The Southeast Asia Travel Specialists Since 1999
Although the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex – to give the National Park its full name – has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list for nearly 20 years now, we’ve regrettably only just managed to incorporate the fantastic site onto one of our regular Thailand tour itineraries. Until recently, our range of offerings has included north and south Thailand…
Thale Noi is a large lake or inland, freshwater sea situated between the southern Thai provinces of Phattalung and Songkhla. The protected wetland, covering some 500 square kilometres, is one of the largest lakes in Southeast Asia and its wide biodiversity gives rise to a rich flora and fauna including numerous resident and migratory birds as well as a variety…
Thailand’s UNESCO entry Sukhothai shares a triple bill with the ruins of Kamphaeng Phet, to the west. and the ancient city of Si Satchanalai to the north under the combined (and imaginative) name of Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns. The former lies some 80 kilometres southwest of Sukhothai and the latter over 50 kilometres north and while…
Current Sites Thailand World Heritage Sites on UNESCO’s list are at present limited to 3 cultural and 2 natural sites. A rather meagre result we feel, considering the country’s rich history and magnificent and highly varied flora, fauna and landscapes. Of the 3 cultural sites, we’d also point out that early Bronze Age Ban Chiang, while of undoubted great archaeological…
A selection of photos from Wi’s long overdue recce of the charming and as yet unspoilt district of Amphawa, Thailand. Amphawa, actually a distant suburb of Bangkok – is situated in Samut Songkhram Province to the southwest of the capital – and for now – though popular with local weekenders – remains largely bypassed by overseas visitors. Leafy suburb it…
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…
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…
Following on from Marc’s recent write-up on the stunning Koh Kradan here’s a post on the equally beautiful, and even more pristine, neighbouring island of Koh Rok, Thailand. This stunning spot, off Southern Thailand’s Andaman Sea coast, is another superb option for our snorkelling and island boat tours featured on both the South Thai ‘Jungles and Islands‘ and Mountains and…
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…
All Points East are very proud to announce we are the 2010 winners of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Green Award, for Best UK Tour Operator for Local Communities in Thailand. The award is given in conjunction with responsibletravel.com, who’s Director, Justin Frances said “All Points East are an excellent example of a tour operator with long-standing commitments to providing tours that work…
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….
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,…
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…
We’re hoping that an upcoming addition to All Points East’s range of Thai destinations will be the far northern mountain province of Mae Hong Son. We’ve been trying to work out how to include this picturesque, yet remote region into our Thai tours but have finally realised it’s impossible given time restraints and that we may as well, therefore, make…
One of Thailand’s most important, and scenic, protected wetlands, Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary is located in South Thailand’s Phattalung Province. Thale Noi – meaning Small Sea in Thai comprises of the northern limits of the large Thale Sap, (Freshwater Sea) which stretches off to the south eventually connecting to the Gulf of Thailand at Songkhla Town. The southern reaches are,…
Prasart Sikhoraphum is a small yet remarkably well-preserved brick, laterite and sandstone Hindu temple complex dating from the 11th century and lying just east of SurinTown in northeastern Thailand. (The exact reign is unknown but the early 11th-century kings Suryavarman I or Udayadityavarman II look like good suspects. Some descriptions we’ve come across assign the temple to the Suryavarman II…
The famous Chiang Mai Sunday Market – known locally as just Walking Street – is a vast affair stretching from the tourist hub of Tha Pae Gate as far as the ancient temple of Wat Pra Singh in the Old Town as well as, taking in many of the side streets along the way. (In fact, it seems to grow…