City stays can be hard on families, with their dry history tours and cultural attractions. Not this time! Discover Bangkok’s illustrious heritage as you embark on a route with younger travelers in mind. Sure, it includes landmarks like the Royal Palace, but told through a fairytale vision of golden spires and guardian demons. We also include the Jurassic World exhibit, where life-sized dinosaurs offer curious minds respite from the city. The afternoon is yours to explore, zipping between the skyscrapers on the Skytrain, or trying local ice cream flavors and spotting lounging monitor lizards at the edge of the lake in Lumphini Park.

Trade the concrete jungle for the actual jungle as you venture south to Petchaburi. Here, you’ll be staying at a wildlife sanctuary whose mission is to rescue and rehabilitate animals that have been exploited for tourism purposes, kept illegally as pets, or captured for their value in traditional medicine. Spend the day getting acquainted with the hundreds of animals being looked after at the sanctuary, including gibbons, bears, lorises, wild cats, elephants and more, then spend the night surrounded by hoots and chirps in an ecolodge in the forest. If you’re lucky, you might even see an elephant passing by your bedroom window in the morning!

Your next stop is a small village sandwiched between pineapple and rubber plantations at the edge of the Kui Buri National Park. Here, you can watch and try all kinds of activities, including paper making, rubber tapping and silk harvesting, but the main attraction is the afternoon’s safari into the national park. Kui Buri has the highest concentration of wild elephants in Thailand — in fact they’re well-known to locals as naughty fruit thieves! — and it’s not unusual to see herds of over 40 of them milling in the long grass from the Huai Leuk viewpoint. Keep your eyes peeled for other animals, too: the park is home to plenty of bison-like gaur and packs of golden jackals.

A train ride south brings you to the coastal town of Khanom, where a population of endangered pink dolphins call home. Head out to sea on a longtail boat and keep your eyes peeled for one of 60 that live in the area. Your longtail boat will be driven by a local expert, who knows exactly where to find them. In addition to the dolphins, stop off at the island of Koh Nui Nork, where you'll hear the amazing story of Luang Por Tuad, a monk crafted from green marble overseeing the turbulent seas and the fresh water fountain under the island.

Your next destination is arguably the most beautiful lake in Thailand: spectacular Cheow Lan. Here, spend your nights in jungle camps and floating lodges surrounded by towering karsts, and your days exploring the surrounding national park — where rescued elephants live peacefully under the protection of the Elephant Hills sanctuary. As well as getting to meet these gentle giants, you’ll get to explore their jungle home, and perhaps spot some of the many other types of wildlife that live here. Back at the camp, there are films, dance performances and cooking classes to enjoy, and a morning market visit offers a chance to experience everyday life in this remote part of Thailand.

Finally, it’s time to see out your adventure with a few days in Khao Lak: our favorite family-friendly beach spot in the whole country. Popular without being overrun, Khao Lak strikes the perfect balance of low-key beach towns, quieter stretches of sand, and a superb array of excellent resorts and restaurants. It’s the perfect place to wind down by the sea, but there’s plenty to keep you busy, too — with an included cooking lesson and plenty of day-trip opportunities to waterfalls, caves, islands and beaches. That said, we won’t blame you if you decide to sit still, watch the waves, and toast the end of your Thailand trip with a cocktail or two.