Your Floating Market, Elephant Show and Rose Garden Tour departs at 0630h (6:30am). Hotel pick-up is available from most central Bangkok hotels.
On the day of your tour, plan to meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled pick-up time. Please present your confirmation voucher to the guide before starting the tour.
Your air-conditioned mini-bus will whisk you off to the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Ratchaburi, 90 km (54 miles) to the west of Bangkok.
On the way you will drive through the grain and vegetable growing province of Samut Songkram and make a stop at Tao Tan. Here you will see how palm sugar is made from coconut palms.
At Ratchaburi, you’ll board a boat to travel along a waterway to the Floating Market. Enjoy views of village people going about their daily lives as you glide along.
The Floating Market takes place on a labyrinth of small canals. Activity starts early in the morning and continues all day. You will see wooden canoes laden with multi-colored fruit, flowers, vegetables and spices, paddled by women in traditional dress – the quintessential image of Thailand.
Potential buyers shout their price negotiations from the canal bank and the vendor shouts back. When a deal is struck, the vendor has to paddle and push through the crush of boats to get the goods to the purchaser. The scene is noisy, vibrant, chaotic and very entertaining!
After experiencing the Floating Market, you’ll visit a Royal Thai Handicraft Village before sitting down to a delicious Thai lunch.
In the afternoon, visit the Sampran Elephant Ground and Zoo, to see a heart-stopping crocodile-wrestling show and demonstrations of elephants at work and play. An exhibition of combat in ancient Siam shows how elephants went to war dressed in full battle gear.
Last stop on your tour is The Rose Garden, 75 acres of landscaped tropical gardens and lawns. The Thai Village Culture Show is offered every afternoon and portrays a fascinating cross-section of Thailand’s culture, heritage, and way of life.
At the end of the excursion, you will be dropped back at your hotel in Bangkok.