Phatthalung Southern Explorer

Day 1 Bangkok – Phatthalung (-/-/D)

Pick up from centrally located Bangkok hotel and transfer to the train station for the train to Phatthalung departing at 14.30. Overnight on the train with 2nd-class air-conditioned sleeping berths.

Note: Clients preferring to fly to Had Yai and transfer from there to Koh Mak may do so.

Day 2 Phatthalung – Ko Mak (B/L/D)

Arrive at Phatthalung at about 06.30. Have a local breakfast and then drive to Ko Mak. On arriving, get a warm welcome from the local people and after checking into your homestay explore the fishing village and join in with the activities of the local people. Learn how to make fishing nets and fish traps. Enjoy dinner with your host family and overnight at the homestay.                             

 Day 3 Koh Mak – Ban Lamnai (B/L/D)

After breakfast take a boat out onto Songkhla Lake and see the local fishermen at work; time also for a little bird watching. Mid-morning say goodbye to your host family and drive back towards Phatthalung town and to the community of Ban Lamnai. Stop along the way for lunch at a local restaurant and to visit workshops where they make traditional shadow puppets. Continue to Lamnai and meet your hosts and check into the community lodge. After time to relax and settle in, visit the nearby Khao Kram Waterfall, take a swim and try the fish spa. Dinner and overnight at the community lodge.

Day 4 Lamnai – Tale Noi (B/L/D)

Get up early and take a short drive to a viewpoint and enjoy some local coffee as you watch the sun rise of the forested hills. At the nearby village learning centre learn about the manufacture of rubber and try your hand at some rubber tapping. Return to the lodge for breakfast and then visit a cave temple and learn about living stone and lost Chinese treasure. See the making of local snacks. Return to the lodge and freshen up before saying goodbye to your hosts and heading to Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve, one of the largest wetland reserves in south-east Asia. Make stops along the way to see the making of traditional Pon drums and for lunch at a local restaurant. Arrive at Tale Noi and check into Sri Pak Phra Resort, overlooking the lake. http://www.sripakpra.com/

Dinner and overnight at the resort.

Day 5 Tale Noi – Phatthalung - Departure (B/L/-)

Get up early and take a short drive to a viewpoint where you can see the sun rise over the stilted fishing platforms, known as yor yak, dotted across the lake. Afterwards take a boat trip on Thale Noi to explore the Waterfowl Reserve where can be found over 180 species of resident and migratory birds that make their home among the lotus flowers, bulrushes, reeds and grasses of the lake. Watch water buffaloes as they swim in the lake. After the boat trip, enjoy breakfast at a local coffee shop and then look for some souvenirs among the over a dozen workshops carrying on the tradition of krajud: crafting mats, baskets, hats and other products from a type of long and hardy local grass that flourishes in the wetlands. In the late morning take the 40-minute drive back to Phatthalung with a stop at the Bamboo Garden for lunch. Arrive back in Phatthalung town and end of services. The options for your onward travel include returning to Bangkok, transferring to Trang, Krabi or Phuket for the islands of the Andaman Sea, or to Surat Thani for Samui and the islands in the Gulf of 

 Services included in the price:

• Private air-conditioned transport and transfers.
• Bangkok to Phatthalung with 2^nd-class air-conditioned sleeping berth.
• Homestays and hotel accommodation as mentioned in the programme.
• Meals as mentioned in the programme.
• Local English-speaking guide and local guides.
• All sightseeing and activities mentioned in the programmes and participating in cultural and community activities.

Services not included in the price:

• Additional soft drinks/alcohol.
• Personal expenses.
• Domestic and international flights.
• Travel insurance.
• Visa fee.
• Gratuities.

Please be advised:

In some villages you may not be allowed take pictures of people and some places may be out of bounds to visitors. If you wish to take photographs or are unsure whether an action is appropriate, please ask your local guide for advice.

Responsible mind:

The villagers’ income from tourists is to help support the community and preserve its way of life. We have designed our tours to provide them with job opportunities and a sustainable way of maintaining their cultural heritage and to offer an alternative to illegal activities like mineral exploration, deforestation and hunting wildlife.

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