Thailand Nature of the South
12 days
Travel through the beautiful jungles of Thailands south. After an introduction with Bangkok you will move onward to Khao Yai National Park. Walk through refreshing forests with scenic mountain landscapes, along elephant trails and mountain streams. See magnificent waterfalls where you can take a swim. Via the ancient capital city Ayutthaya you travel by nighttrain to Surat Thani. Here your Tree Tops safari starts, in the tropical rainforest of Khao Sok National Park where untouched jungle still exists. Being in the jungle itself with its uncountable sounds all around you is an experience in itself. The lake is an oasis of peace and an ideal place for relaxation. This dream holiday ends on the beaches of Koh Samui (1 flight included).
Day 1. Bangkok arrival
Upon arrival at Bangkok International Airport, our local representative will wait for you in the arrival hall with a sign
with your name on it. Transfer by private airconditioned minivan to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at leisure.
Day 2. Bangkok
Morning visit to Bangkok's most famous landmark: the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (the national
Buddha image). Several of Thailand's most significant religious ceremonies are here performed by the King. The entire
complex contains more than 100 buildings that represent 200 years of history and architecture. The afternoon is free. This
evening you will dine in the rotating restaurant on top of Thailands highest building: the 82 storey Baiyoke Sky hotel.
Enjoy a delicious Thai dinner and the views of Bangkok city. Hotel pickup and dropoff are included.
Day 3. Khao Yai National Park
In the morning transfer from your hotel in Bangkok to Khao Yai National park. After lunch the journey through the park
begins. You will drive through the most beautiful parts of Khao Yai with time to relax near the beautiful Haew Suwat
waterfalls where you can swim. Later you will visit the volcanic caves and the bat caves and see more than a million bats
swarming out to hunt for nightly food. Falcons try to seize the bats as food, an experience not to be missed. In the
evening you can optionally visit the friendly night market of Pak Chong. You will stay overnight in a deluxe aircon room
at the
Khao Yai Garden Lodge Hotel,
a spaciously set up nature resort spread out over a large terrain with picturesque accommodation that fits perfectly in
the natural landscape of Khao Yai National Park. The hotel has a large garden with orchids, turtles, butterflies and
plants, a swimming pool with bar and a cozy restaurant
Day 4. Khao Yai national park
Drive deep into the mountains and walk through refreshing and scenic landscapes of bizarre mountains where untouched
jungle still exists. You will walk along elephant trails and mountain streams and see magnificent waterfalls where you can
take a swim. Admire the magnificent views from the cliff at 1270m altitude. Depending on the season you will see flowering
trees, wild orchids or beautiful butterflies. Enjoy being in the jungle itself with its uncountable sounds all around you.
Animal life include elephants, gaurs, monkeys, deer, bears and birds including the famous hornbill. The park has the
biggest elephant population (200) in Thailand. Around 19:00 hr our night tour commences through mountain forests and
grasslands. This is the time that most animals come out of their hiding. From the car, the nightly animal world is
illuminated by special halogen lights and the many species can be observed. Dinner (not included) will be served upon
return in the hotel. Overnight in Khao Yai Garden Lodge.
Day 5. Ayuthaya
Travel by train from Khao Yai to Ayuthaya, the old capital city of the central Thai kingdom from the 13th - 17th century.
With influences from Dvaravati, Khmer, Mon, and Lawa cultures, Ayutthaya was able to create its own arts and culture from
a delicate blend of those cultures. During the reigns of 33 kings, Ayutthaya gave Thailand a great number of fine
buildings, monuments and works of art. In 1767 Ayutthaya was completely destroyed by the Burmese. The remains of this
island city are of extreme archaeological importance and the extensively restored historical park in Thailand was selected
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Countless ruins of palaces, temples and monuments are scattered over the historical
park of Ayutthaya. In the afternoon transfer to Bangkok and by night sleeper train to Surat Thani (2nd class
airconditioned sleeper berths).
Morning arrival at Surat Thani railway station. Transfer to the Khao Sok National Park, where you will arrive late morning. A guide will take you to the Tree tops bungalows. After lunch we go for an exciting ride on the Khao Sok river. Depending on the height of the river we go canoeing or tubing, a fun activity of floating down the river in big car inner tyres. Along the way we may catch a glimpse of gibbons, languor's monkeys etc. Return to Tree Tops for a dinner of local cuisine.
After breakfast, an open van will take you to the lake. A local boat-ride through towering limestone mountains, honeycombed with caves and topped with dripping emerald foliage takes us to the jungle island where our Raft-house Resort is based. A boat ride takes us to the edge of a jungle waterfall and a trail into the dense rainforest for an all day trek to the top of a mountain lookout point. This offers an excellent chance to spot animals and birds. The reward at the top is a magnificent rock garden of wild orchids and a splendid view over the Khao Sok National Park.
Day 8. Tree Tops safari
After breakfast take a boat ride to nearby caves to observe bats and take a swim. The guide will have flashlights with
him. On the way back we will visit a local fisherman's village. In the afternoon there is time for leisure, we can relax
and swim, or explore the lake by canoe. After dinner we take a short animal spotting trek on the island behind the raft
houses.
Day 9. Tree Tops - Koh Samui
Early morning wakeup for a canoetour to spot several colonies of different apes. About 9 o'clock we take the boat back to
the head of the lake and the van takes us back to Tree Tops Lodge. From here you will travel by bus and ferry to your
hotel on the tropical beach island Koh Samui. The rest of the day is free at leisure.
These days are free at leisure to enjoy the sun, the sea and the beach.
Day 12. Koh Samui - Bangkok
Checkout. In the course of the day you will fly to Bangkok, where you will arrive on time for your connecting flight back
home. This dream holiday ends upon your arrival at Bangkok International Airport.
or via the Booking form
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Start: Day 1 at Bangkok International Airport (upon arrival from abroad); End: Day 12 at Bangkok International Airport (before departure to abroad); Included: All mentioned overnight stays based on double occupancy and including breakfast, 2x lunch, 2x dinner, all mentioned excursions and transfers, nighttrain Bangkok - Surat Thani (2nd class sleeping berths), 1 domestic flight Koh Samui - Bangkok, all admission fees, an English speaking Thai tourguide during the excursions. Prices are based on the indicated number of persons. Our terms & conditions and payment terms apply. Not included: International return flight to/from Thailand, airport taxes, insurances, personal expenses. Surcharges: Some hotels apply surcharges, for instance for Christmas dinners, New year dinners or local holidays. These surcharges are not included. We will mention them before you book. Hotels Bangkok: 3-star: Bossotel Inn, standard room; 4-star: Royal Princess, superior room; Hotels Khao Yai: 3-star: Khao Yai Garden Lodge, superior room; 4-star: Juldis Resort, deluxe room; Hotels Koh Samui: 3-star: Peace Resort, garden view room; 4-star: Chaweng Buri, superior room; |
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