Thailand's Sacred Places

Sweet Mango Tours' journey to sacred places in Thailand offers the traveler an intimate glimpse at Theravada Buddhism as it is practiced by monks and lay-people in a country where over 90% of the residents are Buddhist. The itinerary is designed to support individual efforts to practice meditation and to further understand the principles guiding this gentle religion.

We explore the well known Bangkok sites, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Po, homes to the Emerald Buddha and the Reclining Buddha, respectively. We'll then travel east to Ubon Ratchathani and Wat Pah Nanachat, an international forest monastery established by Venerable Ajahn Chah in 1975 for English-speaking practitioners of the Buddha's teachings. Our group will be guests at the monastery and participate in a three and a half-day "retreat" under the guidance of the resident monks.

Our next stop will be in a rural, rice-farming village for a three-day home-stay. We'll celebrate an important Buddhist holiday, Magha Puja Day with the villagers on the full moon. Buddhist rituals complemented by animist traditions produce a rather exciting, exotic and memorable event. On our way back to Ubon, we'll stop for two nights at a very remote "satellite" temple of Wat Pah Nanachat. We'll again "retreat:" practice sitting and walking meditation and spend quality time with the resident monks. (download calendar version of the itinerary) (download day-2-day descriptive itinerary)

Sweet Mango created this tour for two reasons: 1) to appreciate and preserve local Thai culture, which in this case is shaped and influenced by Buddhism, and 2) to provide support to Westerners who are seeking fulfillment through Buddhist practice. Assuming a common interest in developing our own practice, our traveling "sangha" will become a laboratory where we can safely explore questions and wonderings.