27 Day Total Thailand

An exceptional tour however it is 100% the people and tour guide that make the biggest impact. Minnie was my guide for the first 2 weeks of the tour and she was exceptional, I cannot think of a single flaw. She made everyone feel welcome! Her bubbly personality shone the entire tour! Her food recommendations are fantastic! The people were great, the Erawan waterfalls are beautiful, the gentle giants at the elephant sanctuary were incredible (my favourite day) and the jungle trek and home stay was extremely eye opening! The 3rd week was great, a massive group and Ali would have benefit with another guide. The last week was highly disappointing, didn’t enjoy the tour and I felt that it was a waste of money. I wish I did it myself. Thanks!!!!!

As it was the first time I have travelled on my own abroad, I thought it would be best to go on a tour to ease myself into travelling. Having read the previous reviews of the two tours in the "Total Thailand" package and reviews on TruTravels, this trip with the wide array of activities on the itinerary seemed the perfect tour for what I wanted to do.

When I arrived I was picked up from the airport and taken over to the accomodation in Bangkok for free, which was about a 30 minute drive. When we got to the hostel I was greeted by my first tour guide, Pompom. He was very helpful and accommodating, sorting everything out and taking me to my room. Later on we all met up and went over the Sky Tower, the second tallest building in Thailand, in downtown Bangkok for a buffet. The views from there were amazing, although it was quite expensive as it was an optional activity not included on the itinerary, but it was worth seeing. After this we went for a night out on Koa San Road, which was just round the corner from the hotel. The next day we went round some of the temples in Bangkok, with Pompom provided a detailed insight into the different sights.

We then left for the next places on the itinerary, which included Kanchanaburi, Erawan Waterfalls, The Bridge Over The River Kwai and Ayutthaya. Each location was visually stunning and it was fascinating to learn some of the history between the different sites, especially relating to the history of the Bridge Over The River Kwai in the war.

Next was one of many highlights of the trip, the Chaing Mai Elephant Sanctuary. It was great to spend the day here, creating food for and feeding the elephants before bathing and playing with them in the water. It was great to see how well they are looked after.

Chaing Mai and Pai were next on the list, and I loved both places. Chaing Mai was more of a busy city with a lot going on and plenty of places to see and go out with easy transport around the city. The cooking class was something I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was probably the best food I had whilst I was out there (if I do say so myself).

Pai was my favourite place from the Northern part of the Thailand Tour, it's a lovely town where you walk down the main Street and through food market in the evenings with plenty of options to choose from. There's also good places to go out, with a bar crawl going to different places in the town, as there was in Chaing Mai.

The final day finished the tour at the Grand Canyon, a massive water obstacle course. This was a great way to end the first part of the tour as it was so much fun! Unfortunately one of the members of the group fell off awkwardly and dislocated her shoulder, so she had to go to hospital, but everything was dealt very well with by Pompom, as he had with most things on the tour concidering there were a couple of difficult members of the group that you could clearly see were draining him.

When back in Chaing Mai, we said our goodbyes to the people who were only on the first 14 days of the trip, (most of whom were fantastic and were a great laugh), and got the night train back to Bangkok. While we were on the train, the new members of the tour did what we did on our first day and went over the Sky Tower. When we arrived, we met up with those who'd been out for dinner, as well as our new Tour Guide, Ali, and had pre-drinks at the hotel before going out on Koa San Road again.

The next day we went around some of the temples in Bangkok, as well as going on a long tail boat through the river and exploring Bangkok by Tuk Tuk. The next day, we got a Thai massage before catching the overnight train to the south, where we were picked up and taken to the dock to catch a boat to the next place. This was the beautiful Khao Sok National Park. Here we stayed on floating bungalows and kayaked round the various different routes in the national park. The next day it was off to Koh Phanang, where we spent out time learning Muay Thai and enjoying the day at the beautiful bottle beach. Here there was a full moon party which took place in the evening, before we then ordered taxis to the other side of the island, where the proper full moon party was held. The size of it was absolutely massive, and you definitely have to go if you're on the island!
The next day we had a boat trip around the island, stopping off at some fantastic spots for snorkeling and sites with lovely views.

After the couple of days in Koh Phangan, it was off to the next place, with was Koh Tao. This was one of my favourite places on the whole tour. It's a beautiful island was stunning views and the town and accommodation we stayed at was fantastic, with plenty to see and do including the bar crawl and diving in the seas around the island. It's definitely a place I really want to come back to in the future. Such a chilled and relaxed island where you really feel at home. During your time there, you go over to Koh Nang Yuan, which is. Alittle island just off Koh Toa, and again this is absolutely stunning. The boat tile round Koh Tao is amazing too, with so many great views and snorkeling sites, which were even better than the things I saw when I was diving! So many different species of fish and marine life in seeable sight from the surface.

As sad as it was to leave the island, it was off the the penultimate stop of the tour, the Phi Phi Islands. Definitely up there with Koh Tao as one of the very best parts of the trip. Unreal views from the viewpoints, loads of bars, shops and market places as well as great places to eat (especially Cosmos and it was very good value). We took out kayaks on our chilled day and went round the bay. The massive rocks we past were beautiful, but as we went round the bay, we saw the sorry and disgusting stay of one of the hidden, uninhabited beaches. All the plastic had wash up on the shore and some was still in the sea. It was an eye opening and quiet frankly shocking sight to see. One that really hit home and has made me think. Seeing it on the tele in no way prepared you for what you see in person. It makes you realise how bad the problem actually is and how much work needs to be done to reduce the damage already done.

We then went on a boat trip to see the different islands and beaches around Phi Phi, inuding Maya Bay, which was used in The Beach and has been subsequently closed to allow the damage done by tourists to time to recover. On our final day in Phi Phi we did a beach clean up along the main beach, just a few hundred meters from where we were staying.

After Phi Phi it was onto our final stop via an overnight boat to the mainland, before a minibus over to another boat to Phuket. When we arrived everyone was tired from the travelling, so we didn't go out on the final night as a group. I feel we should have had a full day in Phuket before the checkout day, as we just turned up and the tour was over. Fortunately I had another 4 days in Phuket so I could have a good look around the island, and I would recommend anyone doing the trio on doing the same or at least 2 extra days on the island before you leave.

The group for the second part of the tour was great! We all got along really well and unlike a couple of people in the first tour group, there wasn't anyone causing problems or constantly moaning.

A word on our tour guide, Ali (or Sexy Bitch Ali as he likes to call himself), he was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. He was full of energy, always up for a laugh, really helpful and very knowledgeable about everything on the tour. He quite clearly absolutely loves his job and its great to see the passion he has for it. If you're lucky eniught to get him for your tour, you're very much in a safe pair of hands.

The tour its self was absolutely fantastic, and took completely all the worry about booking everything out of the equation. Wait for when TruTravels do their sales, because £1,725 is quite expensive. I got mine for £1,325 when it was on sale so it's definitely worth waiting until they come around! All the accomodation used throughout the tour was to a good standard, but I did find a few of the beds a bit hard and struggled to sleep. All the activities were great and well worth doing and seeing. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking to go to Thailand.

I done the Total Thailand experience and the trip was absolutely fantastic. Its so hard to put into words how good this tour is because there is so much to talk about. We started our tour with Minnie in North Thailand. Minne was absolutely fantastic as tour guide. Her expert knowledge of best restaurants made sure we always had really good food to suit everyones budget and we got to some of the best bars in the North which is important. She thought us all about Thai culture and customs and some useful phrases like hello and thank you which really goes a long way with the locals. The places we visited were brilliant and the views are breathtaking. Minnie was great fun and really made sure everyone was having a great time. She was so nice and gave us plenty of information about the next days adventure. Minnie was always on hand to answer any questions and she always had a smile. The second part of our trip was the 14 day island hopper where we met Bee and our new group. From the very beginning Bee got the whole group bonding. She was great for recommending places to eat and when she says Koh Tao does the best burgers she really means it. Bee was great fun and was always up for a laugh. Bee captured some fantastic memories and she loved to be photographer. I met some of the best people on this tour and if your unsure of traveling or its your first trip away i can not recommend this one enough. The itinerary is amazing and it has both culture, tourism and party. The only problem i have with the full month tour is it goes too fast and your wishing to go back again. Bee and Minne were absolutely amazing and work so incredibly hard they are both fantastic ambassadors for Tru Travels and by the end of the tour they're not just your tour guide they're your friends. Become part of the Tru family and #justgo

I really enjoyed my experience with tru travels. I felt like the activities were all enjoyable and that the tour guide was amazing. I had Arthur as my tour guide and felt that he thoroughly understood the vibe of the group and was engaging with all the activities. I genuinely don’t think that the trip would have Been the same without him! The elephant sanctuary was the best activity in my opinion.

There were many interactive and fun activities. I don’t have any bad words to say about the group I have been a part of and especially none about the tour guide who has made my experience in Thailand extra special. In the future, I would definitely like to go on another trip away with tru travels and will be recommending the company to all of my friends!

Our tour guide Arthur has made this the most amazing experience of my life! His quirky attitude and huge levels of energy kept everyone upbeat even when we were exhausted! The tour is so well organised, going from wild nights out to relaxing with elephants and going from a day trekking through the jungle to dipping in hot springs. There is such a large mix of people which teaches you a lot too. The local cuisine you can get from the many street vendors and markets has all been delicious too. Arthur's knowledge of where to go and what to do has meant that we're never left with nothing to do! My favourite day has been our visit to the elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai when we got to feed, bathe and play with the elephants. The trip definitely wouldn't have been the same without our amazing tour guide!

My experience with Tru Travels for the Total Thailand tour has been amazing! This experience has been made amazing by Arthur the tour guide. Arthur is full of enthusiasm and is very knowledgeable. Arthur knows how to have fun and shows us all of the best places to go out at night. Arthur is very motivating and makes everyone feel at ease and safe. I would definitely recommend this tour to other people. Arthur is a legend and I am disappointed that he was only able to do the first 14 days of northern Thailand with us. This tour is perfect for all types of individuals, whether it be solo travellers, groups and students. Everyone makes each other feel welcome and appreciated. The food over here is amazing and I have made the most amazing memories.

Amazing! I booked this tour not knowing exactly what to expect, however as I am travelling solo the value for money, the friends I have met and the experience I gained was invaluable.
The tour guides, ALI (Northern Thailand), ARTHUR and WHISKEY (South Thailand) were incredible. They honestly were the highlight of the trip and I could and would recommend this trip to anyone.
4 Weeks Total Thailand was packed with activities, temples, information, history and the tour guides/large group of new people made it so fun.
The accommodation was always a great standard, some meals are included (more in the North) which is great for budgets and even in our free time the guides made sure we had options and plans to see extra sites or go out in the evenings.

Over the month of March I was lucky enough to take part in the Total thailand Tour by Tru Travels. Not only were the activities amazing, but thanks to both Benmore and Bee (our tour guides) the trip was made even better. Both were so sweet and knew so much about Thailand and made sure we were all having a great time and were safe while abroad. The first portion of the trip lead bun Benmore was fast paced but was perfect for Northern Thailand as there is a lot to see. Ben did a great job at keeping us busy and showing us everything we really wanted to see. The second portion of the trip involved hopping through out the many islands of Thailand. Bee did amazing and was able to keep track of all 20 of us, which is a hard task in itself. Both are some of the sweetest humans you will ever meet and I have left Thailand happy to call them both my friends. I would highly recommend the trip! Great mix of culture, adventure, history, and relaxation!