What this trip is really like
A gentle five days for families: Hua Hin's seaside town and night market first, then Bangkok with dinner on the river and a full day at Safari World, and no flights once you have landed.
Two nights apiece in Hua Hin and Bangkok structure this five-day route, starting off with a half-day tour of Hua Hin and Cha-am before you move on to the capital. That travel day closes at the Chao Phraya Dinner Cruise, boarding at River City Pier. The next morning is then handed over entirely to Safari World and Marine Park, its vehicle safari zone paired with dolphin and sea-lion performances.
Our shorter version of this pairing lets the Hua Hin portion run unplanned and cuts both the boat cruise and the park visit, so choose this longer one instead if a filled calendar suits you better than working out your own days.
Trip highlights
- A half-day Hua Hin and Cha-am tour
- An overland link between Hua Hin and Bangkok, roughly 200 km and a three-hour drive
- An onboard buffet spanning Thai and international dishes during the Chao Phraya Dinner Cruise
- Sea lions and dolphins performing across a whole day given over to Safari World and Marine Park
The trip, day by day
Day 1 — Land in Bangkok, drive to Hua Hin
Landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport, you're driven south for roughly three hours down the Gulf coast to Hua Hin, long a favourite seaside escape for Thai royalty, complete with a walkable old town, plus a night market and a promenade along the beach — a preview of the following day's sightseeing before Bangkok comes next.
Day 2 — Hua Hin and Cha-am at an easy pace
Khao Takiab, nicknamed Monkey Mountain for the macaques that live around its hillside monastery and its views over the coast, usually features on the half-day tour, alongside the teakwood Maruekhathaiyawan Palace commissioned by King Rama VI (known as the 'Palace of Love and Hope') and the ornate royal pavilion built into Hua Hin Railway Station.
Day 3 — Up to Bangkok, dinner on the Chao Phraya
After checkout, the road journey on to Bangkok takes roughly three hours, leaving you time to settle in ahead of a pickup around six in the evening for the dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya. Sailing every day from River City Pier, it takes you past the illuminated riverfront and everyday river life while a buffet of Thai and international dishes is served on board.
Day 4 — Safari World and Marine Park
Pickup at eight in the morning delivers you at Safari World, an open-air park of about 170 acres divided in two. Zebra, giraffe, bears, lions and tigers roam the drive-through Safari Park zone, while the Marine Park side stages dolphin and sea-lion performances — a combination that tends to please younger travellers. You're back at your hotel by around five in the afternoon.
Day 5 — Departure from Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport receives you at the close of the trip, ready for whichever flight comes next. Because something is scheduled almost every day, this route suits anyone who prefers a set programme over unstructured time.
What's included
- Your rooms, twin or double with breakfast, in the hotel grade you pick with us — family-run guesthouses where they exist, small hotels elsewhere
- Every meal the day-by-day marks as included; we lean towards places locals eat rather than hotel restaurants
- A guide from the region who speaks English and grew up with the places on the route
- Your own air-conditioned car or minivan with driver for every transfer and touring day
- Entrance fees to every site named in the itinerary
- The boats, cruises and activities written into the plan
- Government taxes and service charges — the quote we send is the amount you pay
Not included
- Flights and trains, international or domestic — we quote these separately so you can see the real cost
- Visa fees and visa arrangements
- Travel insurance, which we ask every guest to carry
- Drinks, laundry, phone calls and anything else personal
- Early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades
- Tips for your guide and driver — customary here, at your discretion
- Extra sightseeing or vehicle use beyond the written plan
- Costs caused by weather, road closures or other events outside anyone's control, settled on the spot
- Bank transfer charges
Book this trip
- Days
- 5 days / 4 nights
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Send us your dates and who is travelling. We check the hotels and guide we would use, suggest changes if the season calls for them, and come back with a firm price. Nothing is charged until you say yes.