Thailand: Bangkok, Khao Sok and Koh Samui

1. Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok

   Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to your hotel near the Chao Phraya River

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Bangkok
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), about 30 km east of the centre, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall. The drive into the city takes 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on traffic. We stay near the Chao Phraya River, close to the old royal quarter, so tomorrow's temples are a short ride or a river ferry away rather than an hour in traffic. Take the afternoon as it comes: a swim, a nap or a first walk along the river while the boats go past. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing: how the flights, boats and ferry fit together, what to pack for the raft house night and how to dress for the Grand Palace. Then we sit down to a welcome dinner near the river, with central and southern Thai dishes to share. If your flight lands late, we meet you at breakfast instead.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the early evening briefing

   

2. Day 2: The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Chinatown

   The Grand Palace and Wat Pho, a ferry to Wat Arun, then Chinatown at dusk

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Bangkok
   Day 2 details

   We are at the Grand Palace gate when it opens at 8:30, before the heat and the biggest tour groups. Inside the walls, Wat Phra Kaew holds the Emerald Buddha, a small green figure dressed in a different robe for each of Thailand's three seasons, and your guide walks you along the cloister murals of the Ramakien, the Thai telling of the Ramayana. Then ten minutes on foot to Wat Pho and its 46-metre Reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf, with mother-of-pearl on the soles of its feet. A cross-river ferry takes a few minutes to reach Wat Arun, whose porcelain-studded spire you can climb part of the way. Lunch is a sit-down meal by the river, then the hot middle of the afternoon is free at the hotel. At dusk we head into Chinatown, where Yaowarat Road fills with food stalls, and your guide orders for the group, from noodles and grilled seafood to mango with sticky rice.

   Included

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) at opening, with your guide
   • Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha
   • Cross-river ferry to Wat Arun
   • Sit-down lunch by the river
   • Street food dinner on Yaowarat Road in Chinatown

   Optional experiences

   • A Thai massage at the Wat Pho massage school, at your own cost

   Easier option: Skip the Wat Arun climb and see the spire from the ferry and the riverbank.

   Free time: Afternoon free

   Activity: About 4 hours on foot in the morning heat, on flat paving with steep steps at Wat Arun. The Grand Palace dress code is strict: covered shoulders and knees, no shorts, sleeveless tops or ripped trousers.

3. Day 3: Fly south to Khao Sok

   Bangkok to Surat Thani by air, then by road to Khlong Sok at the park entrance

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Khao Sok
   Day 3 details

   After an early breakfast we fly south to Surat Thani, a flight of a little over an hour from Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi, depending on the schedule we book. Our vehicle and driver meet the group at the airport for the drive west, about two hours on a good road through rubber and oil-palm plantations, until limestone cliffs start to rise out of the forest. Lunch is at a local restaurant in Khlong Sok, the small village at the park entrance, where we stay tonight at a lodge with private rooms. Khao Sok National Park protects one of the largest stretches of rainforest left in southern Thailand, and the late afternoon, when the heat eases, is for walking into it. A local guide leads an easy trail along the Sok River, pointing out strangler figs, giant bamboo and, with luck, macaques and hornbills. After dark, join a short guided night walk on the lodge side of the river, outside the park boundary, to look for frogs, insects and sleeping birds by torchlight, or rest at the lodge.

   Included

   • Flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani (URT)
   • Khao Sok National Park entry
   • Rainforest trail along the Sok River with a local guide
   • Guided night walk outside the park boundary, near the lodge

   Easier option: Skip the night walk and have a quiet evening at the lodge.

   Free time: Evening free for dinner in Khlong Sok village

   Activity: The river trail is about 2 to 3 km on mostly flat forest paths, which can be muddy and humid. Wear shoes with grip; leech socks help after rain.

4. Day 4: A night on Cheow Lan Lake

   Khlong Sok to the Ratchaprapha Dam pier, then by longtail boat to a raft house

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Cheow Lan Lake
   Day 4 details

   Breakfast is unhurried. Pack a small bag for one night on the water; the rest of your luggage stays locked in our vehicle until tomorrow. About an hour and a quarter by road brings us to the pier at the Ratchaprapha Dam, where a longtail boat takes the group across Cheow Lan Lake, the reservoir that flooded these valleys when the dam was built in the 1980s. The ride takes about an hour, past limestone towers that rise straight out of green water. The raft house is a row of simple floating bungalows moored against the forest, and lunch is served there. In the afternoon swim off the deck, paddle a kayak, or walk with a ranger to Coral Cave, a short trail to a chamber of stalactites. As the heat goes, a longtail takes us into the side arms of the lake to look for gibbons, langurs and hornbills. Dinner is on the raft, and the night is very dark and very quiet.

   Included

   • Longtail boat across Cheow Lan Lake
   • Raft house night with lunch and dinner
   • Kayaks at the raft house
   • Ranger-led walk to Coral Cave
   • Longtail wildlife safari at dusk

   Easier option: Stay on the raft for the afternoon: swim, read on the deck or paddle close to the bungalows.

   More active option: In place of Coral Cave, the Nam Talu cave hike with a ranger: about 2 hours of jungle trail and a wade through a river cave, run only when rangers say there is no risk of rain.

   Free time: Early afternoon free on the raft

   Activity: Life jackets are worn on all boat rides. The raft house has a fan, not air-conditioning, and power for only part of the day.

   

5. Day 5: Dawn on the lake, then the ferry to Koh Samui

   Cheow Lan Lake to the dam by longtail, by road to Don Sak, then the car ferry to Koh Samui

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Koh Samui
   Day 5 details

   Set an alarm for dawn. Mist usually sits on the lake at first light, and an early longtail ride is the best chance of hearing gibbons call across the water before the day warms up. Back at the raft for breakfast, then the boat returns us to the pier and our vehicle. This is the longest travel day of the trip: an hour on the lake, about 2.5 hours by road to the pier, an hour and a half on the ferry and about 25 minutes on Samui. It is broken into parts and no single drive is long. We stop for a sit-down lunch in Surat Thani, then continue to the pier at Don Sak for the car ferry across the Gulf of Thailand, with time on deck to watch Samui's hills come closer. A second vehicle and driver meet us on the island for the short drive to our hotel near Bophut and the Fisherman's Village, our base for three nights. The evening is free, and we do not move again until the flight back to Bangkok.

   Included

   • Longtail safari on the lake at dawn
   • Sit-down lunch in Surat Thani
   • Car ferry from Don Sak to Koh Samui

   Free time: Evening free on Samui

   Activity: Door to door this day takes about 7 hours, with lunch and the ferry as breaks.

   

6. Day 6: Ang Thong Marine National Park by boat

   Koh Samui to the Ang Thong islands and back

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Koh Samui
   Day 6 details

   Ang Thong is a national marine park of about 40 limestone islands west of Samui, and most visitors see it from a crowded day boat. We go on a speedboat chartered for our group, leaving the pier around 8 am so we reach the first island ahead of the larger boats. On Ko Mae Ko a steep staircase climbs for about 15 minutes to a viewpoint over Thale Nai, the Emerald Lake, a saltwater lagoon ringed by cliffs and fed from the sea through underground channels. At Ko Wua Talap, where the park headquarters sits behind a beach, choose between the climb to the high viewpoint over the whole archipelago or a swim and a rest in the shade. Lunch is on board or on the beach. In the afternoon we kayak along the cliffs and snorkel over shallow coral where the water is clearest. We are back on Samui by late afternoon, with the evening free in the Fisherman's Village.

   Included

   • Speedboat chartered for the group to Ang Thong Marine National Park, with the park fee
   • Emerald Lake (Thale Nai) viewpoint on Ko Mae Ko
   • Ko Wua Talap beach
   • Kayaking and snorkelling, with gear

   Easier option: Stay on the beach at Ko Wua Talap while others climb, and skip the Ko Mae Ko steps if you prefer.

   More active option: The steep climb to the Ko Wua Talap viewpoint: about 500 m of trail, 30 to 60 minutes up, with ropes in places.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: Speedboats can be bumpy in a swell; take seasickness tablets if you need them. The Emerald Lake is a protected lagoon and swimming in it is not allowed.

7. Day 7: Koh Phangan, or a slow day on Samui

   Koh Samui to Koh Phangan by ferry and back, for those who want it

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Koh Samui
   Day 7 details

   Today is yours to shape. For anyone who wants a look at Samui's quieter neighbour, your guide takes the morning ferry to Koh Phangan, a crossing of about 30 to 60 minutes depending on the boat, with the ferry tickets and island transport included. Phangan is best known for its monthly beach party at Haad Rin, which we leave out. Instead we drive up to the Chao Mae Kuan Im shrine, a Chinese temple on a hillside with a view over forest and coconut groves, then cross the island to Than Sadet, a stream of boulders and pools where Thai kings have visited and left their initials carved in the rocks. Lunch is at a beach restaurant of your choice, at your own cost, and we take the afternoon ferry back to Samui in time for sunset. If you would rather stay on Samui, the day is free: a beach, a massage, a cooking class or nothing at all, and your guide helps you book whatever you choose.

   Included

   • Koh Phangan day with your guide for those who want it: return ferry and island transport
   • Chao Mae Kuan Im shrine viewpoint
   • Than Sadet waterfall

   Optional experiences

   • A Thai cooking class or a massage on Samui, at your own cost

   Easier option: Stay on Samui for a free day at the beach.

   Free time: The whole day is free for those who stay on Samui

   Activity: Short walks on uneven rock at Than Sadet; wear sandals with grip.

   

8. Day 8: Around Samui, then back to Bangkok

   Hin Ta and Hin Yai, Wat Plai Laem and the Big Buddha, then Samui Airport to Bangkok

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Bangkok
   Day 8 details

   Check out after breakfast for a morning loop of the island with your guide. We start at the Hin Ta and Hin Yai rocks near Lamai, two granite formations at the water's edge with a local legend attached, and get there before the coach parties arrive. Then north to Wat Plai Laem, where a white, eighteen-armed statue of the Chinese goddess Guanyin stands over a lake, and next door to Wat Phra Yai, the gold Big Buddha, about 12 metres high on a small island joined to the shore by a causeway. Lunch is close by, and Samui's small open-air airport is a few minutes away for the flight of about an hour to Bangkok. We are at the hotel by late afternoon, with time for a shower before a farewell dinner together. If you would rather fly home from Samui, tell us when you book and we drop you at the airport for your own flight instead.

   Included

   • Morning loop of Samui with your guide: Hin Ta and Hin Yai, Wat Plai Laem and Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha)
   • Lunch on Samui
   • Flight from Samui (USM) to Bangkok
   • Farewell dinner

   Activity: Temple dress applies at Wat Plai Laem and the Big Buddha: covered shoulders and knees.

   

9. Day 9: Depart from Bangkok

   Your hotel to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK)

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   The trip ends after breakfast. Nothing is planned this morning, so you can sleep in, take a last ride on the river ferry, or walk to a market near the hotel before you pack. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast, having checked everyone's transfer time the evening before. Our driver takes you to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at the time your flight needs, allowing about an hour for the drive and three hours at the airport for an international departure; if you leave from Don Mueang (DMK), we drop you there instead. Transfers run to your schedule, so any flight time works, though a flight after about 11 am keeps the morning calm. If you want more time in Thailand, we can book extra nights in Bangkok before or after the trip, or join our longer Thailand trip with Chiang Mai and the Krabi islands, and suggest how to fit them together.

   Included

   • Drop-off at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK)

   Free time: Morning free until your transfer

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am for an unhurried morning.

Wildlife and weather: December to April is the dry season on both sides of this route: warm, sunny days on Samui, calmer water for the Ang Thong boat, and drier trails in Khao Sok. Mornings on Cheow Lan Lake are often misty, which is when gibbons call and hornbills cross the water; wildlife is shy and never guaranteed. The lake level drops late in the dry season, so boat times can change. March and April are hot, so we keep walking to the morning and late afternoon.

• Bangkok2 nights
• Khao Sok1 night
• Cheow Lan Lake1 night
• Koh Samui3 nights
• Bangkok1 night