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Exploring, Elephants, and Island Hopping: The Complete Thai Experience

Highlights

Explore a local rural stilt village
Stay in a gorgeous floating raft house
Take a 'morning mist' long boat wildlife safari
Explore stunning deserted beaches
Stay in Khao Sok National Park with its breathtaking limestone cliffs and ancient forests

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What you'll do

Overview

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Overview

This 12 day adventure in Thailand is an immersion into the culture, cuisine and lifestyle of this wonderful country. Discover backstreet Bangkok and wonderful deserted islands, take an overnight sleeper train, Embark on a morning mist wildlife safari, and discover the best street food with your local guide.

Tour summary

Day 1-3 – Bangkok

Day 4 – Surat Thani

Day 5 & 6 – Khao Sok

Day 7-10 – Koh Lanta

Day 11 – Bangkok

Day 12 – Departure

Explore Bangkok’s Wat Khun Chan where you will be inspired by the modern temples on one side of the khlong and Thai ancient history on the other, with the beauty of the river crossing through the landscape as you sail on a traditional long tail boat.

Visit the Artist Village, with old wooden walkways with artists, an old barber shop, an old grocery, vintage posters, colours of freedom, and a small stupa shining in the sunlight.

Stay in the gorgeous Khao Sok National Park, surrounded by breathtaking limestone cliffs, hovering high above the ancient forests.

Enjoy a truly responsible elephant experience, at a charitable elephant sanctuary, spending time preparing elephant food for one of the elderly elephant residents. You will have opportunity to bathe it and spend time with the elephant and mahout (elephant care taker). By taking part in this experience we support the elephants and contribute to their ethical upkeep.

Spend the day at Cheow Lan Lake – without a doubt one of the most strikingly beautiful places in Thailand! With over 100 little islets and towering limestone cliffs, a full day lake tour gives you not only the opportunity to marvel at the magnificent ‘fairy-tale’ like scenery, but also to spot wild life in their natural habitat.

Rise before breakfast to board a long tail boat for a morning mist wildlife safari. From your boat you may see macaque monkeys, dusty languor, great hornbills, wild boars, gibbon monkeys, and if you are lucky, a wild elephant!

Enjoy Island Hopping between some of the most beautiful islands off Trang Province by speedboat, Koh Ngai, Koh Kradan, Koh Chuck, and Koh Mook with its popular Emerald Cave. You will enjoy a great mix of beaches, winter sun, snorkelling, and stunning views.

Bangkok Cultural Tour

Enjoy your first Thai breakfast at the hotel before meeting up with your local guide who will accompany you to the nearby pier to board our traditional Thai long tail boat.

From here you’ll sail down the Chao Phraya, Bangkok’s main river, with amazing views of the Bangkok skyline, before turning to enter the ‘khlongs’ or canals, and here you will see why Bangkok is known as the Venice of the East. There is a network of canals throughout Bangkok and other low lying areas of Thailand, which were the main traffic and trade routes before cars.

You will pass a range of local wooden stilt houses with clothes hanging to be dried in the sun, a local “7 Eleven”, khlong style. Feel the more traditional and exotic atmosphere of this area.

You will hear Thai music being played from the houses, you will see birds looking at the trespassing boats, if you are lucky you may spot one of the sunbathing lizards.

The first stop is at the temple Wat Khun Chan where you will be inspired by the modern temples on one side of the khlongs and the tradition and heritage of days gone by on the other, with the beauty of the river crossing through the landscape.

From there it’s onwards to the Artist Village, old wooden walkways house artists, an old barbers shop, a traditional grocery, vintage posters, the Thai flags of freedom, and a small stupa (a bell shaped Buddhist shrine).

Feel the quietness surrounding this place. A stop will be made where you can feed holy Catfish. It’s a remarkable sight when hundreds of fish come to the surface seemingly out of nowhere!

Upon leaving the khlongs you will see several houses on stilts where the locals live in small houses on the river. Then we leave the quietness and sail back towards the noisy, Chao Phraya river and Bangkok’s majestic grand palace.

Once your boat trip has ended there is time for your trip ends at Pier 9 on the Chao Phraya River, from where you you can visit the nearby temples on your own, continue to the shopping malls or return to your accommodation.

Accommodation:

The Raweekanlaya Bangkok Wellness Cuisine Resort – Mattanee Executive Room

Meals:

Breakfast

Explore Bangkok

Today, breakfast and dinner are included, with you spending the morning at your leisure, enjoying the pool or exploring the temples nearby.

Then, in the late afternoon be prepared for a walk through Bangkok’s Chinatown. Your local guide knows Chinatown inside out, its jungle of markets, lights, sounds, and street life, they will take you on a journey showing you the very best from a locals perspective, this way you will see what most visitors miss! Once you have learnt all about the area and its history you’ll then have some time to spend exploring on your own.

This evening, you will meet up with your guide again South of Chinatown and from here we’ll venture north by public bus or tuk-tuk to the heart of night-time Chinatown and explore the evening secrets of this bustling neighbourhood when all the eateries and bars come alive.

On this 4-hour trip, we experience the wave of life on Yaowarat Road that mixes locals and foreign tourists alike. We’ll stop at some of the best street food shops and try multiple dishes that are loved by Thai and Chinese people alike, some will be familiar to you and some may be new!

We’ll try the spicy stuff, indulge in the sweet deserts, hear stories about the dishes, and talk to the food sellers and food lovers around us.

In between, we’ll explore the less-traveled side-streets and hidden alleys for temples, local customs, and the behind-the-scenes of this world-famous foodie haven.

If you still have space, we’ll finish our trip with some local desserts and your guide will bid you farewell and you can choose to continue exploring Chinatown on your own or return to your hotel to prepare for tomorrow!

Accommodation:

The Raweekanlaya Bangkok Wellness Cuisine Resort – Mattanee Executive Room

Meals:

Breakfast, Dinner

Explore Khao Sok National Park

Welcome to Surat Thani! A private transfer takes you to the Khao Sok National Park.

Khao Sok National Park is one of the oldest rainforests in the world and home to the man-made Cheow Lan Lake. It is conveniently located in Southern Thailand, between the two coasts, and in the morning you will transfer from either Surat Thani or Khao Lak to Anurak Community Lodge.

Anurak Community Lodge is on the edge of Khao Sok National Park, surrounded by breathtaking limestone cliffs, hovering high above the ancient forests. Take your time to settle in, enjoy the jungle surroundings and the charm of your community lodge.

In the late afternoon go for a true and sustainable elephant experience. You will spend time preparing elephant food to feed an old elephant.

You will have opportunity to bathe it and spend time with the elephant and mahout (elephant care taker). By taking part in this low impact experience we support the elephants and contribute to their ethical upkeep.

A traditional Thai dinner will be served in the lodge restaurant around 18:00, included in the cost, and the rest of the evening is free to relax and let the day’s experience sink in.

Accommodation:

Anurak Community Lodge – Standard Room

Nested in the heart of a palm plantation, Anurak Community Lodge is an ideal place to escape busy city life. Located a 15-minute drive from the entrance of the Khao Sok National park, the property offers free WiFi in public area, free parking and free bicycle rental.

Surrounded by jungles, each bungalow is equipped with air conditioning, a private balcony and a safety box. An en suite bathroom comes with a shower.

Group and private tours to Khao Sok National park can be arranged at the property. Other activities include table tennis, trekking, canoeing, bamboo rafting, cycling and bird watching. Arranging a cooking class is also possible.

Meals:

Dinner

What's included

Included

All transfers and transport as per program
All accommodation as per program
Service of an English speaking local guide as mentioned

All meals mentioned
All entrance fees on the trip

Your local host

Martin

I have spent many years travelling through Thailand and have made many lasting memories and friendships. The region is rich in natural beauty and culture and offers one of the greatest culinary kitchens in the world. Many years have passed and I still think that the people are everything and I'm still surprised at the hospitality and friendliness. Working in travel is a passion for me and I enjoy helping our customers to enjoy all the best that Thailand has to offer.

I have spent many years travelling through Thailand and have made many lasting memories and friendships. The region is rich in natural beauty and culture and offers one of the greatest culinary kitchens in the world. Many years have passed and I still think that the people are everything and I'm still surprised at the hospitality and friendliness. Working in travel is a passion for me and I enjoy helping our customers to enjoy all the best that Thailand has to offer.

Martin image

Sustainability Efforts

What Sustainability Efforts are we Taking?

At Not in the Guidebooks we’re committed to empowering the local communities in Costa Rica. We work closely with the local people and their businesses to make sure that they receive a fair percentage of the money you spend on your holiday there. By partnering with local guides and suppliers, we’re able to create meaningful, authentic experiences that directly benefit the people who call this incredible country home.

Location

You will start and end in the gorgeous capital city of Thailand, Bangkok. You will be picked up and privately transferred to and from the airport, both when arriving and when departing.

Bangkok is a large city known for ornate shrines and vibrant street life. The boat-filled Chao Phraya River feeds its network of canals, flowing past the Rattanakosin royal district, home to opulent Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kaew Temple.

Along the way, you will visit many other hidden treasures in Thailand.

Bangkok
Surat Thani
Khao Sok National Park
Koh Lanta

FAQs

Yes! Both the transfer from the airport to your accommodation, and the transfer back to the airport in time for your departure are included.

Yes, you will have a local English speaking guide with you, ensuring you have the best time possible whilst here in Thailand.

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