Family holiday to Thailand, jungles and islands
| country: | Thailand |
| departures: | This trip can be arranged at a time to suit you for groups of three of more |
| price: | From £1515 - £1880 (16 days) including flights from UK, from £875 - £950 excluding flights |
| offers: | 5% off 22 Nov & 16 Jan departures |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
A taste of the diversity of Thailand: from the vibrant metropolis of Bangkok to remote, hill-tribe villages, dense rainforests to deserted beaches and from riding elephants in national parks to snorkelling on coral reefs.Bamboo rafting, jungle trekking, elephant riding, kayaking on the River Kwai, canoeing through mangrove swamps, snorkelling on coral reefs, exploring caves, deserted beaches, Bangkok's temples and palaces, Thai food.
Although our holidays are usually unavailable to persons under the age of 18 we do offer selected tours to accompanied young people. Please note that our itineraries are suitable, or can be readily adapted, for children of all ages and we are hapy to provide tailored tours to family groups of four or more persons. Thailand in particular lends itslef to family tours with its conveniennt, efficient transport system, friendly helpful people and high levels of food hygiene. No more "Mummy I'm bored" - pack them off elephant riding, canoeing, making friends with the locals, or learning about the flora and fauna of the jungle ecosystem.
We have successfully provided tours for families with children from ages 5 to 18.
Although our holidays are usually unavailable to persons under the age of 18 we do offer selected tours to accompanied young people. Please note that our itineraries are suitable, or can be readily adapted, for children of all ages and we are hapy to provide tailored tours to family groups of four or more persons. Thailand in particular lends itslef to family tours with its conveniennt, efficient transport system, friendly helpful people and high levels of food hygiene. No more "Mummy I'm bored" - pack them off elephant riding, canoeing, making friends with the locals, or learning about the flora and fauna of the jungle ecosystem.
We have successfully provided tours for families with children from ages 5 to 18.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Departure from London. |
| Day 2: | Morning arrival in Bangkok - meet your tour leader and transfer to a downtown hotel in the City’s lively Banglamphu district. Afternoon to relax, explore the area or check out some local markets. |
| Day 3: | City tour with a difference! Bangkok by riverboat, skytrain, tuk-tuk and canal boat. Stop-offs include the Grand Palace, fabulous Wat Phra Keow - 'Temple of the Emerald Buddha' - and the fascinating Jim Thompson House Museum. |
| Day 4: | Leaving the Capital we’ll journey by local train to Kanchanaburi Province, across the historic Bridge on the River Kwai and along the infamous (and scenic), 'Death Railway' towards the remote town of Sangklaburi on the Burmese border. Lakeside accommodation at the small, family-run Burmese Inn. |
| Day 5: | An exploration of part of the nearby World Heritage Site of Thung Yai Wildlife Reserve, including a jungle hike, rafting and bathing in mountain streams. |
| Day 6: | Check out the sights and markets of this fascinating frontier town with its bewildering mix of Thais, Burmese and Karens, Indian and Chinese traders and Mon refugees from across the border, including a morning boat tour of the lake to see the region’s distinctive floating villages. Afternoon transfer by local bus to nearby Thong Pa Phum village for the night’s accommodation in a picturesque riverside resort. |
| Day 7: | Departure for nearby 'Hellfire Pass'; visit the fascinating museum and hike along the former route of the ‘Death railway’ itself. (So named because of the numbers of local workers and Allied POWs who died during its construction by the Japanese army.) Afternoon expedition down the jungle-lined river with a choice of kayaks or 2 person canoes for the uninitiated. Overnight in chalets on the banks of the River Kwai. |
| Day 8: | Complete our Western loop with a return to Kanchanaburi Town by way of Sai Yok Noi Waterfall and the impressive 12th century ruins of Muang Singh – a former, fortified, frontier town of the Angkor Empire. |
| Day 9: | Morning transfer to the historic town of Petchaburi at the northern limit of the Peninsula. Visit the fascinating hilltop Khao Wang Palace and Khao Luang cave with its colony of monkeys before catching the evening sleeper train to the southern city of Surat Thani. |
| Day 10-11: | On to Khao Sok in Surat Thani Province - acknowledged as one of Thailand’s most spectacular National Parks with its dramatic limestone karst scenery, lakes, waterfalls and lush jungle Two-day exploration of the park including canoeing, a boat trip on the lake, elephant riding and jungle hiking, with plenty of time to relax, splash around in the streams and waterfalls or just kick back in your chalet and admire the fabulous tropical flora and fauna. |
| Day 12: | Morning minibus transfer through more spectacular scenery to nearby Krabi Province for a short ferry ride to the Andaman Sea’s scenic Lanta Island. |
| Day 13: | Leisurely day on this picturesque, jungle-clad, island - make the most of the turquoise waters and quiet beaches or sling a hammock between a couple of palm trees. (Hiking in the interior for the energetic?) |
| Day 14: | Boat excursion through the spectacular and world famous islands of Koh Phi Phi archipelago with opportunities for swimming and snorkelling on the regions vibrant coral reefs. |
| Day 15: | Morning on the island topping up your suntan, before transferring to Krabi for an evening flight to London via Bangkok. |
| Day 16: | Morning arrival in London. |
travellers' tales
The three days trekking in Nan province was certainly the most memorable part of our holiday. Highlights included the market across the street from the hotel selling a wide range of "interesting" live produce. (more)
independent family adventure holiday
These family trips are designed for those of you who prefer to travel just with your family, and not in a group with other families. The itineraries are set but you can typically depart at a time to suit you.how this holiday makes a difference
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We and our individual Tour Leaders have fostered healthy, respectful working relationship with the Karen villagers who lead us through the jungle trek in Thung Yai. This provides us with very knowledgeable friends on the trip who are excellent oral witnesses to the life of the Karens and are thus able to give our passengers a genuine understanding of this important ethnic minority in Thailand.
Our regular visits provide long term and sustainable extra income for these people. The benefits of our patronage are extended to local business people not immediately connected to the guides. We eat in small food shops and restaurants, encourage our passengers to make souvenir purchases at the local crafts market and make small purchases in the Karen villages such as water and locally make snacks. We have also made financial contributions to the local orphanage and to Karen and Mon refugee camps housing people fleeing the oppression they encounter in neighbouring Burma. Wherever practical we use public transport such as the local bus from Sangklaburi to Kanchanaburi and the sleeper train to Trang. This is not only contributing to the local economy, but results in fewer carbon emissions per head than does smaller forms of transport. Khao Lak village in Southern Thailand. A relatively poor farming community was inspired, partly through our interest, to organize a co-operative home-stay and trekking scheme and has since received grants, training and advice to that extent from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. We are also pleased to state that several local village lads are now keener to lead bird watching and nature tours than their traditional pastimes of shooting or trapping. We provided the co-operative scheme with textbooks on local bird and animal life. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |