Phuket & Bangkok Tour

You are transferred from your hotel in Kathmandu to Tribhuvan International Airport for the flight to Phuket, usually connecting through Bangkok. Total journey time including the connection is typically seven to nine hours. Thailand is fifteen minutes ahead of Nepal.

Nepali passport holders require a visa for Thailand, which we arrange in advance as part of the package.

On arrival at Phuket International Airport you are met and transferred to your hotel, around forty-five minutes to an hour depending on which beach you are staying at.

Phuket is Thailand's largest island, lying in the Andaman Sea off the west coast, with a long history as a tin-mining and trading centre before tourism - which is why Phuket Town has such a distinctive Sino-Portuguese architecture.

The remainder of the day is free to rest, swim and adjust. Overnight at your hotel in Phuket.

A full-day boat excursion to the Phi Phi Islands, around forty-five kilometres south-east of Phuket in Krabi province, reached by speedboat in roughly an hour.

The islands are limestone karsts rising vertically out of clear water, and the scenery around them is among the most photographed in Thailand. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh, made famous by the film The Beach, has been carefully managed since its closure and rehabilitation, with visitor numbers limited and swimming restricted to protect the recovering coral.

The day usually includes Pileh Lagoon, an enclosed emerald bay ringed by cliffs; Viking Cave, with its ancient wall paintings and swiftlet nests harvested for bird's nest soup; and Monkey Beach, where macaques come down to the shore.

Snorkelling stops at Bamboo Island or Loh Samah Bay give excellent visibility over reef with clownfish, parrotfish and reef sharks. Equipment is provided, and lunch is served either on Phi Phi Don or aboard.

Reef-safe sunscreen is required at several of these sites and is worth bringing. Breakfast and lunch provided. Overnight at your hotel in Phuket.

A guided day around the island itself, which most visitors never see beyond the beaches.

The morning covers Phuket Old Town, where the Sino-Portuguese shophouses along Thalang and Dibuk Roads reflect the Chinese and Peranakan merchants who came for the tin trade in the nineteenth century. The pastel facades, shuttered windows and covered five-foot walkways are being carefully restored, and there are good cafes and street art throughout.

You then visit the Big Buddha, a 45 m marble-clad seated figure on the Nakkerd Hills that is visible from much of the island, with a panorama over Chalong Bay, Kata and Karon from its terrace. Wat Chalong, the largest and most important Buddhist temple on Phuket, follows.

The afternoon takes in Promthep Cape at the southern tip of the island, the classic sunset viewpoint over the Andaman Sea, and Karon Viewpoint looking down over three bays at once.

Modest dress is required at the temples and at the Big Buddha - shoulders and knees covered. Breakfast provided. Overnight at your hotel in Phuket.

A free morning in Phuket - time for a last swim, a Thai massage, or an optional trip to the Phang Nga Bay sea caves - before transferring to the airport for the domestic flight to Bangkok, around ninety minutes.

On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel in the city. Bangkok is a very different proposition from Phuket: a dense, energetic capital of some ten million people, built along the Chao Phraya river.

In the evening you board a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya. The boat runs upstream and back over roughly two hours, passing the illuminated Wat Arun, the Grand Palace, Rama VIII Bridge and the riverside hotels, with an international and Thai buffet served on board and live music through the evening.

Seeing the city from the water at night, with the temples floodlit and river traffic moving around you, is a considerably better introduction to Bangkok than fighting the traffic on shore.

Breakfast and dinner provided. Overnight at your hotel in Bangkok.

A full day at Safari World and Marine Park, on the northern edge of Bangkok, around forty-five minutes from the centre.

The Safari Park section is driven through by coach, passing freely roaming zebra, giraffe, rhino, ostrich and antelope, with separate enclosures for lion, tiger and bear. It covers a substantial area and takes around forty-five minutes to circuit.

The Marine Park side is walked and holds the show programme, which runs to a timetable through the day: dolphins, sea lions, an orangutan performance, a bird show and a stunt show. Feeding sessions for giraffes and other animals are available at additional cost.

Lunch is provided at the park buffet. The site is large and largely outdoors, so a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes make a real difference.

You return to the hotel in the late afternoon, leaving the evening free - Asiatique riverfront or the night markets are the usual choices. Breakfast and lunch provided. Overnight at your hotel in Bangkok.

The tour ends today. Depending on your flight time the morning may be free for shopping - MBK Center, Chatuchak weekend market and Pratunam are the main options, and Bangkok is one of the better cities in Asia for it.

If your flight is late in the day, day-use of a hotel room can be arranged so you have somewhere to shower and repack.

You are transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport approximately three hours before your scheduled departure for the direct flight back to Kathmandu, around three and a half hours.

Thai customs restricts the export of Buddha images above a certain size without a permit, so check before buying one; your guide can advise.

Breakfast provided. You are met on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport and transferred onward.