Thailand Beaches and Elephant Hills

This adventure is designed for families, elephant lovers or anyone looking to combine nature and beaches in Thailand away from the crowds. Start your journey in Bangkok before heading south for an elephant experience of a lifetime where you will explore magnificent lakes and jungle by elephant, boat and on foot. When this all seems too much, enjoy some relaxation on one of the Kingdom’s finest beaches.
Day 1: Bangkok
You will be greeted by tour guide at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to spend at your leisure in this bustling city.
 
Day 2: Bangkok
After breakfast explore the golden, glittering temples at Bangkok’s most famous landmark, the Grand Palace. Walk up to Wat Sraked for panoramic views of Old Bangkok before enjoying an exciting Tuk Tuk ride to Baan Baat. Visit Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing. For lunch, sample delicious Thai cuisine before visiting The Siam Discovery Museum. Relax back at your hotel before dinner and a cultural show at Siam Niramit, followed by a ‘Journey to the Enchanted Kingdom’ show.
 
Day 3: Bangkok Cooking School
Roll up your sleeves, don your apron and get ready for some fun. Today will be spent at a local cooking school creating a full traditional Thai meal. At the end you can enjoy the fruits of your labour.
 
Day 4: Bangkok - Elephant Hills
Take an early morning flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani. Start your four day adventure with a scenic drive glimpsing rural life in southern Thailand before boarding a dinghy to navigate through the small channels spotting the plentiful birds found in this region. Follow the coast then board a traditional Burmese junk where you’ll feast on delicious Thai cuisine. The afternoon is spent on a deserted beach where you can swim, relax or paddle a canoe with the mangroves and banyan trees as a backdrop. Late afternoon bid farewell to the boat and transfer to Elephant Hills in Khao Sok, your home for the next few days.
 
Day 5: Elephant Hills
Early morning transfer to the Elephant Camp where you will not only see these magnificent beasts, but get a chance to touch and learn more about them. Your guide will explain the role of the Mahout, the person that trains and takes care of the elephants. You can then choose between an Elephant Experience where you will interact with the elephants and learn the secrets of Mahouts including feeding, scrubbing, cleaning and watching them bathe. The other option is an elephant back ride amongst beautiful limestone karst mountains to experience the differing ecological niches in this part of the world. After its time for a well deserved lunch followed by a jungle river canoe trip down the Sok River where you can experience a world that has changed little in thousands of years from the safety of your canoe. In the evening enjoy a delicious Thai dinner.
 
Day 6: Elephant Hills
Today is exploration day. Board a local boat and visit a nearby incredible lake that very few have heard of, let alone visited. Surrounded by limestone cliffs covered in tropical rainforest this lake is home to over one hundred or so islands. There will be ample chance for swimming if you wish. After a relaxing day at the lake return to the camp for dinner.
 
Day 7: Elephant Hills – Krabi 
Enjoy a hearty breakfast to prepare yourself for today’s amble through the jungle on foot to get closer to the sights and sounds of the forest. You will learn about the different trees, birds, gibbons and monkeys. Weather permitting lunch will be served in the rainforest cooked in bamboo, a tradition of jungle explorers for centuries past. In the afternoon leave the magicalforests and head to the paradise of Krabi.
 
Day 8-10: Krabi
After breakfast, you are free to enjoy the clear waters of the Andaman Sea. A variety of sea and land based activities are available for those who wish to explore more than the beach.
 
Day 11: Krabi – Bangkok
In the afternoon fly from Krabi to Bangkok for an overnight stay, where you may have the chance to do some last minute shopping.
 
Day 12: Depart Bangkok
You will be transferred to Bangkok airport for your onward journey.

This tour is built upon our firsthand knowledge & experience, offering you the best choices available. The price of this trip varies depending on the number of people in your party, dates of departure, and availability of ground services.

Please click on CUSTOMIZE YOUR TRIPS and supply the required information, enabling us to send you your personalized quote within 24 hours!

Note: Amendments CAN be made to this tour to suite your requirements, but may incur price changes

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels 
Private Vehicles and Drivers
Private English Speaking Guides (Other languages if available, upon request)
Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
All domestic flights
Airport Taxes and Fuel charges
Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
Drinking water available on the vehicles.
Service Charge & Government Taxes
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED?
Your International Flights
Personal Expenses (such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc.)
Any bank fees or charges at your end
Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary
Personal Travel Insurance
Tips for tour guide and driver in each region
Peak season or public holidays surcharge if any
Compulsory Gala dinner on X-Mas or New Year if any
Other services not mentioned above

HOTEL SELECTION:

The hotels listed below are our suggestions for the best value on this tour.  However, Asia Essence Tours offers many more options of hand-picked hotels, with different "star ratings", allowing you to customize the vacation to meet your taste and budget.

LOCATIONS

FIRST CLASS CATEGORY

SUPERIOR CATEGORY

DELUXE CATEGORY

Bangkok

The Siam Heritage

Park Plaza Bangkok soi

Shangri-la

Chiangmai

Raming Lodge

Rimping Village

Dusit D2 Chiang Mai

Phuket

Patong Premier Resort

Patong Paragon Resort & Spa

Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

ABOUT HOTELS:

We, at Asia Essence Tours, are aware that a good tour must have good hotels. As the hotel cost will be the major expense of your vacation in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, it is essential that all of the hotels chosen by us are the highest quality for the price paid. All of our prices are based on twin, double or queen shared rooms.

BELOW IS AN EXPLANATION OF THE HOTEL "STAR" RATINGS:

First Class/ 3 Star (from US$ 40 - US$ 60 per room/night)

The First Class/ 3 Star Hotels are good value and normally centrally located. They all have comfortable en-suite rooms, good amenities and public areas to relax in. They are usually family run hotels, so offer great personalized service for your enjoyment and comfort. Most first class properties offer an in-house restaurant, and some may even have a swimming pool!

Superior/ 4 star (from US$ 80 - US$ 110/ per room/night)

The 4* superior Hotels offer a wide range of services. Many superior hotels feature a choice of several in-house restaurants. In addition virtually all of them have a swimming pool. Some may even feature a spa or health club. This grade of hotel offers more for your enjoyment and comfort, while still remaining affordable.

Deluxe/ 5 Star (from US$120 - US$ 180++/ per room/night)

These 5* Deluxe hotels are usually owned by Worldwide, well known Hotel chains. The deluxe hotels feature excellent locations, offer the highest standards of service and facilities, and are known as the best hotels in each region. Facilities such as swimming pools and spas are the norm, and guest rooms are luxurious. These hotels offer first class service and amenities throughout.

ASIA ESSENCE TOURS™ BESPOKE STYLE SUITS EVERYONE

Flexibility: The sample itinerary can be modified to suit your interests, budget as well as your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used & how long you spend in each destination.

Tailor-Made Journey: This trip can be tailor made to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more individual trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments, with the flexibility to plan a trip at your own pace. Quality and value are the hallmark of the trips, with most services being provided on a private basis.

Commitment to Excellence: We enjoys excellent relationships with all of the highly regarded hotels and finest properties in our destinations as well as with service suppliers so that we are able to negotiate the most attractive prices for our clients, which enables us to provide exclusive holidays and affordable special offers. We create one-of-a-kind vacations for groups and individuals. We love our destinations and do our best to make sure that our customers feel the same way. Our job is to make sure that everyone gets the right balance of comfort and excitement to enjoy the experience of a lifetime.



Extend This Tour With...

Phuket Relaxing 3 Days 2 Nights


Phuket Relaxing 4 Days 3 Nights


Southern Beach Escape 10 Days