Koh Samui cruise, Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Koh Samui, Southern Thailand |
| departures: | 2008: 13 Sep |
| price: | From US $747 (4 days) excluding flights. Minimum of 2 people |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Board our junk-rigged schooner for the ideal escape to a tropical paradise. Gaze out over the emerald waters and towering archipelago of Koh Samui, and sooner or later, you’ll set eyes on an elegant, red-sailed junk. As a long-standing icon of the region, the Suwan Macha sets a relaxed course around Koh Samui, Koh Taen and the Archipelago of Ang Thong National Park. A storybook setting for romantic adventure at sea.
Going on two decades, discerning travellers have relished the opportunity of making the Suwan Macha home for four days amidst the island paradises of southern Thailand. It's pace and course has been refined over the years to provide the perfect balance of activity, relaxation and reflection.
On a voyage with no more than 10 guests, experiences remain uncluttered and personalised. A sense of discovery accompanies much of what you see and do with an emphasis on ease, comfort and choice.
Our services include:Join-in roundtrip transfer between hotel to pier in Koh Samui and visiting fees. 4 days cruise with stops and visits as mentioned in the program without guide. 3 nights accommodation on join-in basis in twin or double sharing cabin. Meal plan as mentioned in the tour program. Coffee, tea & drinking water on board and during meals. Admission fee at visiting points as mentioned in the program. Services of qualified crews during the cruise. Group insurance
Going on two decades, discerning travellers have relished the opportunity of making the Suwan Macha home for four days amidst the island paradises of southern Thailand. It's pace and course has been refined over the years to provide the perfect balance of activity, relaxation and reflection.
On a voyage with no more than 10 guests, experiences remain uncluttered and personalised. A sense of discovery accompanies much of what you see and do with an emphasis on ease, comfort and choice.
Our services include:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Koh Samui – Koh Taen (D). Transfer from your hotel at 13h00 to the embarkation pier at Samui yacht club. Welcome drink on board and introduction to the boat. At 14h00 start to sail through the south-east coast of Koh Samui passing by Lamai beach and the visited grand Father & grand mother rock. At sunset, arrive at Koh Taen Island, where you’ll anchor in time for a postcard sunset and sumptuous meal of Thai cuisine on the boats teak deck and overnight on board Suwan Macha at anchor. |
| Day 2: | Koh Taen – Archipelago of Ang Thong National Park (B, L, D). At 08h00, enjoy an American breakfast on deck. At 09h00 sail to the Archipelago of Ang Thong National park. Arrive at Koh Paluai Island for lunch time. Spend the afternoon in the emerald waters of Ang Thong or take to a deserted white sand beach to enjoy your own private sun-bathing, swimming or kayaking. Then sunset is yours to enjoy on deck with a succulent feast of Thai cuisine and overnight on board Suwan Macha at anchor. |
| Day 3: | Archipelago of Ang Thong National park (B, L, D). At 08h00, enjoy an American breakfast on deck. At 10h00 start a tour of the Archipelago of Ang Thong. Visit Koh Mae Ko, the major attraction of this Island is Talae Nai, which features a closed lagoon connected to the sea by an underwater cave and surrounded by mountain ranges. After the visit and lunch, the afternoon is leisure time for snorkeling and kayaking, kayak under the rocky arch at Koh Sam Sao. Late afternoon, cruise to Koh Thong Thaeng arriving just before sunset. After a delicious barbecue, specially prepared by the captain on board, you can sit back and enjoy the peacefulness of the night on Suwan Macha at anchor. |
| Day 4: | Koh Wua Ta Lap Island – Koh Samui (B, L). At 08h00, enjoy an American breakfast on deck. At 10h00 check out of Suwan Macha (luggage will be transferred to Seatran Ferry by our crew) go onshore, visit the National Park Village and enjoy the view point. Time at leisure for snorkeling and swimming. At 12.00 Lunch on board Seatran Ferry on it's way to Kho Mae Ko, after lunch time you will be at leisure until 15h00, return by ferry to Koh Samui. Transfer to your hotel and arrive at 18:00. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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An outstanding person has created this authentic junk with Siamese rigging for us some years ago and one of our affiliated companies is now providing the boat exclusively for this cruise, including a local captain with his crew.
The Suwan Macha cruise stops in some villages on the journey. At these villages we encourage our guests to contribute money for the construction of schools, the purchase of school books and pencils, and other equipment for the children of the villages which were badly damaged by the Tsunami. Our chefs will buy only local products from the communities for the meals on board the Suwan Macha boat. All leftover food from our cruises is given to local villagers to help feed their livestock. The Ang Thong National Park has many different corals, such as elephants tusk coral, brain coral, stragshorn coral and in deeper water plate corals and flower corals. Marine animals found inhabiting these reefs include Butterfly fish, Angelfish, Parrotfish, Stingray, Black tip shark, Grouper and Cowrie shells. All visitors to this marine park have to pay an entrance fee (already included in our package prices) which in return is used by the Thai government to contribute to the conservation of this unique area. Some of the islands in the Ang Thong National Park are providing local Seafood and Thai restaurants and also opportunities for purchasing local souvenirs. We are visiting and mooring our boat at some offshore islands such as Koh Taen and Koh Thon Thaen Ta Lap which are ideal places for snorkeling under magnificent conditions. Whenever possible we are using our dinghies to minimize the impact on the environment. Culture and customs in this Southern part of Thailand are mixed, as many different religions are present (Buddhism, Muslim). Due to this fact various delicious meals and products are available. English is widely spoken and our employees undergo also regular training courses. All bottles, cans and plastics that are used during the cruise are recycled. We are committed to reducing and recycling waste in our offices. Our offices practice double-sided printing, and recycle printer cartridges, whenever possible. Our offices turn off air-conditioning units and PC’s when offices are not staffed. Much of the waste from our offices is naturally recycled (e.g. bottles and paper waste are sold, where they are re-used/ recycled). We are supporting the Green World Foundation in Thailand (www.greenworld.or.th) and will have a lecturer from this foundation to conduct seminars in our office for our staff in the near future. We already started selling some environment friendly products (bags, T-shirts) on their behalf and hand over all the money and profit to them. |
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. |