Half-Day Off the Beaten Track Bangkok Tour by Walking and Rickshaw

Bangkok, Thailand

A behind-the-screen tour of authentic Bangkok. Away from modern Bangkok, this exploration touches the essence of what Bangkok truly is. From local temples to plantations, a tour where a ‘samlor’ and your feet are the means to see what others may not see.

Your driver will pick you up from your hotel in Bangkok and drive you to the meeting point, south of the city center. Meet you guide and head out into the authentic part of Bangkok at approximately 10am. You will be surprised what happens behind and away from the concrete walls and buildings of Bangkok. The places you can't even reach by bicycle. You never see this side of Bangkok in brochures and travel magazines.

Walk towards a typical local Thai temple with Chinese influences. Your guide can give you a lot of information about the temple and Buddhism in general. Buddhism plays a very important role in the daily lives of the people who have lived here for centuries. Continue at a relaxing pace deeper into one of the poorest neighborhoods of Bangkok, also known as the slums. You will immediately notice the friendliness and smiles they give you when you pass by their houses. An essential and authentic part of the Thai belief cannot be better described when calmly walk around this district.

These people live along the many canals in Bangkok – something that one cannot find on any tourism map. Only by walking alongside these waterways, for some an important means of transport, gives you that experience that you are really looking after.

Crossing the Chao Phaya River is our next part of the exploration. At the other side of the river, enter a jungle of trees, bearing fruits such as banana, mango, papaya and coconut. This part of Bangkok looks like it seems out of place, but it is here, part of this vibrant metropolis we call Bangkok. You are surrounded by lush vegetation and the best way to enjoy it is to walk. Nature lovers will feel really at ease here.

A little further, you will arrive at a beautiful maintained park, where you will rest a while and feed the hundreds of fish. This lake also serves as a home to the park’s largest inhabitants, huge monitor lizards. After enjoying the beauty of the park, continue your journey in a real ‘samlor’ (Thai rickshaw or ‘bicycle taxi’) on a cycling trip through the greenest part of Bangkok.

The ‘samlors’ make a stop at another temple, the oldest temple in this area, before heading to a riverside restaurant. A simple, yet delicious Thai lunch overlooking the majestic River of Kings awaits you. From the restaurant it is only a short rickshaw ride to the pier where a public boat brings us back to the familiar, more modern side of busy Bangkok.

You surely will return to your hotel with many new impressions of the Thai capital! You will agree that this adventure gives a totally different view and experience of the city. After returning to our meeting point, you will be taken back to your hotel

Note: On Saturdays and Sundays the samlor make an extra stop at an authentic Thai market along one of the many canals.