South Thailand Jungle Adventure (6 days)

You are met on arrival at Bangkok Airport by an Intrepid Thailand tour leader and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Please advise us of your flight details at least 14 days prior to departure if you wish to have this transfer provided.

The rest of the day is at leisure and you're free to explore at your own pace.

Drive south of Bangkok to the garden province of Samut Songkhram in the Mae Khlong River Delta region. Visit a unique country market along the railway tracks and see trains delivering the 'customers'.

Afterwards visit Tha Kha, one of the many floating markets where local people come together to sell their produce. Even if it is not market day a journey through the waterways is fascinating. Stop to visit a family that makes coconut sugar syrup at their teak house. After a glass of the sweet juice, take a boat ride through the maze of canals. Stop to visit some beautiful and interesting local temples and see a 400 year old banyan tree.

Continue to Wat Chulamanee, a delightful riverside temple which was once home to one of Thailand’s most revered monks (his mummified body is still on display at the temple). You'll be treated to a short audience with the abbot and take part in a merit making ceremony before heading to a local restaurant for lunch.

Spend the afternoon cycling along the canal paths and through orchards. This is a great way to really experience the area close up and see a side of local life that few travellers ever see.

The ride ends at Ampawa market, which at weekends becomes a floating night market. Stay, explore and soak up the market atmosphere.

Transfer to Bangkok airport for a morning flight to Surat Thani. On arrival you will be collected by a private minibus and transferred to your special jungle abode. After some refreshments, climb-up the tall ladder to your simple tree house, equipped with mosquito net, double bed, toilet and shower (cold water only).

Enjoy a late morning walk with your experienced guides into Khao Sok National Park or take to the waterways and go tubing down the Khlong Sok River - there's nothing quite like observing river life and the dramatic limestone peaks from the cool waters of the river. Khao Sok National Park features 65,000 hectares of thick native rainforest with waterfalls, spectacular limestone cliffs, numerous streams, an island studded lake and many walking trails. It shelters a plethora of wildlife including wild elephants, leopards, langurs, tigers, gibbons and Malayan sun bears as well as a multitude of bird species.

All the activities offered are optional so you can be as active or lazy as you wish during your stay! After lunch, you can take a walk into the surrounding area to visit some small caves and a village temple. In the evening, enjoy an excellent Thai dinner - beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at reasonable prices. The friendly staff are usually eager to practice their English with you and answer all your questions.

Spend the night in your tree house high where the only sounds you can hear are the rustling of the trees and the wildlife below.

After breakfast at Tree Tops on day 4, travel by pick-up truck to the spectacular Raja Phraba Lake. We recommend that you only bring limited luggage with you to Khao Sok as there is not a lot of room on the boat or in the raft houses.

You travel by boat to the raft-houses (make sure you take a hat and sunscreen for the boat trip) and arrive in time for lunch after approximately three hours of travelling. The man-made lake is spectacularly beautiful, surrounded by fantastic limestone peaks. The floating raft-houses are tucked away in a secluded inlet and consist of 6 raft houses joined together by little footbridges. Canoes and tubes are provided so you can float on the lake or explore in your canoe as you wish.

After swimming and tubing in the lake, there's an opportunity to take a guided 3 hour hike to a look out to take in dramatic views of the lake and the surrounding limestone mountains. Please note the walking tracks can get very muddy and slippery during the rainy season (May-October) and you should bring walking shoes that can handle getting wet.

A delicious dinner is served back at the raft-houses and there is plenty of time for relaxation. After dinner, you have the option of taking a guided night-walk to observe the natural nightlife of the forest.

After an early morning wake up on day 5 and breakfast overlooking the lake explore the ever fascinating jungle and learn about the local flora and fauna with your experienced guide. Lunch is served back at the raft house and the afternoon is free to swim, tube or explore on your own.

For the more active you may like to canoe around the lake. It is a wonderful experience paddling silently on the lake with the spectacular limestone karsts towering in the background and this is also one of the best ways to spot wildlife!

Dinner at the raft house often includes fresh fish just caught from the lake. Enjoy!

Spend your last morning in Khao Sok National Park on an early morning boat trip to one of the many caves in the area. It can be quite a thrilling experience swimming in a cave inhabited by thousands of bats! Bid goodbye to the jungle and travel by boat, pick-up truck and private minibus back to Surat Thani airport. A transfer to Koh Samui via road and ferry can be arranged.