28th March-3rd April'09

Starting in Bangkok, guests will take a connecting flight to Chiang Rai before they are transferred to the Anantara Golden Triangle, where their visit will coincide with the Elephant Polo Tournament of 2009. Held in order to raise awareness of the plight of Asian elephants, the tournament also helps to raise funds for the elephant sanctuary maintained by Anantara Resorts.

The atmosphere is festive, and guests will enjoy their lunch on the pitch. Staying at the resort for three days, guests will then move on for day trip to Tachilek, the Golden Triangle of Myanmar. Known for its tribes, with their own set of unique practices and dress, the Burmese Golden Triangle presents an uncommercialized side of the Golden Triangle as we know it. The private jet transfer starts from Tachilek, transferring guests to Putao in Myanmar.

One of the most remote places in Myanmar, which in itself, is a challenging place to visit, Putao is accessible, traditionally, via a four hour flight from Yangon. Legends of the only Mongoloid pygmies in the world, abundant flora and fauna for those who care to look (manifesting itself in the form of red pandas, the Takin, rare orchids and black bears) and the novelty of being surrounded by snow capped mountains receiving year-round snow in Myanmar, are the lures of Putao.

Guests will be staying at the Malikha Lodge, an 8-room resort designed by Jean Michel Gathy of AmanResorts' fame. The remoteness of Putao, with its unbelievable beauty finds an expression in Malikha Lodge, where guests are able to take their breakfast on the outdoor terrace, with a picture perfect view of the Malikha River. That such a sophisticated, urbane setup is to be found within the remoteness of Putao- with little or no access to proper roads, is testimony to the will that laid behind the creation of the resort. Facilitating indigenous materials where possible, the sleek interiors of Malikha Lodge finds articulation through polished river stones, weaved thatched roofing and bamboo sourced from its immediate surroundings. With the small number of rooms, its practice of hiring staff from the surrounding villages and being involved in community projects, Malikha Lodge is a veritable example of sustainable tourism.

Activities include rafting through the Nam Lang and Malikha rivers- certainly one of the most unforgettable ways to spend a day in Putao, with a lunch picnic in an isolated spot come mid-day, a trek in the morning to visit the villages and to share a bowl of Shan noodles with the villagers in the morning markets and an elephant ride through the village in the evening.

  Price: USD10,666 per person based on double occupancy

 Price Inclusions: Domestic Economy Airfare Bangkok-Chiang Rai

                        Airport transfer in Chiang Rai and Putao

                        Day trip to Tachilek in Myanmar

                        Stay for 3 nights in Anantara Chiang Rai

                        Stay for 3 nights in Malikha Lodge

                        Transfers to elephant polo pitch and lunch buffet on the pitch in Chiang Rai

                        Breakfast in Anantara Chiang Rai

                        All activities and meals in Putao

                        Private jet transfer from Tachilek-Putao and Putao-Don Meuang Airport in Bangkok