Tour THAILAND

Bangkok –

Day 1: We meet you at Bangkok International Airport to make sure you have a warm welcome and smooth transfer to the hotel for the night.  Later in the day we meet for introductions, a few little bits of “housekeeping” information, and to familiarise everyone with more of what to expect on the tour. Overnight in Bangkok with dinner at one of the many restaurants close to the accommodation.

Days 2:  After breakfast we travel Thai style as we begin to explore Bangkok Unarguably one of the most diverse cities in the world, so we have plenty of variety to choose from – perhaps Wat Arun also known as the Temple of Light, Wat Pho the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, the Grand Palace…. these and many more are all accessible from the hop on hop off boat or via the famous “go anywhere” Tuk-Tuks. These great methods of travel give us better views than through a car window and are also a good way to get a feel for the layout of Bangkok. It will be a full day with lunch at a local restaurant as we tour, followed by a relaxing evening in the lovely environment around the accommodation.

Day 3:  Thailand is famous for many things – not least it’s markets where some of the most vibrant cultural photos can be found: just a short drive from Bangkok takes us to a floating market with an incredible diversity of food, complete with floating ‘takeaways’ where food is steamed, barbequed, boiled or fried to order, passed over several boats to reach the customer as money travels in the opposite direction and so on.  There is also a rather unique example of ancient meeting modern at a nearby railway market which really does have to be experienced to be fully believed!  Here we find vendors with fresh produce, jewellery & hair braids for sale, along with just about anything else that is typically Thailand. With careful timing we will be there to capture vendors clearing the track and swinging makeshift awnings back for one of the two scheduled daily train passes.

Krabi –

Day 4:  We take our short flight to Krabi airport, followed by a short drive to Ao Nang from where, after a few interesting stops along the way, we will take a Long Tail Boat to Railay Beach.  Railay is completely inaccessible by road and thus remains one of the most beautiful and unspoilt peninsulas of Krabi.  It has a vast amount to offer us in a small area: there are plenty of small Macaques roaming the island, wading birds and colourful crabs at low tide as well as rarities like the spectacled Langur to look out for! There are several unspoilt beaches, with sunsets that have colours like nowhere else on earth. 

Day 5:  Stunning beaches with long tail boats resting, mangroves, jungle with exotic wildlife – Railay has this and more so today we will tour Railay on foot, visiting three beaches with very different scenery.  As we explore the area we keep watch for the Spectacled Langurs that come down from the high trees to feed on the rich vegetation surrounding the beaches, Collared Kingfishers in the mangroves, White Bellied Sea Eagle and Brahminy Kite that often fly across and sometimes settle on the beaches.  Little Spiderhunters call softly as they fly from flower to flower and Oriental Pied Hornbill, Blue Rock Thrush, Common Myna and Blue Whistling Thrush can all pass by in a short space of time.  For the more energetic there is a viewpoint situated high up on the mountain, overlooking forest and both East Beach and West Beach.  It’s a demanding climb over rocks, mud trails and through jungle paths but well worth the effort.

Day 6:  A scenic two hour crossing on the morning boat passing exotic white sanded islands and atolls, volcanic rock formations rising steeply from the sea and boats working the fish and shrimp shoals to arrive at Phuket.  We will be met at the pier by Joe, our driver/guide for the rest or the day and introduced to various sites to include Monkey Hill – Monkey Hill oven gives opportunities to stand at tree top level to the Macaques for some incredibly beautiful portraits of their family life.  There are viewpoints with truly surreal mountain vistas to photograph through the day along with plenty of other sights which we will see.  Dinner will be at Joe’s favourite restaurant near to Phuket City where the greatest difficulty is to decide which of the fine dishes on the menu we want to eat first!

Khao Sok –

Day 7:  For many Khao Sok will be thought of as the crown of the tour, memories indelibly printed into our minds, feelings formed in our hearts that speak to us – telling us that having been we know we will return!  Khao Sok is unrivalled for it’s diversity of wildlife: Elephant, Sun Bears, several species of monkey including Gibbon, Pig Tailed Macaque & Spectacled Langur.  Mouse Deer, Tapir, Gaur, Clouded Leopard & Civet Cat, the elusive Pangolin, Barking Deer, Flying Squirrel and so many more.  We arrive at low season to take advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures and lower humidity which can often make the wildlife more active.  Lower numbers of tourists also mean we have significantly higher chances of seeing the animals undisturbed. The drive from Phuket City to Khao Sok takes just around two and a half hours but we will take a little longer, stopping along the winding road country road at some of the most scenic spots and other points of interest.  After checking in at Silver Cliff Resort we will take a little time for refreshments while we familiarise ourselves with the opportunities for the next few days.  This evening we will meet our guide and take our first trip into the National Park for our private night time jungle trek, where an abundance of Reptiles, Snakes, Insects, Civet Cat and others await discovery.

Day 8:  A vital part of the rainforest ecosystem is the Cheow Lan Lake – occupying 165 square kilometres of the National Park.  It’s a stunning mix of scenery with karst formations and giant, jagged limestone and mudstone cliffs rising steeply from the water, grey, orange and brown hues of the stone visible in places, sometimes with surprisingly large trees growing out of the rock, other cliffs completely shrouded by tall trees alive with birdlife.  Giant Hornbills fly slowly across the scene, often announced by the sound of their huge wingspan.  We take a private boat over the lake today, stopping at the most likely points to capture images of the wildlife, and venturing beyond the limits open to the usual tourists, to Khlong Saeng where we will be accompanied by a ranger into an area which is prohibited without express permission and permits.  

Day 9:  Today we venture deep into the jungle for a full day trek, designed to ensure we cover a very manageable distance at a comfortable pace while taking in the best of opportunities for wildlife photos – and the diversity can be nothing short of stunning: we may round a bend in the track to be met by wild Elephants just a few metres ahead, step into a clearing to discover trees alive with tiny Draco (Flying Lizards) or Skinks.  Black Striped Frogs carpet the ground near streams and Glasswing Swallowtail and Paris Peacock Butterflies and others glide silently around just above them. 

Day 10:  A more gentle day will be welcome as we near the end of our time at Khao Sok so today, after an informal feedback and question & answer session over breakfast we will take a leisurely canoe trip along the Klong Sok river where we watch for Kingfishers and other birds, Amphibians, colourful Snakes in overhead trees, on rockfaces and even in the water.  Our guides are experts at seeing even the smallest of creatures before we even get close and, often, the only difficulty we need concern ourselves with is what to photograph first as several species sighted at once is far from unusual!  If there is availability on the day we may even have the opportunity to individually choose between this and a more dedicated birding trip along with other options.   

Chiang Rai –

Day 11:  After our final breakfast at Silver Cliffs we take advantage of any time left to relax or to take a closer look at the abundant wildlife right under our noses at Silver Cliffs.  When our van arrives we take a little road journey through the beautiful scenery of central Thailand followed by a short domestic flight and by this evening we will be enjoying dinner near the Golden Clock Tower of Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand.

Day 12:  Chiang Rai is not short of options for us as photographers – the scenery is vastly different from that of the south, and the weather can be slightly cooler.  With slightly stronger influences from neighbouring Laos even the culture seems to shift, so it does have a ‘fresh’ feel for us after Bangkok and the islands of the south.  The architecture takes on surprising changes too and we will see this at it’s most glorious today as we visit the White Temple, Wat Rung Khun and the Blue Temple, Wat Rung Suea.  With so many aspects and intricate detail at these two temples it’s very easy to lose track of time as we photograph so, if time permits, we may tour these as a group and then allow some time at the end of each to individually focus on the details that appeal most.  

Day 13:  Today we visit Baan Dam – the Black House – one of the strangest and most interesting (perhaps even curious) landmark attractions of Northern Thailand.  Baan Dam presents itself to us as photographers both as intriguing and challenging!  It’s a collection of traditional Thai buildings by one of Thailand’s most famous artists.  And yet the architecture is strikingly unconventional and contemporary whilst retaining the essence of the traditional.  The inside of the main building is set out with various scenarios of the same story, each with subtle differences and meanings.  The whole complex delights by the way each corner we walk around presents something new.  This evening we will browse the Chiang Rai Night Bizarre which really is a culture in itself.  Here locals come to buy just about anything they need on a daily basis, all sold from stalls that are erected every afternoon and disassembled later on each night.  In addition to the many market stalls displaying the widest variety of local items there is a large area dedicated to eating and drinking, lined with permanent stalls which cook-to-order the widest variety of food, consumed to the accompaniment of the live music and other performances from a stage at one end of the square.  Here we will eat dinner for this evening.

Day 14:  We plan a little more loosely for today. We do plan a tour to the Hill Tribe villages where we can see the traditional lifestyles of seven tribes – Karen, Hmong, Lahu, Lisu, Akha, Palong and Mien (Yao) peoples – all keeping their individual costumes, living, producing unique products by their own methods which have endured hundreds of years.  For those who may want to relax a little more (either physically or mentally) Chiang Rai is not short of options; more Temples, some very pretty Forest Walks to Waterfalls, UTV Adventure Tours, a very informative Tea Plantation with stunning views, city culture and street photography and much more.  We take a little time over dinner this evening for a portfolio review.

Day 15:  We make our way back to Bangkok for tour end.