Reefs and Rainforests

An exploration of the south of Thailand from Bangkok down to the Malaysian border: high mountains, steamy jungles, tropical islands, mysterious caves, coral reefs, lotus-covered lakes, swamps, exotic temples and spicy curries!
Discover the fantastic sites, spectacular scenery and friendly people on this 2 week journey through the Thai peninsular.

The country's long history is an every present companion: sites of ancient battles, ancient civilisations and kingdoms which flourished in this enigmatic land. As country that has never been colonised by another power, it has been able to retain much of its unique culture despite modernisation.

This tour traces the complex history and culture of Thailand and its people, introducing some of the many different faces and places of this fascinating country.

MEKONG TRAVEL - SIGHTSEEING TOUR POLICY
Major sightseeing highlights of Indochina include a huge variety of religious and historic monuments; a rich cultural and artistic heritage; museums and beautiful scenery. Such key elements are naturally include in sightseeing tour itineraries, but Mekong Travel also seeks out the less obvious attractions - interesting local markets, festivals, wherever these coincide with travel plans, traditional handicrafts and industries, plus the opportunity to meet local people in their own environments. Also include are opportunities to try regional cuisine and to see typical or traditional forms of entertainment.

Mekong Travel includes such extra dimensions to make any visit to Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia or Laos a richer, more rewarding and more memorable experience.

GENERAL ADVICE ON TRAVELLING IN INDOCHINA

Never drink tap water - purified, bottled water is available everywhere.

Use an insect repellent against mosquitoes, especially in upcountry and forested areas. A hat and high factor block cream is advisable as protection against the hot tropical sun when sightseeing.

Casual and light clothing is required, preferable natural fibre, year-round, but
a sweater or jacket may be useful in hill areas, particularly during winter months, when evenings can be quite cool. An umbrella or raincoat is essential if visiting during the monsoon months (May-September).

Travellers should take adequate supplies of any prescription medicines they may need, as supplies may not be available locally. A spare pair of eyeglasses, if worn, is also advisable. Useful too, is a flashlight, for exploring caves or details of temple interiors, which are often not properly illuminated

Take plenty of film, as locally available supplies are not always reliable. Photography in airports, railway stations and near any military installation is forbidden. Please use discretion when photographing people, especially with tribal people, who may have superstitions against this. For close-up shots always ask first.

Visitors are required to dress decently within the precincts of religious buildings. Ladies should not wear shorts or bra-less T-shirts in such places. Shoes and socks/stockings must always be removed at pagodas and monasteries. Shoulders and knees should be covered. Disregard of these rules causes serious cultural and religious offence to the devout Asian people. Visitors are advised to ignore touts who may approach them to exchange foreign currency, or to sell gems of dubious quality. Such offers, although apparently attractive, are breaking strict laws.

Begging is widespread in some parts of Indochina but not in others and visitors are requested not to encourage development of this practice by giving money, sweets etc. to children. If travellers wish to contribute to say, a village community, gifts should be directed to the local schoolteacher or headman.
Contributions can also be arranged to recognise local charities two of which we support.

HOTELS

In spite of the building boom that is creating new hotels up to international standards for the first time in key tourist centres, accommodations in Indochina still varies widely in quality and, during high seasons, availability can be limited. Mekong Travel clients will generally receive hotel reservation priority, but Mekong Travel cannot guarantee specific hotel requests and reserves the right to substitute accommodation of the best available alternative standard when a first-choice hotel is not available. Clients are advised that accommodations, especially outside the main locations, may not always be up to international standards.

ACCOMMODATION. The accommodation on this trip is a mixture of private hotels (mostly 2 Star), guest houses, beach chalets and camping. The hotels have air conditioning and we will normally have twin rooms with private facilities. In general, the hotels we use are of a good standard, and will be clean and comfortable.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

WEATHER. Thailand has a tropical climate and is therefore relatively hot and humid all year round. It has a dry, cooler season from November to March, a dry hot season from March to May and a monsoon period from May to September. This is a guideline, but please remember that in Thailand the weather is unpredictable.
There is no ideal time to visit Thailand: it is quite pleasant at any time of year, though due to the shape of the country it is unlikely that the weather will ever be perfect for the entire duration of any trip. In addition flooding does occur from time to time particularly in the south though this is unpredictable, as indeed is the weather in Thailand in general.

VACCINATIONS. At the time of writing there are no compulsory vacinations for EU or US residents for any of the S.E Asian countries visited on our tours. However, the following immunisations are recommended and your doctor or local Health Authority will be able to give you details: hepatitis A, polio and typhoid. You may wish to consider anti-malaria pills but we advise consulting a specialist. The indiscriminate and often unnecessary prescription of anti malaria prophylactics is a major problem in malarial areas. Please note that immunisation against Yellow Fever is compulsory if you are coming from an infected area.

FOOD. All breakfasts (e.g. bread, eggs or fruit and tea or coffee) are included as are all Lunches and Dinners, which are taken as a group and arranged in good local restaurants were a variety of Thai dishes can be tried. Main meals include rice. There is always enough food and we eat lots of fruits and vegetables. All our tours provide you with three meals per day, except for dinner on your last night, making these itineraries genuinely all inclusive. The intention being to offer a guided tour of the region's food as well as it's culture and scenery.
Asian food will be one of the many highlights of your holiday and our emphasis is very much on local cuisine. We can guarantee a vegetarian option but suggest that you discuss other dietary requirements with us in advance.

EXTRA EXPENSES. Departure tax: currently BHT 500. There are also a number of entry fees not included in the price: as it is hard to say what people would like to visit . There will also costs to cover soft drinks, mineral water and snacks for consumption whilst travelling , though this is unlikely to cost very much.

GROUP, STAFF & SUPPORT. The group size will be limited to 8. All groups will be accompanied by an experienced English guide, plus a local guide and where applicable a local driver. All your luggage and personal belongings will be carried in the vehicle.

TRIP PROFILE.

Day 1
Departure from London.

Day 2
Arrival in Bangkok and transfer to a downtown hotel. Afternoon tour of some of the City sites including Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and fabulous Wat Phra Keow - the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Day 3
Departure for the historic town of Petchaburi at the northern limit of the Peninsula. Visit the fascinating Khao Wang Palace and park with its colony of monkeys before continuing on to the Kaeng Krachan National Park for our night's accommodation in a scenic, lakeside park lodge.

Days 4 & 5
Two day trek through the pristine rainforest and stunning scenery of Thailand's largest national park. Check out the amazing flora and fauna, by day and by night, and camp overnight in the jungle! In the evening of day 5 we'll return to Petchaburi Town to catch the night sleeper train for Nakhorn Si Thammarat the south.

Day 6
Morning arrival with the afternoon to relax or explore the bustling markets and check out some of the local handicrafts of this distinctively southern town.

Day 7
Travel to Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary - where we'll travel by boat through the atmospheric landscapes of vast marshes and lotus-covered lakes. Evening arrival in Trang - a small, but lively provincial capital, the Andaman Sea coast, close to the border with Malaysia.

Day 8
Expedition to Ban-Traat Mountain. Trek through the rainforest, bathe in mountain streams, explore limestone caves and visit a Sakai settlement - a hunter gatherer, jungle dwelling people. Overnight camping in the jungle!

Day 9
Continue to Praisawan waterfall for an exciting white- water rafting descent of the river. Afternoon return to Trang Town with a Thai massage option to recover from the two days exertions!

Day 10
Head to Chao Mai 'sea-gypsy' village from where we'll canoe through mangrove swamps and along underground streams to visit the atmospheric and mysterious, sacred sea-caves. Afternoon transfer to Koh Muk Island.

Day 11
Leisurely day on this unspoilt island; make the most of it's turquoise waters and sandy beaches, sling a hammock between a couple of palm trees or visit a local fishing.

Day 12
Boat tour through the dramatic scenery of Chao Mai National Marine Park, snorkel on the archipelago's vibrant coral reefs and swim through the unique 'Emerald cave'.

Day 13
Free morning to top up your tan before returning by boat to Trang.

Day 14
Cook your own lunch with a half-day, hands-on Thai cookery lesson in a local restaurant. Evening flight from Trang to London, via Bangkok.

Day 15
Morning arrival in London.

Highlights:
· white-water rafting
· jungle trekking
· canoeing in mangrove swamps
· snorkelling on coral reefs
· deserted beaches
· camping in the jungle
· waterfalls
· palaces and temples
· Thai food

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