Backwaters of Bangkok Longtail Boat Cruise with Optional Temples Tour
Bangkok, Thailand
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 4 or 7 hours
Get a feel for traditional life in Bangkok away from the high-rise urban area during a longtail
boat tour of the city's 'khlongs' (small canals). You'll travel with a guide who shares
the history of Bangkok, from its days as a sleepy town on stilts to the hyper-modern city of today. Along the canals, visit hard-to-access sites like a temple, a unique art gallery and an orchid farm. You can choose to extend your day with an optional guided tour of the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. This tour is limited to 15 people for a small-group experience.
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Get a feel for traditional life in Bangkok away from the high-rise urban area during a longtail
boat tour of the city's 'khlongs' (small canals). You'll travel with a guide who shares
the history of Bangkok, from its days as a sleepy town on stilts to the hyper-modern city of today. Along the canals, visit hard-to-access sites like a temple, a unique art gallery and an orchid farm. You can choose to extend your day with an optional guided tour of the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. This tour is limited to 15 people for a small-group experience.
Backwaters of Bangkok Tour (4 hours):
After meeting your guide in the morning in central Bangkok, head to a nearby pier to board your longtail boat. Then take off along the Chao Phraya River and admire views of skyscrapers, hotels and riverside homes before turning into the khlongs.
Gliding through the narrow canals, observe daily life on the water as you pass by simple wooden houses flagged by clothes drying in the sun, a khlong-style convenience store, perhaps some water birds and, if you’re lucky, maybe a sunbathing lizard. Your first stop is Wat Khun Chan temple, where your guide points out the contrast between the modern temples on one side of the khlong and the older homes perched on wooden stilts on the other side.
Continue to the Artist's House (Baan Silapin), a beautifully restored old home on the canal that a local artist renovated, in part to preserve the traditional structure and in part to open a gallery and art center. Walk around the house to enjoy the paintings, sculptures, architecture and tranquil atmosphere. In the garden, your guide points out an old stupa, a relic that's thought to date back at least 250 years to the Ayutthaya period.
Next, move on to an orchid farm where your guide discusses the prized flower, and then make a stop where you can feed sacred catfish that suddenly appear in the water around the boat. Enjoy a last glimpse of the khlongs before returning to the Chao Phraya River where your tour ends.
Backwaters of Bangkok and Temples Tour (7 hours):
If you're interested in Bangkok's must-see temples, this guided afternoon tour makes it easier to navigate the large and sometimes confusing complexes. You'll also gain insight into the history and significance of these important landmarks from your guide's informative commentary.
After the canals tour described above, continue with your guide to a riverside restaurant for lunch. Then head to the Grand Palace, a large walled complex that was a royal residence for 150 years and continues to be used for ceremonial occasions. Your guide shares the colorful history of the palace as you walk around the grounds, home ornately decorated buildings and temples, including the most revered temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew, where the venerable Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew Morakot) statue is located.
Continue next door to Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), the oldest temple in Bangkok. Known to have more Buddha statues than any other Bangkok temple, Wat Pho's main attraction is an immense gold Buddha sculpture in a reclining position. Measuring 151 feet long (46 meters ) and 49 feet high (15 meters), the statue features large feet adorned with inlaid mother-of-pearl. Wat Pho is also known for its school of traditional Thai massage, founded in 1962.
Your tour ends at Wat Pho; you may want to continue on your own to nearby Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) or Chinatown.
After meeting your guide in the morning in central Bangkok, head to a nearby pier to board your longtail boat. Then take off along the Chao Phraya River and admire views of skyscrapers, hotels and riverside homes before turning into the khlongs.
Gliding through the narrow canals, observe daily life on the water as you pass by simple wooden houses flagged by clothes drying in the sun, a khlong-style convenience store, perhaps some water birds and, if you’re lucky, maybe a sunbathing lizard. Your first stop is Wat Khun Chan temple, where your guide points out the contrast between the modern temples on one side of the khlong and the older homes perched on wooden stilts on the other side.
Continue to the Artist's House (Baan Silapin), a beautifully restored old home on the canal that a local artist renovated, in part to preserve the traditional structure and in part to open a gallery and art center. Walk around the house to enjoy the paintings, sculptures, architecture and tranquil atmosphere. In the garden, your guide points out an old stupa, a relic that's thought to date back at least 250 years to the Ayutthaya period.
Next, move on to an orchid farm where your guide discusses the prized flower, and then make a stop where you can feed sacred catfish that suddenly appear in the water around the boat. Enjoy a last glimpse of the khlongs before returning to the Chao Phraya River where your tour ends.
Backwaters of Bangkok and Temples Tour (7 hours):
If you're interested in Bangkok's must-see temples, this guided afternoon tour makes it easier to navigate the large and sometimes confusing complexes. You'll also gain insight into the history and significance of these important landmarks from your guide's informative commentary.
After the canals tour described above, continue with your guide to a riverside restaurant for lunch. Then head to the Grand Palace, a large walled complex that was a royal residence for 150 years and continues to be used for ceremonial occasions. Your guide shares the colorful history of the palace as you walk around the grounds, home ornately decorated buildings and temples, including the most revered temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew, where the venerable Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew Morakot) statue is located.
Continue next door to Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), the oldest temple in Bangkok. Known to have more Buddha statues than any other Bangkok temple, Wat Pho's main attraction is an immense gold Buddha sculpture in a reclining position. Measuring 151 feet long (46 meters ) and 49 feet high (15 meters), the statue features large feet adorned with inlaid mother-of-pearl. Wat Pho is also known for its school of traditional Thai massage, founded in 1962.
Your tour ends at Wat Pho; you may want to continue on your own to nearby Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) or Chinatown.
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