Thailand tour, jungles and islands
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Khao Sok National Park, Southern Thailand, Central Thailand |
| trip type: | Introductory/moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 24 Apr, 22 May, 24 Jun, 20 Jul, 15 Aug, 18 Sep, 16 Oct, 13 Nov, 18 Dec 2011: 15 Jan |
| price: | From £2000 - £2340 (14 days) including flights from the UK, from £1220 - £1320 excluding flights. |
| more info: | Price includes all transport, accommodation & activities specified in itinerary, all meals (except lunch on days 2 & 11 & dinner on days 10 & 11) |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Thailand tour, jungles and islands
Spectacular sights, stunning landscapes, a wide range of activities and plenty of great food and friendly people on this 2 week tour of some of the well known, as well as some of the lesser known, highlights of Western and South Thailand. Visit fascinating, bustling Bangkok: travel by river through the lush jungles of spectacular Khao Sok National Park, canoe down the River Kwai, hike along the route of the old ‘Death railway’, ride elephants through the jungle, snorkel on coral reefs and laze on unspoilt beaches.
Highlights:
Highlights:
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day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Departure from London. |
| Day 2: | Arrival in Bangkok; - meet your tour leader and transfer to a downtown hotel in the City’s lively Banglamphu district. Time 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 scenic, but infamous, ‘Death Railway’. Afternoon visit to Sai Yok Noi Waterfall and short jungle hike through the lush surrounding jungle before checking into our riverside resort. |
| Day 5: | 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 Kwai with a choice of kayaks or 2 person canoes for the uninitiated. |
| Day 6: | Complete our Western Thailand loop with a return to Kanchanaburi Town by way of the impressive 12th century ruins of Muang Singh – a former, fortified, frontier town of the Angkor Empire. Time to visit some of the sites of Kanchanaburi Town on foot or bicycle, such as the ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ and war museum before catching a night sleeper train to the South. |
| Day 7-9: | 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 Three-day exploration of the park including canoeing or tubing, 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 7; elephant riding, day 8 river trip and jungle hike, day 9 tour of the lake.) |
| Day 10: | 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 11: | 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 12: | 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 13: | Morning on the island topping up your suntan, before transferring to Krabi for an evening flight to London via Bangkok. |
| Day 14: | Morning arrival in London. |
Note:
traveller reviews for Thailand tour, jungles and islands
Many memorable and exciting experiences: The awesome caves, the jungle trekking in Sangklaburi, canoeing down the river Kwai for 3 hours. (more)
small group holiday
This is a 'small group adventure' - you will be sharing your experiences with like minded people. Group sizes are limited to a maximum of 11 persons, a genuinely small group. Experience has taught us that smaller groups are less intrusive to local cultures and environments whilst allowing more interaction with local people. Furthermore it means greater flexibility on a day to day basis and on a social level it proves to be fun. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends/family its good value, and a great way to meet new people! The intention is to travel as a group of friends rather than a typical tour group, so don't expect stick-on name badges or any following the umbrella. how this holiday makes a difference
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We and 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 neighboring 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. |
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