on to the next adventure. thanks for joining us on the trip: Sukhothai: a World Heritage in depth.

End of the program