The Southeast Asia Travel Specialists Since 1999
Hiking at Hellfire Pass. The Infamous Pass, or Konyu Cutting to use the original name, is one of the most notorious stretches of the Death Railway constructed during World War II by the Japanese army using Allied prisoners of war and conscripted Asian labourers. The Hellfire Pass Museum is a must-visit for any traveller to Kanchanaburi. In addition to the…
A few photos from a recent, off the beaten track, Chiang Mai to Mukdahan overland trip across northern Thailand to Loei Province then hugging the scenic banks of the Mekong to Nongkhai and Udon Thani from where we headed east to rejoin the River at the Mukdahan border crossing with Laos. Logistically such trips to remoter parts, not usually frequented…
The small island of Koh Thalu Thailand is certainly not one of the country’s best-known beach destinations but just may be one of its best-kept secrets. Whilst Koh Phi Phi, Samui, Lanta, Koh Chang et al are internationally famous, and all have their undoubted attractions and stunning scenery, it’s also great to find a beautiful little island that few others…
A brief run-down on what are considered polite table manners in Thailand. Don’t mean to sound snobby but we reckon many people are put off by the sight of other restaurant customers consuming their meals like total pigs! However whilst every culture in the world has their own accepted eating etiquette these differ widely from culture to culture and what…
In 2008 Cambodia’s magnificent mountain top Angkor period temple, Preah Vihear received UNESCO World Heritage status and to our minds justifiably so, even if it did provoke some serious bickering between the neighbours Thailand and Cambodia as to exactly which side of the border the surrounding area belonged to. Whilst Thailand’s Khao Pra Viharn public toilets, snack bars and car…
Thailand World Heritage sites currently number a mere 3 on the UNESCO ‘culture’ list with 2 ‘natural’ sites although a further 4 have tentative status. With the kingdom’s spectacular and highly varied landscapes it’s surprising there’s only 2 in the natural list and we have a few more suggestions that we’ll come to later but what spectacular sites the two…
We’ve always really liked this off the beaten track South Thai destination and always considered that both the town itself and the surrounding province of the same name, deserved far more visitors than the mere trickle it currently gets so it’s great to see Nakorn Si Thammarat may be about to get some recognition from no less an authority than…
A boat trip to Koh Kradan, photos and text by Marc Rajes The wooden long-tail-boat was moving slowly through the shallow azure waters. Our captain was aiming for a large orange-coloured buoy just ahead of us – all around us was a reef. The day’s clear skies allowed for excellent visibility below and the reef was clearly visible from several…
Excellent post by our long-time friend and sometime colleague Armin on the controversial subject of Kanchanaburi’s infamous Tiger Temple.. Finally, I managed to escape the city. Just 130 kilometres from Bangkok; life is different, tranquil, without the exhaust fumes of millions of cars. Wonderful! I have decided to take a break to visit my daughter and continue with the planning…
A great selection of photographs of trekking in Northern Thailand by Brian Smith from Canadian operator The trek covers the border area between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces, beginning in the small, picturesque town of Tha Ton from where we depart by boat down the Kok River. First stop is Ruam Mit – a riverside Karen village where we…
A selection of photographs of our recent trek through the picturesque but remote Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani Province of far northeastern Thailand. We have already blogged about Pha Taem in some detail so what follows is mostly a collection of photos from our last Emerald Triangle tour. We joined up with a bunch of monks from Uttaradit…
Apologies; minus 10 for repetition! Wat Rong Khun (more commonly known simply as The White Temple) in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province rears its unusual head again. Now every time we visit we hesitate over leaving the camera in the minibus (as we’ve been there so many times) but every time we take it anyway and end up finding some other…
Here’s an updated list, including photos, of the Thai national parks and wildlife sanctuaries either featured in our All Points East tours or regularly included in our extensions or custom-designed trips. (Apologies to the NP in question if we’ve forgotten any!) North-East and Eastern Thailand: 1. Pha Taem National Park, Ubon Ratchathani. The Emerald Triangle (Hiking, sightseeing, nature trail.) 2….
Koh Chang Thailand, located in the country’s eastern, Trat Province, is the largest island after Phuket and Samui but, though development has proceeded rapidly over the last decade, it remains still much more low-key than either of its larger competitors. Resorts now succeed each other one after the other all the way down the West coast sandy beaches and bars,…
A selection of Wi’s Golden Triangle photographs from her recent tour – the first part of our Northern Laos and the Golden Triangle tour from Chiang Mai to Vientiane via the UNESCO sites of Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars. On departing from Chiang Mai and heading north, the group’s first stop was the local hill-tribe market near Mae…
Whilst Tai groups had probably been gradually infiltrating southwards into what is now northern Vietnam, Laos and Thailand for several centuries from their homeland in Southern China the migration of Tai groups into Southeast Asia was hastened during the late 12th- and 13th-centuries as the Mongol armies under Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan extended their empire southwards. Ethnic Tai clans…
Hat Chao Mai National Park lies in Kantang and Sikao districts of Thailand’s Trang Province and consists of a stretch of coastline incorporating the spectacular beaches of Chang Lang, (Park HQ), Pak Meng, Hat Yao etc, an area of mangrove swamps at the mouth of the Kantang River and several offshore islands in the Andaman Sea such as Koh Libong,…
Photos this time come courtesy of Wipaporn (Wi) from her Reefs and Rainforests, south Thailand tour in May. The monsoon had come early this year but judging by these great pix they still had plenty of sunshine. The rainy season sadly puts a lot of people off visiting Southeast Asia but we’ve always tried to point out the advantages of…
A few of Jean-Daniel’s Jungles and Islands tour photos from his recent trip to Southern Thailand. The trip begins in Bangkok before heading up to Kanchanaburi on the famous ‘Death Railway’, followed by a kayak trip down the picturesque Kwai River and a chance to ride some elephants through the jungle. After that a night sleeper train takes us south…
Photos are from a French language, Thailand family tour organized on behalf of Club Aventure, so firstly a big merci to Lauren who provided us with some excellent photos and Jean-Daniel for additional pix and his – as always – first class tour-leading abilities! So without further ado here is the homme in question. (Though JD would like it pointed…