For centuries, Thailand has delighted visitors.  "A city with golden spires and more than 2,000 gilt images", reads the journal of an awestruck 17th-century traveler after seeing Thailand’s royal capital of Ayutthaya for the first time.

Thailand has seen considerable change since then but its allure remains undiminished; it is easily the most popular travel and business destination in Southeast Asia. The reasons why are not hard to fathom.  For one, there is a incredible scenic diversity, from azure seas and golden sand beaches to misty mountain forests.There are constant reminders of the nation’s rich cultural heritage ranging from its glittering temples to its exquisite crafts - and a generous people for whom hospitality is a natural grace.

The capital, Bangkok, is a bustling amalgam of ancient Buddhist temples and hectic, cosmopolitan modernity. Yet, there are always opportunities to encounter the unexpected in a quiet lane, a temple courtyard, a busy market, or deep in a canal rimmed by orchid nurseries. 

The Chao Phraya River largely irrigates the Central Plain, one of the world is major rice and fruit-growing areas, and sustains an intricate network of canals that irrigate bountiful orchards and market gardens; host vibrant floating markets-, and support a unique, waterborne way of life.

Geographically, the Central Region extends from the rugged western mountains bordering Burma to the northeast plateau, and northwards to Nakhon Sawan where the Ping, Wang, Nan and Yom rivers unite to form the Chao Phraya River (River of Kings) which flows southwards to dissect Bangkok before entering the Gulf of Thailand; further south still towards Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand is compressed to its narrowest point some 60 kilometers wide between mountains on the west and the Gulf of Thailand on the east.