The unique cultural experience
Our cruise, the Thanatharee, is a rice barge originally built in the late 40’s, converted into a comfortable and unique way of bringing enthusiastic minds through the Chao Phraya River into the rural heartland of the Kingdom of Siam.
For 15 years now, Thanatharee -“Treasure on the Water”- has been bringing travelers in close contact with the local cultures and offering participants a great opportunity to learn about the day-to-day life of the communities that dot the landscape; meeting the farmers; the artisans, the local people and school children and enjoying cultural exchange and social interaction.
These communities along the Chao Phraya River are normally not visited by tourist and therefore welcome the chance to meet foreigners. The local handicrafts are the perfect giveaway to bring back home and help the local economy so, when the Thanatharee makes a stop, you can be sure the experience will be rewarding and minimize the negative effects that tourism may have sometimes in the small communities.
For more detailed information, please visit the website of Thanatharee Cruise.
The Thanatharee Cruise is part of the ETC Travel Group.
Some of our suggestions for Thanatharee Cruise:
Highlights of Ayutthaya by Thanatharee – 1 Day
Departure: Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Cruise from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, a former capital of Thailand. Change your transportation to an eco-friendly bike tour to explore the marvelous of Ayutthaya Historical Park, featured as a UNESCO list of World Heritage sites since 1991. Enquire
Village Experiences – 2 Days
Departure: Every Monday and Tuesday
Get in touch with ordinary Thai people as they go about their daily lives. Meet farmers, artisans, monks and school children. Learn about the local agriculture and traditional handicrafts and witness day to day village life as you explore villages on the side of the Choa Phraya River by bicycle. The ‘Thanatharee’ traditional teak rice barge will take you into areas few tourists visit and give you a chance to learn about elephants and handicrafts, everything from knives to candy. Enquire
Riverine Discovery – 3 Days
Departure: Every Saturday and Wednesday
Leave the fast pace of city life far behind as you cruise up the Chao Phraya River of Kings on board the Thanatharee, a comfortably converted teak rice barge. With spinning pottery wheels and bicycle wheels through local markets and village temples, explore rural communities and meet the people; farmers and artisans, orphanage children with eager chatter and monks on their alms round. Enquire
Rivers and Mountains – 9 Days
Departure: Every Tuesday and Friday
Beach or Mountain? The question before all our holidays will be much more difficult to answer now. The temptation to enjoy a few days off in one of the beautiful beaches of the country will have to compete with the excitement of a great adventure in the rivers and mountains of the Kingdom of Siam.
The “Rivers and Mountains” program is a perfect combination. We will navigate along the River of Kings aboard an old teak barge, the Thanatharee, visiting Ayuttaya, the former capital of the Kingdom. We will also take a night train to the Rose of the North, Chiang Mai, do bamboo rafting on the rivers of north, enjoy trekking in the jungle and sleep in local villages. Biking, travelling on a local tuk tuk and riding an elephant will be also part of this trip and we will discover together the culture and religion visiting temples and making offerings to the monks. Enquire
