Central Thailand - November 2025 - Logistics and Itinerary

Central Thailand, 3rd - 9th November 2025

I spent about three weeks on Koh Samui in 1998 just after finishing university. In those days my chief interests were beer and sunshine and I didn't record a single bird. In later life I found a single slide of a Black-naped Tern, and so for 27 years my Thailand life list stood at one. It was an easy decision to come back. This trip came into existence quite late, a result of changing plans in the summer that had also resulted in the Coast and Castles cycle trip, and to satisfy work requirements I needed to add a week onto a pre-existing holiday that was also a week - the half term trip to Grenada was the only real possibility. Mick was free after this and so into the diary it went. I think I had 24 hours at home between flights in which to repack but everything worked out.

We decided to bird two areas. Firstly the coastal agricultural strip, the chief draw being of course the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, which all being well would have just returned to the Gulf of Thailand from it's breeding grounds. Secondly, the rich forests in the west of Phetchaburi centred on Kaeng Krachan National Park. We worked out an itinerary which gave us roughly equal time in both, although due to accomodation availability we did coast-forest-coast-forest-coast so there was a bit more driving than there might have been. It did however mean that by the end of our third day of birding we had seen close to 200 species given the different habitats covered. And what brilliant habitat it is. The coastal wetlands and rice paddies contain more birds than you would think possible, the lack of intense agriculture surely a factor. If you like Herons, Egrets and Waders this is the place to come. We saw a single flock of 300 Garganey.... The forests were great too, perhaps not neotropical standards but nonetheless really good, though much harder work than I expected even with a guide within the park itself. We birded from dawn until dusk every day and ended the trip on 250 species. We didn't see quite everything, but you never do do you? In a word, brilliant.

Logistics

• A seven day trip at the start of November with Mick.

• Flights: A combination of British Airways and Qatar Airways from Heathrow to Doha, and then Doha to Bangkok after a short layover (Qatar list: 8). I can't remember why we went this way, it was probably cheaper.  Amazing upgrade to business class on the second leg that I couldn't really take advantage ofas I was driving at the far end. We returned the same way, landing in Doha in the middle of the night and connecting to the London flight which got in early in the morning. A bit of a slog.

• Car Hire: Something small and cheap, I had wanted a 4x4 but they did not have one. It was fine and took us everywhere we wanted to go. The only place it could not go was the upper reaches of Kaeng Krachan NP, but we only did that once and the local guide had a jeep. To hire a car in Thailand you in theory need the "1968" International Driving Permit. I duly got one sorted out and of course they never asked for it.
• Driving: Straightforward though you need your wits about you as there are so many mopeds and a fair amount of funky driving. The roads are generally good, although obviously the further into the hills you go the roads do deteriorate, and we did push our luck a little getting to a hide down some rough tracks. Bangkok has a lot of roadworks going on, some kind of massive decades-long construction project along the Rama II road (35) that runs south of the city and out to the west. This delayed us for ages as we left Bangkok en-route to Pak Thale.
• Weather: There was some rain in the hills, but the forecast washout complete with thunder storms never materialised. We travelled right at the end of the wet season and basically got lucky. It is lovely and warm in November, high 20s to low 30s. Take a hat.
• Insects: Not strictly an insect, but I have now ticked off "being bitten by a leech" from my bucket list. Take plasters with you in case this happens as even though they're harmless the wound bleeds for ages. They are only in the upper reaches of the forest. There are mosquitos in the hills too, but we were not in the Malaria zone and did not need to dose up.
• Health: Thailand requires the Yellow Fever vaccination if you have travelled to any risky areas in the two weeks before you arrive. Make sure you have the proof.

• Accommodation: Everything was booked up in advance, including the fantastic Baan Maka Nature Lodge where we stayed for four nights out of six. We were forced to spend one night elsewhere as they were full in the middle of our stay, but we turned that into more time by the coast and went out to the sand spit. Everything was very good value.
• Guides: 
• Kaeng Krachan: Having come so far, and without a 4x4, we used the services of Mr Piak at Baan Maka in order get to the upper elevations of Kaeng Krachan NP. I arranged this via email with Ian (lodge owner) before travelling, and we did a full day and a half day for a total cost of £150 (3800+2700 THB). The Park entrance fee is about £7 (300 THB). Note that the upper sections are closed until the start of November.
• I was also able to book time in one of the many hides nearby so that we could see the Partridges, Pheasants and other shy forest birds that the region is known for and you would not otherwise see. The price for this was minimal - check which hide the birds are being seen from and go to that one. We went to Bird's Hide, although we had originally been booked into a different one and changed plans when we arrived based on recent eBird lists.
• We also went on a boat trip to the Laem Pak Bia sand spit with the well-known Mr Daeng. This is by far the surest way of seeing Malaysian and White-faced Plover. You need to time this with the low tide, so look that up (the tides are rather peculiar, don't assume it is low-high-low) and then go and visit him a few days beforehand and book yourself in. His coordinates are 13.04059, 100.08822 and the price is about £12 per person for about an hour and a half (500 THB). This is also where you get the T-shirt.
• You can also get a guide for Pak Thale salt pans if you so wish, but this seems to be a lot more expensive. The area is open to the public so my suggestion is just to do it yourself, you have just as much chance of finding the bird as anyone as it is very much needle in a haystack territory. When we were there only one bird had come back.

• Food: Really good and really cheap. We ate at the Lodge when we were there, and down on the coast we ate street food and used the omnipresent 711s extensively. Avoid if single-use plastic upsets you.... For our day in a hide we got a picnic from Baan Maka. There is a small food stall at the top of the park if you are doing a full day.
• Money: I found it useful to have cash to pay for things in the middle of nowhere, and also for Mr Piak and Mr Daeng. And the all important T-Shirt.

• Optics: I took my scope and a travel tripod for use at Pak Thale and other wetland sites. Absolutely essential for the waders. You don't need one up in the hills.

• Literature: eBird! Merlin was not very good at the sounds, but worked as a field guide. We also used "Birds of South-East Asia" by Craig Robson.

Itinerary
Day 1: A day of travel. Departed London on Sunday evening, arriving in Doha on Monday morning just after sunrise, with a layover of about three hours, just enough time to tick Pigeon etc. We arrived in Bangkok on Monday evening but there was no time for birding. We then drove about three hours (it should have been under two) west, staying the night at a cheap roadside hotel, marked "Night 1" on the map above. This put us in striking distance of the salt pans at Pak Thale.
Day 2: Pak Thale shortly after dawn. We met Joakim at the hut, a recently-retired Swedish birder on day two of the rest of his life, and who found the single Spoon-billed Sandpiper within about 20 minutes. We then birded around this area for the rest of the day before heading up to Kaeng Krachan NP that evening - it's just over an hours drive. Overnight at Baan Maka Nature Lodge which is just outside the park.

Day 3: Full day spent in the park, guided by Mr Piak, going all the way to the top pin which takes quite a long time. Overnight at Baan Maka again.
Day 4: Morning with Mr Piak in the lower part of the park, and then a slow drive back down towards the coast. Finished the day the Bang Chak paddies at Nong Pla Lai which was so good we decided to come back first thing. Overnight at a random hotel near Pak Thale.

Day 5: Back to Bang Chak for first light, and spent the whole morning here searching for birds we knew to be present. After lunch we met Joakim again at Mr Daeng's for a boat trip out to the Laem Pak Bia sand spit. Mid afternoon at Wat Khomnaram targeting specific birds, and then back to Pak Thale at the end of the day to see if we could find the Spoonie again. We couldn't.. Evening drive back to Baan Maka.

Day 6: All day in Bird's Hide for Partidges and Pheasants. Overnight at Baan Maka

Day 7: Birded around Baan Maka in the morning and then drove up to Bangkok. Two final hours of birding at Thap Yao paddies which was fairly close to the airport, before an early evening flight to Doha, and onwards to London. It was now Monday morning so I went straight to work.