Overview
Although it is a “race” you compete by using your wits. No one gets eliminated or has to sleep on the floor at the railway station! After each fun-filled day, you'll return to pre-arranged accommodations and enjoy sumptuous local cuisine with the other teams. Roam the countryside and cities in search of clues, conquer challenges and have a ball as you battle it out with other teams. All you need is a mobile phone, backpack and willing teammate to take part, then prepare to have the most fun you've ever had!
An experienced team of Western leaders and local guides test your cunning in some truly amazing places with daily challenges that contribute to your progressive score. You'll find yourself on a boat cruising down the Mekong River, searching for delicacies in a Laotian market and racing a tuk-tuk through the streets of Bangkok. There are no innocent bystanders here – you'll need to interact with the locals and gain intimate knowledge about each location.
There will be giveaways and prizes along the journey and the overall winning team will share a $1000 grand prize. Get ready for cryptic clues, unusual checkpoints, awesome activities, unexpected twists and memories of a lifetime. Fun, fun and more fun!!
If you haven't already, make sure to follow us on Twitter @CAEP_TheChase and The Chase across Asia Facebook Page for all the latest updates and teasers on the coming trip.
Please note - Flights are not included in the tour and are the responsibility of participants to arrange. Flight arrival and departure advice is provided below the itinerary.
Highlights
Challenge and immerse yourself in Asian culture through activities like cooking, market hunts, navigational races and other fun activities.
Visit rural villages, interact with the locals and get to learn about their real day-to-day lives and work.
Guided by enthusiastic and experienced western Team Leaders who have successfully run previous events.
A fantastic opportunity to travel and earn CME credits at the same time.
Day to Day
A driver will be waiting for you at the airport on arrival in Chiang Mai and from there it is only a quick 30-minute transfer to your hotel. We will convene at 2pm for our first CME Meeting, which will give us more free time to enjoy later in the journey. After a quick break, we'll rejoin for dinner with free-flow drinks and you'll have the opportunity to get to know your fellow challengers.
This morning the "Chase" begins in earnest and we will be racing around the old city area of Chiang Mai with the challenges to be revealed on the day. We’ll be done by lunchtime, then there will be some downtime before meeting at 3pm for a local market visit, then it’s off to the farm.
We’ll go through the farm to harvest our own vegetables with advice from the farmers and then commence with the cooking challenge! We dine on the results and after a fun evening, get back to the hotel in Chiang Mai city.
Today is free for you to spend as you wish. Chiang Mai is a wellness mecca with yoga, meditation, spa and lots of healthy food available. There also lots of outdoor adventure options from white water rafting/kayaking to hiking, ATV and ziplines. Some of these options are a little out of town, but easily achievable in a day with a little measure of advance planning.
We farewell Chiang Mai this morning and head for Chiang Khong. This sleepy little town sits on the Mekong River, right next to the main border checkpoint between Thailand and Laos in the north. Looking out over the river, the opposite bank is Laos!
We have a 3 hour CME meeting in the afternoon, then a pleasant evening by the river overlooking our coming adventures.
Today we start early and go through the border formalities down on the river. This involves stamping out on one side, being shuttled over the river in a wooden boat, then stamping in on the other side. From there, we travel a short distance to find our boat, and what a boat it is! There are lots of “Slow Boats” on the upper Mekong, and they all look similar from the outside, but the interior is where all the comfortable differences are. This is a lovely way to cruise down the Mekong. Plenty of space to stretch out, read a book, look for Elephants on the river banks, or just watch the mesmerizing current flowing around the many rocky outcrops.
A 3 hour CME meeting will be conducted onboard, so that when we get off the boat, we have time for the day’s challenges. On arrival in Pak Beng, a small riverside village, the challenge commences and concludes in time for dinner.
They don’t call it a "slow boat" for nothing. We spend another full day cruising down the Mekong at a leisurely pace. You might even make it onto a second book if you are an avid reader, those wanting to be more active might partake in some on-boat yoga.
The river is just as stunning, if not more so in the second day's section and for the last hour or so you are passing through the confluences just upstream of the heritage-listed city of Luang Prabang. Arriving into this town by boat is a truly special experience and usually coincides with sundown, so we’ll stop at a bar to partake in a sundowner as the evening approaches.
It’s race day in a whole new environment, so lots of fun and plenty of challenges. The morning will be action-packed, balanced out with a more low-key afternoon where you are free to enjoy the town and its sights at your leisure. Luang Prabang is this kind of place where you can see out the afternoon in a hammock, in one of the many lovely cafes or by the river banks.
This is a full day for you to explore the city of Luang Prabang and its surrounds. A highly recommended itinerary would be to do a bike tour of the city in the morning where you can see various cottage industries like traditional paper making, rice wine production and learn about the process of silk production.
Then in the afternoon, with some advance planning, you could do a cooking class where you learn the subtleties of the flavors employed in SE Asia’s lesser-known cuisine, Lao. Of course, you get to eat your cooking for dinner and Tamarind is one of the best restaurants and cooking schools in town at which to do this.
Another free day, what a treat! The best thing to do today, if you were following yesterday's suggestions, is to head out to Kuang Sii Waterfall by bike or by tuk tuk. We highly recommend an early start, as the earlier you leave, the more time you will have with the falls and the swimming holes all to yourselves before the backpackers wake up and begin to swarm this popular site.
Once you have had your fill of waterfalls you can visit the Free the Bears enclosure before making the journey back to the city. In the afternoon, why not try out a Lao Massage and maybe a herbal steam? You've earned it!
The trip to Vang Vieng takes around 4-5 hours and whilst it is on a winding road, the mountain scenery through here is spectacular! Winding through the roads the views from the peak before descending are breathtaking and once you descend, you are in the cute little town of Vang Vieng.
This was once a mecca for backpackers, but these days it has broadened its appeal somewhat and is a little more refined. The landscape here is the key attraction, with rice fields along the Nam Xong River and jutting limestone karsts in the background. It’s a fun place to spend an afternoon, especially when you have a challenge to complete. All will be revealed, just in time.
The drive to Vientiane is a fairly quick four hours and passes through some nice scenery. Vientiane is the capital of Laos and a swiftly developing city, it has less of the aesthetic appeal that Luang Prabang, but this is the capital and where a large part of the economic activity happens, so it’s well worth seeing. In the afternoon, we will conduct a 3 hour CME meeting and the evening is your to enjoy the country's capital.
A morning race around Vientiane will keep you on your toes and test out the Lao cultural and linguistic knowledge that you have hopefully accumulated so far. While the afternoon is free for you to relax and take stock of the journey so far. It is likely you will be feeling quite comfortable in Laos by now so why not take this time to enjoy your last afternoon here.
Bustling Bangkok city makes for a great finish to the Amazing Chase across Asia as excitement and adrenaline levels rise with the conclusion in sight. Lots of surprises await as you take on the madness of Bangkok and decide which transport of your choosing will best take you around its frenetic streets. Good luck!
This is the major race day in Thailand and our final round of challenges, so it’s full-on, with lots of points to potentially turn the tide and make victory anyone's! We'll end the day and the race with a big celebration farewell dinner as we total up the points, hand out prizes and announce the winner of The Chase!
The tour concludes after breakfast and you are free to enjoy the morning as you wish. Reflect on your achievements or do some last-minute souvenir shopping before leaving for the airport. If you wish to extend your stay in Thailand and need any assistance our team is happy to help.
