| THAILAND November27-December 9, 2012 |
About Thailand - Thailand is a tremendous country for a nature photography tour. There is
abundant bird life, numerous mammals, ancient ruins, culture and great food and accommodation.
Over 920 species of birds have been recorded there. Some spectacular birds that participants will
have a good chance photographing include several species of hornbill, trogons, Indian Roller, Kalij
Pheasant and Pheasant-tailed Jacana. Participants have an excellent chance of photographing
several species of mammals as well. 3 species of deer and several different monkeys and
squirrels are mammals which we have an excellent chance of seeing. We also have a reasonable
chance of seeing and/or photographing wild Asian Elephants.
About Trogon Tours and Thailand - We have led 2 tours to Thailand in the last 3 years and
each of them was special. Nate Chappell has made over 10 trips to Thailand in the past 10
years. He knows the wildlife and birds of the country very well. He is excited about passing on his
knowledge of Thailand's nature to the tour participants. Ken Archer, another professional
photographer will join us on the trip and Ian, a British birder and photographer living in Thailand will
be one of our guides. We will have 1 to 2 Thai nature guides with us the whole tour.
What to Expect - You will have excellent photo opportunities with birds at all of the locations. At
Keang Krachan we will be photographing at blinds at ponds which are set up to photograph birds
from close range. At Huai Kha Keang you will have good opportunities with mammals such as the
elk like Sambar Deer as well as birds. At Beung Borapet you will be able to photograph a wide
variety of waterbirds and other birds from boats in a gorgeous setting with abundant pink water
lotuses. You can either set up your tripod on the boat or shoot handheld. Nate is an expert at
handheld photography so he will be able to help you with that part. The lodging is comfortable and
good throughout the trip. On parts of the trip the food is pretty much limited to Thai cuisine which
most people enjoy but a few may miss their western cuisine. Nate will be available to answer
photographic questions and offer advice throughout the trip. On a couple of evenings we will do
image reviews and there will be an extensive instruction session the first day of the trip at the hotel
in Bangkok. Nonphotographer spouses and companions should enjoy the beautiful settings, Thai
culture and cuisine and comfortable accommodation on this tour. Transport will be in comfortable
air conditioned van and SUV.
Costs - $3,900 per person includes all accommodation, guiding, instruction, park fees, meals and
bottled water. It does not include airfare to and from Bangkok, alcoholic beverages and other
personal expenses. $500 single supplement.
Maximum guests - 6 photographers plus their companions/spouses.
Itinerary
Day 1- November 27th - Pickup at Bangkok International Airport, transfer to a nice hotel in
Bangkok. Hotel: Bangkok
Day 2 - November 28th - Morning breakfast in Bangkok followed by a 3-4 hour slide presentation
and question and answer period on bird and wildlife photography. After lunch we will depart for the
Keang Krachan region in the west of Thailand looking for photo opportunities along the way. We
will settle into our hotel, the Keang Krachan Boathouse. This floating hotel has excellent
accomodation in a wonderful lakeside setting. Hotel - Keang Krachan Boathouse.
DAYS 3-4 - November 29th and 30th - We will spend these 2 days photographing birds and
other wildlife from blinds at several different ponds on private property which is near Keang
Krachan National Park. The blinds are located only about 10 meters from the ponds. These ponds
which are located in forest attract a great variety of birds during the dry season. The striking
White-crested Laughingthrush is a common visitor and birds such as Kalij Pheasant and
partridges which would normally be very hard to get good images of are regular visitors to the
ponds. Occasionally mammals such as Mouse Deer show up as well. Hotel - Keang Krachan
Boathouse
Day 5 - December 1st - We will spend the full day photographing inside Keang Krachan National
Park. Hornbills and raptors along with many smaller birds are likely along the road here. This is a
very wild area as evidenced by the fact that it still contains large mammals which are occasionally
seen such as Asian Elephants and black phase Leopards. Hotel - Keang Krachan Boathouse
Day 6 - December 2nd - This morning we will spend at the ponds outside the park again with up
close bird photo opportunities. After lunch we will drive to Phetchaburi. The Phetchaburi area is an
open country area with a wide variety of birds. The Purple Roller lives here, Spotted Eagles are
regualr and there are a lot of shorebirds and waterbirds here. The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is
possible but difficult. Hotel: A nice hotel in Phetchaburi
Day 7 - December 3rd - In the morning we will photograph at Kings Garden near Phetchaburi.
The ponds here contain a lot of kingfishers and other waterbirds. We will have a mid day drive of
about 3 hours to our next destination, the Huai Kha Keang area. We will photograph some birds
around our hotel in the late afternoon. Hotel: Huai Kha Keang resort
Day 8 - December 4th - We will have a full day of bird photography at Huai Kha Kaeng Wildlife
Sanctuary. The open forest here is excellent for some birds which are tough to find elsewhere in
Thailand including beautiful the Black-headed Woodpecker. We had both this species and a
Moustached Barbet excavating nest holes right near headquarters last year. There are numerous
Sambar Deer in the open areas here. The fascinating Butterfly Lizard is common here as well.
Hotel - Huai Kha Keang resort.
Day 9 - December 5th - We will spend the morning photographing at Huai Kha Keang Wildlife
Sanctuary. After our morning outing we will drive to Beung Borapet, one of the largest lakes in
Thailand and an excellent place to view waterbirds such as Asian Open-billed Stork, Purple
Swamphen and Cotton Pygmy Goose. Lodging: An excellent resort on the lakeshore at Beung
Borapet.
Days 10 and 11 - December 6-7th - We will spend 2 full days photographing from low bottom
boats on Beung Borapet. This is a great way to get close to a lot of waterbirds including the
beautiful Pheasant-tailed Jacana. You can either shoot handheld or set up your tripod on the boat.
On one trip we will stop at an island in the middle of the lake to look for some specialty species
such as Siberian Rubythroat and nightjars. Other birds which we can photograph on the boat trips
are bee-eaters and raptors. We will have a morning session, return to the resort for lunch and rest
and then an afternoon session on the lake. For those interested in spending more time on shore
we will have one of the guides set up pop up blinds in an area good for the several species of
bittern which inhabit the area. Lodging : Beung Borapet Resort on the lakeshore.
Day 12 - December 8th - We will have one more morning photographing on the lake before
transferring to our hotel which is near the Bangkok airport. The area around the hotel is good for
birds as well and if we have time we will have a walk there in the late afternoon. Lodging:
Conveinent Grand Hotel, Bangkok.
Day 13 - December 9th - Morning transfer to the Bangkok International Airport for your return trip
home.
Contact: Please contact us at nchappell@trogontours.net if you have any questions or are
interested in this tour.
abundant bird life, numerous mammals, ancient ruins, culture and great food and accommodation.
Over 920 species of birds have been recorded there. Some spectacular birds that participants will
have a good chance photographing include several species of hornbill, trogons, Indian Roller, Kalij
Pheasant and Pheasant-tailed Jacana. Participants have an excellent chance of photographing
several species of mammals as well. 3 species of deer and several different monkeys and
squirrels are mammals which we have an excellent chance of seeing. We also have a reasonable
chance of seeing and/or photographing wild Asian Elephants.
About Trogon Tours and Thailand - We have led 2 tours to Thailand in the last 3 years and
each of them was special. Nate Chappell has made over 10 trips to Thailand in the past 10
years. He knows the wildlife and birds of the country very well. He is excited about passing on his
knowledge of Thailand's nature to the tour participants. Ken Archer, another professional
photographer will join us on the trip and Ian, a British birder and photographer living in Thailand will
be one of our guides. We will have 1 to 2 Thai nature guides with us the whole tour.
What to Expect - You will have excellent photo opportunities with birds at all of the locations. At
Keang Krachan we will be photographing at blinds at ponds which are set up to photograph birds
from close range. At Huai Kha Keang you will have good opportunities with mammals such as the
elk like Sambar Deer as well as birds. At Beung Borapet you will be able to photograph a wide
variety of waterbirds and other birds from boats in a gorgeous setting with abundant pink water
lotuses. You can either set up your tripod on the boat or shoot handheld. Nate is an expert at
handheld photography so he will be able to help you with that part. The lodging is comfortable and
good throughout the trip. On parts of the trip the food is pretty much limited to Thai cuisine which
most people enjoy but a few may miss their western cuisine. Nate will be available to answer
photographic questions and offer advice throughout the trip. On a couple of evenings we will do
image reviews and there will be an extensive instruction session the first day of the trip at the hotel
in Bangkok. Nonphotographer spouses and companions should enjoy the beautiful settings, Thai
culture and cuisine and comfortable accommodation on this tour. Transport will be in comfortable
air conditioned van and SUV.
Costs - $3,900 per person includes all accommodation, guiding, instruction, park fees, meals and
bottled water. It does not include airfare to and from Bangkok, alcoholic beverages and other
personal expenses. $500 single supplement.
Maximum guests - 6 photographers plus their companions/spouses.
Itinerary
Day 1- November 27th - Pickup at Bangkok International Airport, transfer to a nice hotel in
Bangkok. Hotel: Bangkok
Day 2 - November 28th - Morning breakfast in Bangkok followed by a 3-4 hour slide presentation
and question and answer period on bird and wildlife photography. After lunch we will depart for the
Keang Krachan region in the west of Thailand looking for photo opportunities along the way. We
will settle into our hotel, the Keang Krachan Boathouse. This floating hotel has excellent
accomodation in a wonderful lakeside setting. Hotel - Keang Krachan Boathouse.
DAYS 3-4 - November 29th and 30th - We will spend these 2 days photographing birds and
other wildlife from blinds at several different ponds on private property which is near Keang
Krachan National Park. The blinds are located only about 10 meters from the ponds. These ponds
which are located in forest attract a great variety of birds during the dry season. The striking
White-crested Laughingthrush is a common visitor and birds such as Kalij Pheasant and
partridges which would normally be very hard to get good images of are regular visitors to the
ponds. Occasionally mammals such as Mouse Deer show up as well. Hotel - Keang Krachan
Boathouse
Day 5 - December 1st - We will spend the full day photographing inside Keang Krachan National
Park. Hornbills and raptors along with many smaller birds are likely along the road here. This is a
very wild area as evidenced by the fact that it still contains large mammals which are occasionally
seen such as Asian Elephants and black phase Leopards. Hotel - Keang Krachan Boathouse
Day 6 - December 2nd - This morning we will spend at the ponds outside the park again with up
close bird photo opportunities. After lunch we will drive to Phetchaburi. The Phetchaburi area is an
open country area with a wide variety of birds. The Purple Roller lives here, Spotted Eagles are
regualr and there are a lot of shorebirds and waterbirds here. The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is
possible but difficult. Hotel: A nice hotel in Phetchaburi
Day 7 - December 3rd - In the morning we will photograph at Kings Garden near Phetchaburi.
The ponds here contain a lot of kingfishers and other waterbirds. We will have a mid day drive of
about 3 hours to our next destination, the Huai Kha Keang area. We will photograph some birds
around our hotel in the late afternoon. Hotel: Huai Kha Keang resort
Day 8 - December 4th - We will have a full day of bird photography at Huai Kha Kaeng Wildlife
Sanctuary. The open forest here is excellent for some birds which are tough to find elsewhere in
Thailand including beautiful the Black-headed Woodpecker. We had both this species and a
Moustached Barbet excavating nest holes right near headquarters last year. There are numerous
Sambar Deer in the open areas here. The fascinating Butterfly Lizard is common here as well.
Hotel - Huai Kha Keang resort.
Day 9 - December 5th - We will spend the morning photographing at Huai Kha Keang Wildlife
Sanctuary. After our morning outing we will drive to Beung Borapet, one of the largest lakes in
Thailand and an excellent place to view waterbirds such as Asian Open-billed Stork, Purple
Swamphen and Cotton Pygmy Goose. Lodging: An excellent resort on the lakeshore at Beung
Borapet.
Days 10 and 11 - December 6-7th - We will spend 2 full days photographing from low bottom
boats on Beung Borapet. This is a great way to get close to a lot of waterbirds including the
beautiful Pheasant-tailed Jacana. You can either shoot handheld or set up your tripod on the boat.
On one trip we will stop at an island in the middle of the lake to look for some specialty species
such as Siberian Rubythroat and nightjars. Other birds which we can photograph on the boat trips
are bee-eaters and raptors. We will have a morning session, return to the resort for lunch and rest
and then an afternoon session on the lake. For those interested in spending more time on shore
we will have one of the guides set up pop up blinds in an area good for the several species of
bittern which inhabit the area. Lodging : Beung Borapet Resort on the lakeshore.
Day 12 - December 8th - We will have one more morning photographing on the lake before
transferring to our hotel which is near the Bangkok airport. The area around the hotel is good for
birds as well and if we have time we will have a walk there in the late afternoon. Lodging:
Conveinent Grand Hotel, Bangkok.
Day 13 - December 9th - Morning transfer to the Bangkok International Airport for your return trip
home.
Contact: Please contact us at nchappell@trogontours.net if you have any questions or are
interested in this tour.
| ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILL |
| SAMBAR DEER |
| Orange-Breasted Trogon |
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