Description
the tour
13 day/12 nights
Combine the thrills of Bangkok and the beaches of Phuket and Krabi with an extraordinary adventure in the rainforests and mangroves of Phang Nga Province, where you'll also
meet and ride elephants, courtesy of Elephant Hills' fascinating conservation project.
Day 1: London - Bangkok
Fly overnight from London Heathrow to Bangkok with Thai Airways International.
Days 2-4: Bangkok
Transfer to the Bel-Aire Princess for 3 nights, room only. See our wide range of pre-bookable excursions. (RO)
Days 5-7: Bangkok - Phuket
Time to hit the beach on the island of Phuket. After a short flight from Bangkok, transfer to the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa for 3 nights, room only. Why not pre-book a full or half-day excursion? (RO)
Day 8: Phuket - Elephant Hills
You'll be picked up and transferred to Phang Nga Province, passing small rural villages and oil-palm plantations. Explore the mangrove forest's maze of rivers by speed cat (a dinghy with an outboard motor) - it's like an amazing primeval swamp. Canoes are also available for a silent journey into this dense green world.
Enjoy a traditional Thai lunch on a Burmese junk, then spend the afternoon on a deserted beach, swimming, relaxing or canoeing. After a cruise on the junk, transfer to Khao Sok where
you enjoy dinner and your first night at Elephant Hills Resort. Accommodation is in luxury safari tents with attached bathroom, hot water shower and western-style toilet. (L/D)
Day 9: Elephant Hills
Rise to views of mountains and jungle and after breakfast, transfer to Elephant Camp, Elephant Hills' conservation project. Here you can see, touch and learn about Thai elephants.
You'll also learn about the life
of the mahouts (who take care of the elephants). You then take a trek on elephant-back through the rainforest, returning for a Thai buffet lunch. This afternoon, take a jungle-river canoe trip down the Sok River with a local river guide to paddle the canoe. Drift along, passing limestone mountains and green-clad cliffs.
Maybe spot hornbills overhead or reptiles on the riverbanks. It's a world unchanged in thousands of years, one of the last areas of primary rainforest. Dinner and overnight at Elephant Hills Resort. (B/L/D)
Day 10: Elephant Hills
After breakfast, you'll explore a jungle lake by local boat. The lake is surrounded by limestone mountains and cliffs covered in tropical rainforest. The scenery has been compared to Qualin in China or Halong Bay in Vietnam.
Few people know of the lake and even fewer have visited it. There are over 100 islands in the lake and it is over 60km from north to south. You will see some of the spectacular scenery from the boat, have time for a swim and maybe trek and explore some caves, weather permitting. Tonight, the jungle bar will be open for people wanting to exchange stories of their day's experiences in the jungle, before your last night at Elephant Hills Resort. (B/L/D)
Day 11: Elephant Hills - Krabi
Wake up to the sounds of nature, then after breakfast come face to face with the jungle on a leisurely walk. It's an opportunity to explore the ecology of the rainforest, to see a great variety of exotic plants, tropical hardwood trees with huge roots, orchids, palms, ferns, bamboos and mosses - the variety is unlimited.
Spot birds high above, and perhaps see or hear macaque or leaf monkeys swinging through the branches. Weather permitting, lunch will be served in the rainforest - cooked in bamboo, a tradition of jungle explorers for centuries past. You will then transfer by road to the resort of Krabi and the Krabi Thai Village Resort for a 3-night stay, on a bed and breakfast basis. (B/L)
Days 12-13: Krabi
Your jungle adventures over, it's time to completely relax at Krabi Thai Village Resort. Why not visit Krabi rainforest and hot springs on one of our pre-bookable excursions? (B)
Day 14: Krabi - London
There'll be time for buying last-minute souvenirs before you are transferred to Krabi airport for your overnight Thai Airways International flight to London Heathrow, via Bangkok.
Tour Notes
- Departs Mon, Wed and Sat from London Heathrow
- Rating: Taste of Adventure
- Min age 10 years
- We recommend non-slip shoes and loose clothing
- Long trousers are best for elephant rides
- Don't forget your camera and binoculars
- Bring a small bag with a change of clothes in case you get wet
- Remember your sun protection or a raincoat depending on the weather
- Take swimwear and a towel if you want to swim in the river