Overview
You don’t have to fly north to enjoy a jungle trek and elephant safari in Thailand, as Khao Sok National Park, a fantastic prehistoric preserve full of dramatic mountains, lakes and jungle, is just a couple of hours drive from Phuket and Khao Lak beach resorts.
This tour makes it easy to add soft adventure to the traditional city and beach holiday and the saved flying time can be enjoyed exploring the jungle or relaxing on the beach.
As ever our itineraries are merely our recommendations and can be adapted to suit you.
Day 1: Depart on your overnight flight to Bangkok
Day 2: On arrival private transfer to your choice of hotel in Bangkok for 3 nights. Rest of the day free
Day 3: Bangkok City Tour visiting Grand Palace and temples. Explore canals by longtailed boat
Day 4: Bangkok Cycle Tour exploring the city's hidden greenness, markets and communities
Day 5: Fly to Phuket, transfer to your choice of camp / hotel for 3 nights in Khao Sok National Park
Day 6: Elephant Experience. Join jungle elephant trek or spend time learning to care for your elephant
Day 7: Cruise jungle lake to see dramatic limestone mountains and islands covered in tropical forest
Day 8: Trek jungle with guide. Transfer onto your choice of beach resort for 5 nights or more
Day 9-12: 4 days to relax on beach, enjoy hotel’s facilities and perhaps snorkel or learn to dive
Day 13: Morning free then private transfer to airport in time for the overnight flight home.
Day 14: Arrive Home.
Full Itinerary
Day 1: UK Airport / Bangkok
Depart on a choice of overnight flights to Bangkok.
Day 2: Bangkok
On arrival you will be met and transferred to your choice of hotel. Depending on your arrival time we can arrange a choice of tours to introduce you to this exciting city.
Day 3: Bangkok - City Tour (B / L)
Start early with a visit to Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, at its most spectacular in the early morning as sunlight reflects off the river. Then cross the river to tour the temples and palaces on Royal Ratanakosin Island. Here you’ll find the magnificent Grand Palace, Wat Pho - temple of the reclining Buddha, the largest Buddha in Bangkok and centre of the Buddhist religion in Thailand and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand's holiest religious statue carved from jade.
Continue on to the Siam Discovery Museum, one of our favourites in Bangkok. Enjoy lunch by the river before spending the afternoon exploring Bangkok’s waterways by riverboat. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. Evening free to explore the city. If you have been to Bangkok before we can adapt today to visit somewhere new.
Day 4: Bangkok (B) - Optional Cycle Tour
This morning get off the beaten track to see a different side to the capital, as you explore the hidden greenness of Bangkok by bicycle and head out towards the countryside. Only a few
generations ago, Bangkok was a group of small towns amongst a network of rivers and canals. Though Bangkok is now a world metropolis, traditional life still exists nearby where the world moves at a more relaxed pace.
The ride begins at the Kamalulislam mosque, the centre of a Muslim community transplanted from Thailand's south more than 100 years ago to defend the Kingdom's capital. From here follow the San Seab canal through the hidden city. Stop at Tarn Dew community and have a taste of their chilli paste and snacks, famous throughout Bangkok. Then cycle along dirt roads out into the countryside stopping at local industries, farms and paddy fields to see a more traditional side to life in and around Bangkok.
Stop for lunch in a local restaurant and then head for the Phurt Udom Pol temple, with its macabre depictions of Buddhist hell, before boarding a wooden boat for a journey along the canal back into the city. Back at the hotel late afternoon.
Day 5: Fly Bangok / Khao Sok National Park (B / D)
Early morning transfer to the airport and flight down to Phuket. From here the adventure begins as you are transferred through rural south Thailand to the coast to board a dinghy boat that will take you through the mangrove forest to 
meet up with the classical Burmese junk that will transport you up the coast. You can explore the mangrove river system by canoe before lunch is served. Spend the afternoon on a beach, swim, relax or paddle a canoe. Late afternoon bid farewell to the boat and transfer to Khao Sok for 3 nights at Elephant Hills. Dinner is enjoyed in the camp’s restaurant.
Day 6: Elephant Hills or Our Jungle House - Elephant Experience and Canoe Trip (B / L / D)
Today will definitely be a holiday highlight as you experience the Elephant Camp, Elephant Hills' conservation project. Here you can either join an exciting elephant trek through the 
tropical rainforest or take part in an Elephant Experience; during which you’ll have the opportunity to get close to these magnificent animals, preparing their food and feeding them, before walking them down to the river to scrub them clean to squeals of joy. Prepare to get wet!
Return from the jungle and enjoy a Thai buffet lunch. After lunch take a jungle river canoe trip down the Sok River. Drift along the jungle river passing Limestone Mountains and cliffs covered with exotic tropical vegetation. Return to Elephant Hills for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Elephant Hills or Our Jungle House - Explore the Jungle Lake (B / L / D)
Wake to the sounds of birds and the morning territorial calls of gibbons echoing down the valley. After breakfast take a boat to explore the
lake, surrounded by limestone mountains and cliffs covered in tropical rainforest. Few people know of the lake and fewer still have visited it. The spectacular scenery here has been compared to Halong Bay in Vietnam. There are over one hundred islands in the lake, and it is over 60km from north to south. Have lunch on the boat and take a swim if you want. In the late afternoon return to Elephant Hills for dinner.
Day 8: Elephant Hills or Our Jungle House - Forest walk - Beach (B / L)
Today you have an opportunity to explore the ecology of the rainforest. Colourful birds such as the hornbill forage high in the canopy, gibbons can often be heard calling to their mates and you 
might see a macaque or a leaf monkey swinging through the branches. Weather permitting; lunch will be served in the rainforest cooked in bamboo, a tradition of jungle explorers for centuries past. In the afternoon, you will return to Elephant Hills then be transferred to your choice of tThai beach resort for 5 nights (or more).
Alternatively for a bit of adventure further afield transfer north to Ranong (3.5 hours), take a boat across the border to the southern tip of Burma and on by luxury speed boat into the Myeik Archipelago to stay at the Wa Ale Resort on its own small island set in the Lampi Marine National Park.
Days 9-12: Beach Time (B)
There are so many world class beach destinations in southern Thailand, each one offering something slightly different to the others. The closest to Khao Sok are Phuket and Khao Lak,
but you could easily head to the islands of Koh Yao Noi, Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta for an idyllic end to your holiday.
Once you've made your choice, relax and enjoy 5 days of glorious beach time. Extra nights can be added.
Day 13: Fly Phuket (B) / UK Airport
Morning free then airport transfer and fly home. Arrive back in UK the following morning.
Inclusions
What's Included:
Each featured itinerary is really a starting point from which to create your ideal holiday.
We can include as much or as little as you like, mix and match hotels, excursions and experiences, add extra nights and change the destinations you'd like to visit.
The common thread is that each is a privately guided holiday, allowing you to travel where and when you want, with your own private transport and dedicated guide.
General Inclusions:
- Return scheduled international flights (optional if you would like to arrange your own)
- English speaking, local guide & driver
- Choice of hotel accommodation
- Transport in private air-conditioned vehicles
- Domestic flights detailed in itinerary
- Admission fees to all attractions, temples and activities as mentioned in the itinerary
- All meals as detailed (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
General Exclusions:
- Entry visas International airport departure taxes if payable locally
- Optional Tours / Excursions
- Any meals not listed in the itinerary
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
- Tips for Guides / Drivers (discretionary)
- Travel insurance
- Any camera or video fees charged at sites
Where You'll Stay
Hotels
The hotels below are there as examples, designed to act as a starting point from which to create your holiday. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from and when we quote we will include other suggestions so we get to understand your likes and dislikes. Quite often clients mix and match hotel categories throughout their holiday.
Thailand
Myanmar
Hotels in Bangkok
Hotels in Khao Sok National Park
Your Choice of Stunning Thai Beach Resports
Hotels in Myeik Archipelago