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6 Day Tour: Village Delights, Island Paradise.

Location: Thailand: Kuraburi, Tung Nang Dam, Surin National Park
Date: Available from November 15 through April 30 (Surin National Park is closed May-October). 6 days and 5 nights.
Accommodation: Homestay and tent.
Price: Contact us for details.
Included: Accommodations and all meals except meals in Kuraburi, all activities, transport from Kuraburi and a local bilingual (Thai/English) guide.

Description: Stay overnight with a Thai family, enjoy home-cooked meals, and join your hosts for a cooking lesson. Soak up the village atmosphere; explore winding mangrove canals and traditional Thai culture. Then head 60km offshore to the Surin Islands to find spectacular coral reefs, a traditional Moken (Sea Gypsy) village, and sleep in a comfortable beach tent under the starry sky. Recommended extensions include Khao Sok jungle treehouses, floating bungalows at the lake, and our selected beach resorts at Khao Lak or a unique resort located on a spectacular uninhabited beach and private bay.

Day 1: Arrival kuraburi.
Arrive Kuraburi and check in to your bungalow (transfer can be arranged). Spend the day familiarizing yourself, enjoy dinner (not included) and a good night sleep.

Day 2: Tung Nang Dam: Beaches and Mangroves.
Independent breakfast, followed by a pre-trip introduction and briefing on what you can expect the comming days.

The boat ride to the village will take you through the winding mangrove canals. The North Andaman region is home to Thailand's healthiest and most extensive mangrove forest, and amongst the tangle of roots and foliage you can see crab-eating monkeys, colorful birds, and the land-walking mud-skipper fish. You will also see floating fish farms, which are used by locals to raise shellfish and species such as grouper and snapper.

Arriving in the village, meet you host family, and be welcomed into their way of life. You will have the opportunity to take a short walking tour of the village and the surrounding rubber plantations and fruit orchards before a mouth-watering traditional Thai style lunch with your new local friends. You won't want to miss making traditional dessert, or kanom, in the village.

A short walk from the villages is an endless stretch of white sandy beach, surrounded by forests, fields, and rocky outcrops for exploring. Depending on the tide and time of month, head out to the beach to collect clams and other shellfish at low tide, or visit a floating fish farm to see the beautiful fish being raised. Enjoy a spectacular sunset over the Andaman Sea, and head to the beach. The beach is usually completely deserted, although you might spot the buffalo that come down to bathe in the warm tropical waters in the evening.

Dinner with host family. Share stories with your hosts and learn more about each others’ cultures in a relaxed atmosphere. Spend the night in a simple but comfortable homestay.

Day 3: Tung Nang Dam: Ecosystem Exploration.
"Treasure in the soil, wealth in the water" is a traditional Thai saying particularly relevant to the people of Tung Nang Dam. Despite its small size, the island is home to an amazing diversity of habitats, from tree-covered hills to coastal savannah and rare lowland forests. Spend time exploring the abundance of nature and learn interesting facts about the wildlife with your English-speaking guide as you hike.

Lunch with your homestay family. The village is home to 2 conservation programs, one to protect the mangroves, and another to restore endangered orchids. Depending on the time of year, you will help to replant seedlings and help restore the forest, or work in the orchid nursery to help repopulate these rare plants.


Bid farewell to your hosts and return to the mainland, where you will transfer by car to Kuraburi.

Spend the evening exploring the friendly, small town Kuraburi and take a walk to the temple. Independent dinner - chose from the many delicious Thai restaurants in town. Overnight at comfortable bungalows in Kuraburi with aircon and hot water.

Day 4: Surin Island: Turquoise Bays.
Independent breakfast at morning market (not included); watch the locals coming and going and try traditional rice soup or sweet waffles with hot tea or coffee.

Transfer to Koh Surin National Park by speedboat. Located 60 kilometers from mainland, Koh Surin rises like a gem from the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea. It is a paradise of fine white sandy beaches, thick jungle, crystal-clear waters, and extensive coral reefs. Koh Surin is also home of the Moken Sea Gypsies, an ancient sea people who have lived along Thailand's North Andaman coast for hundreds of years.

Arrive in the beautiful surroundings of Koh Surin and check into your tent accommodation on the soft and scenic beachfront. Then hop aboard a long-tail boat and head out for some marine exploration. Snorkeling is very popular here: there are abundant parrot-fish, clown-fish, and brightly colored soft coral. Lunch at the National Park headquarters.

Spend the afternoon immersed in the underwater world - whales and manta rays are known to frequent the area, and the islands are a nesting site for three species of turtle. Dinner at the National Park headquarters. Overnight in a tent on the beach and fall asleep to the gentle sounds of the waves as they are washed up on the beautiful white sands (mosquito nets and bedding is provided in all tents).

Day 5: Surin Island: Reefs and Sea Nomads.
Breakfast at the National Park headquarters. Today you will visit the island’s original inhabitants – the Moken people. Traditionally nomadic seafarers, the Moken have faced challenges of modernization, and are now open to sharing their way of life with respectful visitors in order to protect their culture. While you are in the village, support the locals by purchasing their locally made handicrafts. Lunch at the National Park headquarters.

In the afternoon, journey to another of Koh Surin’s five islands for snorkeling and see if you can spot a frog-fish or a lobster. Swim ashore to the nearest beach for a moment of rest before swimming back out for more fun. Dinner at the National Park headquarters. Overnight in a tent on the beach.

Day 6: Last Day in Paradise.
Breakfast at the National Park headquarters, then go snorkeling on the northernmost island of Koh Stork, or explore the nature trail that adjoins the two campsites, taking your time to beach comb and relax under the shade of the trees. Lunch at the National Park headquarters.

After lunch, choose from relaxing on the beach or one last snorkeling trip before transfer back to Kuraburi.