Thailand Adventure Trips

This is a full on tour with very little downtime. There is a lot of time spent in a private minibus to get from Chiang Mai down to Bangkok, however all of the stops on the way are interesting historical sites such as Si Satchalanai, Sukhothai and Ayuthaya. A lot of the hotels are basic, with the exception of the Boutique Rafthouse on the River Kwai which provided a real treat for 2 nights. The highlights of this trip were the Elephant Nature Park, where the elephants truly roam free and are not there to entertain us tourists and the beautiful Erawan Waterfalls. I would ideally like to see this tour reversed to begin in Bangkok and end in Chiang Mai. I felt that there wasn’t enough time spent exploring Chiang Mai. Our tour leader, Wit, was the best tour leader I have expedited on the 10+ tours. I have done with Explore. One word of caution if you are planning to travel on this trip in April the pollution, smoke and smog were very high in the north.

Pok was an excellent leader. Always very helpful and attentive to everyone's needs. He is super organized and cares about the people on the trip. Pok was the reason the holiday went so well.

All in all it was a fantastic holiday, with a great range of things to see and do. The highlights for me were the elephant sanctuary, the home stay and it’s ride around the village, cycling around Sukhothai, exploring Uthai Thani market, staying at the raft house, visiting the railway market and exploring Bangkok by tuk-tuk. Beforehand I had been quite nervous about the cycling part, as I don’t ride. However, the paths were flat and there were no cars to worry about. It felt lovely and tranquil riding around the park. For anyone who didn’t want to cycle there was a golf buggy provided. Some reviews mentioned the raft houses as not being suitable for people in their 70’s, but those in our group found it not to be a problem. We all did the optional raft trip, where we got towed upstream for 30mins, then wearing a buoyancy aid, we got into the river to drift back, which took 15 mins. Good fun. There were some early sites, but then you could relax on the minibus, as most days there was a 3-4 hour drive to get to the next place. The drivers were lovely and provided us with water and cold towels, which were gratefully received. There were also plenty of USB charging points in the minibuses, so we could listen to music/books as we travelled without draining our batteries. We all did the optional boat trip in Bangkok which was a refreshingly breezy way to see the sites. Would recommend. We also all did the optional tuk-tuk tour, which was fun and some of us tried the local deep fried insects and a scorpion! I particularly liked the fact that there was some times when we could explore by ourselves; whether it was to look around a market, go to a bar or go for a massage. We had two massages, one a traditional one and the other an oil one, both were very good. Prices for massages ranged between £6-£10 for an hour. Nui, our tour guide was excellent; being both knowledgeable and friendly. For our last evening meal she took us to a restaurant with a fabulous view overlooking the whole of Bangkok. We and another 2 people from the group also did the extension to Koh Samet. The transport arrangements both ways could not be faulted. The accommodation was lovely with a little beach and pool nearby. Then just a couple of minutes away was the very long sandy beach and hustle and bustle of bars and then not much further to the shops and restaurants in the village. Whilst there it was my birthday and the hotel decorated the room and gave me a cake; then at Winkks bar when the staff heard, they gave me a free drink and strawberries!

Fantastic holiday to Northern Thailand where we saw and experienced so much. Highlights for me were the elephant sanctuary, homestay and Erawan waterfalls. Our leader James was brilliant, he answered endless questions and ensured everything ran smoothly. The mini bus drivers were great and it was such a bonus in that heat to have air conditioned transport and an endless supply of cold water. The itinerary was busy but there was a bit of free time and the longer drives were fine, as regular stops broke up the journey. Would highly recommend this holiday but wait for the sales as we booked quite in advance and ended up paying a lot more than others.

This was an interesting introduction to Thailand. Most accomodation was good quality with the exception of floating back packer style rooms on the River Kwai. Completely unacceptable for travellers in their 70s. Conversely activities on the river were great and highly recommended. We loved the train journeys from Bangkok and along the eastern coast. These gave a great view of the fabulous Thai countryside. The tour also involved some long riad journeys by minivan. Roads are safe and driving standards generally high. Our superb guide was knowledgeable and organised most of our independent dining at our request. Optional excursions were relatively expensive and like most of our group we avoided or made our own private arrangents. We left the tour at Koh Lanta to follow our own extension with a few more days spent on lovely beachside locations that dot the island. A very good tour, reasonably priced with few caveats. It ranges from the organised chaos that is Bangkok to the hills of the northwest and stunning and dramatic Kwai valley to the balmy humid hot sunny beaches of the southern island. Recommended...go for it

2nd solo trip with Explore I felt very comfortable safe and enjoyed every moment of the trip, Woody our tour guide was absolutely amazing. 10 out of 10 are two drivers were very well turned out very polite and made sure we was all okay at all times with water cold towels and tissues. lots of history and a few fun days also, Thank you, Explore for another amazing trip!!