4 Days Elephant Hills Beach & Rainforest

Pick up from hotels in Phuket, Krabi & Surat Thani then transfer to Phang Nga province passing small rural villages, rubber and oil palm plantations. Glimpses of rural life in tropical southern Thailand can be seen along the way. Explore the rivers that cut through the mangrove forest by dinghy with outboard motor (speed cat). There is a maze of channels between the island and along the coast, it really feels like some primeval swamp. For people who want to explore the smaller creeks, see some bird life and get closer to nature, self paddle canoes with life jackets are available for a silent journey into this dense green world. Emerging further along the coast meet up with our classical Burmese junk where lunch will be served, a variety of Thai dished cooked not too spicy. Drinks are available, as well as bathroom facilities on board. Spend the afternoon on a deserted beach, swim, relax or paddle a canoe. The panoramic views of distant mangroves and banyan trees stretch to the horizon. Few people live in the area and little has changed here in hundreds of years. Cruising on the junk gives the feeling of traveling back in time when nature was untouched. Late afternoon is the time to transfer to Khao Sok, dinner and overnight at Elephant Hills.

Then transfer to the elephant camp, here you can see, touch and find out about the life of Thai elephants and about the elephant project the company is running. Also the guide will explain about the mahout, the man who takes care of the elephant. Participating in our Elephant Experience you will get close to and experience hands on these magnificent animals, you will have the chance to interact with them and learn the secrets of their mahouts. You must prepare and feed them one of their daily meals, scrub and clean and watch them bathe. Feed them their dietary supplements that help with digestion and overall well being and plant some of their food which will be ready for next year’s crop.  A once in a lifetime chance to experience the Asian Elephant, the largest land animal in this part of the world.

Returning from the jungle with a huge appetite you will appreciate the buffet lunch that is served, a variety of Thai dishes cooked not too spicy. After lunch take a jungle river canoe trip down the Sok River. The canoes are very stable and safe; life jackets are provided as well as a local river guide to paddle the canoe. Drift along the jungle river passing Limestone Mountains and cliffs covered with exotic tropical vegetation. Some times hornbill can be seen flying high overhead or reptiles basking in the sun on the riverbanks. From the canoe you can experience a world that has changed little in thousands of years, some of the last areas of primary rainforest. Dinner and overnight at Elephant Hills.

After a good nights rest lulled to sleep by the back ground symphony of insects and frogs its time for a wholesome breakfast. The activity planned for today is to explore a lake in the jungle by local boat. The lake is surrounded by Limestone Mountains and cliffs covered in tropical rainforest that rise up from the shore of the lake and disappear into the far distance. The scenery has been compared to Qualin in China or Halong Bay in Vietnam. Few people know of the lake and even less have visited it. There are over one hundred islands in the lake and it is over 60 km from north to south.  In the 70’s the area was a hide out for communists and students opposing the military dictatorship. We will see some of the spectacular scenery from the boat and have time for a swim depending on the weather. Please bring swimwear and a towel. A packed lunch will be provided. In the late afternoon return to Elephant Hills for dinner and overnight in your luxury tents where a good night’s sleep is assured after all your jungle exploring activities. The jungle bar will be open for people wanting to exchange stories of their day’s experiences on the lake.

Wake up to the sounds of nature and birds calling from the bushes close to the tent. When the sun comes up and clears the mist over the mountains and jungle to the south of Elephant Hills the gibbons start to make their morning territorial calls that echo down the valley. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the tent for early risers; breakfast is at your leisure before coming face to face with the jungle by exploring it on foot. You have seen it from elephant back, from your canoe on the river and even all around you from your boat but nothing compares to actually walking yourself inside the jungle. It is not an army survival exercise, there are no prizes for the fastest, snakes and spider do not jump out at you, it is just an opportunity to explore the ecology of the rainforest, to see a great variety of exotic plants, tropical hardwood trees with huge roots, orchids, palms, ferns, bamboos, mosses; the variety is unlimited. Birds such as the hornbill live high up above, gibbon can often be heard calling to their mates, a macaque or leaf monkey may be heard swinging through the branches, every day is different but it is truly wonderful to discover the great variety of life forms that co-exists together. This can only by experienced on foot, take it slowly, look, learn and listen then you too will start to discover some of the secrets of the rainforest. Weather permitting lunch will be served in the rainforest cooked in bamboo, a tradition of jungle explorers for centuries past. Sadly in the afternoon its time to return to Elephant Hills then onward transfer to your hotel or the airport but you will always know how it feels to be close to nature in the jungle, some thing you will never forget.