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Buddhist Kingdoms of Thailand & Laos - From Dvaravati to Lan Chang, four kingdoms and their repatriated heritage
14
days
from
A$15,700
Book today with a deposit from
A$2,355
29th December 2027 - 11th January 2028
Tour highlights
- 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Si Thep – the Dvaravati site inscribed in 2023.
- Sukhothai’s walking Buddha: the moment Thai sculptors broke centuries of static convention to set the Buddha in motion.
- Four Buddhist kingdoms, four distinct legacies: Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, and Laos’s mountain capital, Luang Prabang.
- Off the beaten track in Northeast Thailand: the Khmer temples of Phimai and Phnom Rung, and the story of their repatriated heritage.
- The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, seen at the end of a journey through the traditions that shaped them.
Southeast Asia holds some of the world’s most significant Buddhist and Hindu artistic traditions, and Thailand’s contribution is both long and varied. Buddhism and Hinduism reached Thai shores some fifteen centuries ago, and local rulers absorbed the new religions with striking speed: within a generation or two they were building monuments and carving sculpture to honour their new deities. At Nakhon Pathom and Si Thep, sites of the Dvaravati culture that predates the Thai state, this early flowering survives, offering some of the richest evidence anywhere of early Buddhist and Hindu sculpture and architecture.
These kingdoms gave way to the Khmer Empire, based at Angkor in Cambodia, from the 10th century onwards. Thai political and cultural autonomy reasserted itself in the 13th century with the founding of Sukhothai, conventionally regarded as the first Thai kingdom. Its artisans fused Thai and Khmer idioms into new forms, most strikingly the walking Buddha: a figure set in motion, breaking with centuries of static, frontal convention. Sukhothai gave way to Ayutthaya in the 15th century, even as two further Buddhist kingdoms flourished in the north: Lanna, seated at Chiang Mai, and Lan Chang, whose capital Luang Prabang lies in the uplands of present-day Laos. Both developed a tradition of wood carving rarely matched elsewhere in mainland Southeast Asia.
Northeastern Thailand tells a different story: a landscape of monumental Khmer temples. Phimai, the historical seat of Angkorian authority in the region, blends Buddhist and Hindu art in one of the most distinctive Khmer temples anywhere; Phnom Rung crowns an extinct volcano with views across the surrounding plains. Many sites here fell victim to antiquities smuggling during the conflicts of the 1960s. That history is now being redressed, and repatriation is returning sculpture to the temples for which it was made. Bangkok, heir to all these traditions, closes the tour: at the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, the imprint of Dvaravati, Khmer, Sukhothai, Lanna and Lao art remains visible in a city still navigating between its Buddhist patrimony and the contemporary world around it.
The tour follows this history on the ground: by train through the rice country between Sukhothai and Chiang Mai, then by air north into Laos to Luang Prabang, before returning to Bangkok. Four kingdoms, two countries, one continuous artistic conversation.
Itinerary
Rooms are available in Bangkok from 3.00pm (international flights are not included – see Practicalities). The tour begins with a talk and dinner in the hotel. Overnight Bangkok.
Nakhon Pathom is widely regarded as the earliest centre of Buddhist civilisation in Thailand, its origins reaching back some 15 centuries to the Dvaravati culture. Dominating the site is Phra Pathom Chedi, whose soaring golden spire rises higher than any Buddhist monument in the country. First of two nights in Ayutthaya.
Visit the temples of Ayutthaya before the Bangkok crowds arrive. Khmer, Sukhothai, and later Lankan influences converge here, forming a distinctive royal style that would define Thai Buddhist art for nearly four centuries. Its prang towers, in the Khmer model, stand alongside more indigenous bell-shaped chedis, while the city’s Buddha images trace a stylistic evolution from the serene, elongated forms of the early period to the increasingly ornate figures of its later, most opulent phase.
Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, Si Thep remains one of Thailand’s least visited Dvaravati sites, its ramparts and brick sanctuaries set among rice fields and forests of rural Phetchabun province. Its sculpture – a mix of Buddhist and Hindu imagery, including depictions of Vishnu and Surya – occupies a distinctive place between Indian Gupta traditions and the emerging art of the Thai mainland
Founded in the 13th century and long celebrated as the first true Thai kingdom, Sukhothai produced one of the most distinctive achievements in Buddhist art: the walking Buddha. An innovation that broke from centuries of static, frontal convention to depict the Buddha in motion. Its temples and monastic ruins are set within a UNESCO-listed historical park.
The onward journey from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai is made by train. As the line climbs north through the hills, it passes through rice paddies, forested valleys, and small rural communities. Your luggage goes separately by road. First of two nights in Chiang Mai.
Founded in 1296 as capital of the Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai remains northern Thailand’s spiritual and artistic centre, its old city still ringed by ancient walls and moats. The Lanna style, elongated Buddha images and fine wood and stucco carving, developed through contact with Burma, Laos, and Sri Lanka, distinct from the Khmer and Mon traditions further south. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on a mountain above the city, houses a relic of the Buddha beneath its gilded chedi; nearby, the quieter Wat Phalat offers a more contemplative counterpoint.
Lamphun, near Chiang Mai, was once Haripunchaya – a Mon Buddhist kingdom that predated Lanna and was among the last Mon strongholds to fall to the Thais. Its principal monument preserves a distinct Mon artistic tradition. In the afternoon fly from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, founded as the capital of Lan Chang and now a UNESCO World Heritage town of gilded monasteries and colonial-era shophouses at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. First of two nights in Luang Prabang.
Wat Xieng Thong temple displays a distinctive Lao style of steeply pitched, tiered roofs and intricate mosaic work, shaped by close contact with Lanna and Siamese traditions. Spend the afternoon at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, a small museum devoted to the textiles, costume, and material culture of Laos’s diverse ethnic minorities.
After a morning flight to Bangkok, drive east to Phimai. Once the seat of Angkorian power in this part of Thailand, Phimai preserves one of the earliest Khmer temples outside Cambodia itself, its sandstone sanctuary tower predating even Angkor Wat by several decades. First of two nights in Buriram.
Today brings further exploration of the Khmer temples scattered across Northeast Thailand, among them Phnom Rung, sited atop an extinct volcano. This region has seen significant progress in returning looted antiquities to their original temples, allowing visitors today to encounter these sculptures once again in the settings for which they were made.
Return to Bangkok by road. A free afternoon allows for individual exploration, or an optional cooking class. First of two nights in Bangkok.
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho, with its immense reclining Buddha, represent Thai royal artistic patronage at its most assured, while Wat Arun rises directly from the Chao Phraya’s banks. Together these sites draw on the traditions traced throughout the tour: Dvaravati, Khmer, Sukhothai, Lanna, and Lao influences all absorbed and reworked into the confident, cosmopolitan style of the Thai capital.
The tour ends after breakfast.
Practicalities
Two sharing: A$15,700. Single occupancy: A$18,550.
Domestic flights (economy class) with Lao Airlines (ATR 72-600): Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang to Bangkok; second-class train travel from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai (there is no first class); transport by air-conditioned coach; airport transfers to meet your chosen international flights; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 12 lunches (two packed) and 9 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer, tour manager and local guides.
International flights to and from Bangkok are not included in the price of the tour. We will send recommended flight options from London with your booking confirmation which will be available to book in January 2027.
The Sukhothai, Bangkok: Inspired by the architecture of Thailand’s ancient Sukhothai kingdom, this refined hotel offers a peaceful retreat in the midst of bustling Bangkok; Sala Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya. Set on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, this is a boutique hotel with contemporary design; Sriwilai Resort, Sukhothai. Close to Sukhothai Historical Park, Sriwilai combines contemporary comfort with traditional architecture; Na Nirand, Chiang Mai. An elegant boutique hotel combining Lanna and colonial architecture in a peaceful riverside setting; Sofitel, Luang Prabang. Housed in a former French governor’s residence, this elegant hotel blends colonial architecture with Lao design and is set around tranquil gardens and courtyards. Modena by Fraser, Buriram. A contemporary hotel with spacious rooms and good leisure facilities. Single occupancy rooms are doubles for sole use.
Additional nights and airport transfers. It is possible to arrange additional nights at the hotels before or after the tour. Airport transfers are included in the price of the tour – we will ask for your flight details at a later date.
Thailand: visas are not required for UK, US and Australian citizens and many other foreign nationals for stays of 60 days or fewer.
Laos: UK, US, Australian and most European passports require a tourist visa for Laos. A 30-day eVisa can be obtained before travel. We will advise on the process.
The tour involves a lot of walking on archaeological sites. Uneven ground, irregular paving, steps and hills are standard. A good level of fitness is essential. This tour is best suited to those with good, unimpaired mobility who are comfortable with everyday walking, stair climbing and navigating uneven ground. The itinerary moves at a brisk pace, with no more than two nights spent in any one hotel; early starts should be expected. Average distance by coach per day: 80 miles.
Typically between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
29th December - 11th January 2028
Speaker:
Dr Stephen Murphy
Price:
from A$15,700
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