MJ- OK here are the details:
Flying coach on Delta out of Detroit.
Going, Detroit-Seattle-Tokyo-Bangkok
Returning, Bangkok-Tokyo-Detroit
I am not positive how it breaks out, but it is 26 hours going.
Coming back, I think it is 6 hours to Tokyo, 2 hour layover, 12 more to Detroit for a toal of 20 hours.
I think it is shorter because we are flying with the wind instead of against it and have one less stop.
Flights were $1900 each roundtrip booked through a travel agent in California.
Below is the trip itnierary if you are interested.
Extreme Wildlife TourSpecially Prepared for Haskell, 2 pax
DAY 1 Arrive in Bangkok
Meet our guide at Suvarnnabhum airport and transfer to The Bhuthorn. Free at leisure.
DAY 2 Kaeng Krachan National Park ( B,L,D )
08.00 Depart the hotel to Floating Market, an incredibly colorful market. Enjoy lunch before continuing to Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchburi province.
14.00 Visit Kaeng Krachan?s visitor center and continue to Baan Krang station inside the park. Enjoy wildlife watching along the road until sunset. We will use 4WD vehicle while we are in the park. Visit several salt licks enroute to see wild animals and tracks. Regular animal sightings include dusky leaf monkey (langur), Hornbills, gibbons, barking deer, elephants, civet, giant porcupine, and occasionally black leopard, flying fox, sun bear and more. Deep Jungle Camping option or lodging option.
DAY 3 Kaeng Krachan National Park (B,L,D)
Enjoy wildlife and bird watching on Pha-nean Thung route to see 6 species of Hornbills, Gibbons, Giant squirrels and beautiful waterfall in the deep jungle. Go for nocturnal animals after dinner. Camping.
DAY 4 Kaeng Krachan ? Pa La U (B,L,D)
Enjoy wildlife and bird watching at Kaeng Krachan in the morning. After lunch transfer to Pa La-U which is a remote part of Keang Krachan National Park where we will track wild elephants to their sleeping place until dark. Overnight at Park?s house (rustic).
DAY 5 Pa La-U ? Sam Roi Yod - Chiewlan Dam (B,L,D)
Leave Pa La U in the morning and transfer to the Praya Nakorn Cave at Sam Roi Yod National Park. After lunch transfer to Chiew Lan Dam which is in Khao Sok National Park, Surathani province. Take a boat to the remote Klong Seang Reserved Area. Stay on the rafthouse in Klong Seang which is the Park?s house (Rustic accommodations that are the only option in the area, so they offer the best way to see wildlife.). Free at leisure. After dinner go for an exciting night-time excursion spotlighting for wild animals by boat.
Day 6 Klong Seang (B,L,D)
Early morning take a boat to see animals in the morning. Back for breakfast and then enjoy trekking, canoeing and swimming. After dinner go for another nighttime spotlighting excursion to see nocturnal animals.
Day 7 Klong Seang - Khao Sok (B,L,D)
Leave Chiewlan Dam in the morning and transfer back to Khao Sok. Then enjoy hiking, kayaking, and wildlife viewing along Sok river. Wildlife includes snakes, birds and small animals along the way. Overnight at The Cliff & River Jungle Resort.
Day 8 Khao Sok National Park (B,L,D)
Hiking and wildlife viewing on the trail to the 11 Tiers waterfall until late afternoon. Return to the Cliff & River Jungle Resort for a second night. (Local guide)
Day 9 Surathanee - BKK - Chiangmai. (B)
A day for traveling. Transfer to Surathanee airport. Fly to BKK and continue to Chiangmai. Transfer to Lanna Mantra Ping River Hotel. (No guide)
DAY 10 Chiangmai ? Elephant Nature Park - Rafting (B,L,D)
Spend an amazing day feeding, bathing and learning about elephants at an eco-responsible elephant camp. Play with them in the river, then float downstream on a bamboo raft. You will not believe how much fun this experience is, and how much it will open your heart to learn about these incredibly social animals! This evening explore Chiangmai Night Bazaar, famous for hand made items and Thai silks.
DAY 11 Chiangmai ? Doi Inthanon ? Tiger Kingdom ( B,L,D)
Early morning wildlife viewing and birdwatching at Doi Inthanon National Park, home to the largest number of bird species in Thailand, including the endemic Green-tailed Sunbird. Beautiful Asian orchids adorn its cloudforest ad Gibbons, deer and Siamese Hares are sometimes seen. Visit nearby waterfalls. Then visit Tiger Kingdom, and learn how to safely intertact with baby tiger cubs! Transfer to Chiang Rai and overnight at Pholwadon Spa
Day 12 Gibbon Experience: Treehouses, Ziplines & Gibbons
Very early this morning your Thai naturalist guide will transfer with you to the Thai border town of Chiang Khong, in time to be first in line to cross the border to Houxay, Laos, at the famous Me Kong river when the border opens at 8:00am. Once across, you'll meet with the staff of the Gibbon Experience at their office and begin your 4WD journey to Bokeo Nature Preserve. This is a very poor road, but a long stretch is in the process of being paved. After a break for lunch in a small Laotian village, you'll continue your journey through rivers and over dirt roads to a small native village. Here you'll leave your 4WD behind and walk about an hour or more with your bag, up to the Gibbon Experience (pack light!) (Note that in the event of heavy rain, the 4WD truck may not be able to make it all the way to the village, and additional walking may be required.)
Upon arrival, you'll meet your local Laotian guides, who will provide a short orientation and safety instructions, . They will fit a rock-climbing harness to you, show you how it works, (including an innovative rudimentary cable breaking system) and help you zip to the first tree house. From there your guide will accompany you on a series of zip lines and short hikes to the tree house where you'll be spending the night. The guides will bring your hot , delicious Lao meals, prepared with incredible taste and packed ingeniously to travel with them on the zip lines. Overnight in one of the magnificent rustic treehouses.
Highlights: Traverse a unique system of zip line cables that end in magnificent rustic treehouses, affording panoramic views of the rainforest. With luck, you'll have front row seats to see the gibbons, a small ape that sings duets with its mate each morning as the mist burns off the rainforest. Wildlife: Gibbons, macaques, asiatic bear, barking deer, giant squirrels, and over 300 species of exotic tropical birds. Overnight: Spectacular rustic Treehouse in the rainforest canopy, accessed by ziplines! Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13 Gibbon Experience: Treehouses, Ziplines & Gibbons
Early this morning your Laotian guide will guide you as you explore the network of ziplines and treehouses. For groups of 6 or more, Wild Planet may also include a second naturalist wildlife guide, who will be both serving you and training the local Laotian guides to spot and identify
wildlife. You'll have all day to explore the rainforest with your guides. One of the great benefits of the treehouse/zipline network is that it allows wildlife lovers to be up in the canopy at dawn, dusk, and at night...the best times for wildlife observation. We know of no other ecotourism effort that caters so specifically to wildlife observation, especially with such conscious attention on serving the local community and conserving the rainforest and wildlife. Overnight in one of the magnificent rustic treehouses. Overnight: Spectacular rustic Treehouse in the rainforest canopy, accessed by ziplines! Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14 Gibbon Experience/Chiang Rai
Around mid morning you will begin the hike back to the last village and wait for your 4WD transportation back to Houxay. The border closes at 5:00pm, and usually we make it in time. Once you've crossed the Me Kong again, you'll check in at the Thai border crossing to get your passport stamped, meet your Thai guide, then transfer by vehicle back to the spa in Chiang Rai, ready for a relaxing afternoon of pampering yourself after your adventure. Note: if the 4WD vehicle doesn't reach Houxay by 4:20pm, you will not get across the border to Thailand and will have to spend the night in Houxay at a minimal extra charge. Do not make any urgent travel plans for the rest of this day. Overnight: Pholwadon Resort & Spa Meals: Breakfast
Day 15 Chiang Rai / Bangkok
Transfer to the Chiang Rai airport for your flight to Bangkok, in time to make your international flight. Meals: Breakfast
