
Siam Safari 4-in-1
Half-day Tour
by Aaron Mahan
- Photos by Stephan Audiger
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Siam Safaris 4-in-1 half-day trip is like a speed dating
session with the natural world. Elephants, monkeys, and water
buffalo are all on the dance card, as are demonstrations of
Thai resourcefulness.
Five bamboo stations dot the hill top, and small groups
rotate from one to the next. The presentations are hands-on,
educational, and always punctuated with a good dose of laughter.
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| Land Rovers Truck
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Fun for children and informative for adults, the mini-shows dont
test attention spans or lose anyones interest. Its a
morning or an afternoon that will enrich both your
holiday and your appreciation of local culture.
These days, transfer to and from the hotel is a given on most tours
in Phuket. But the classic Land Rovers and look-alikes (an entire
fleet have been painted moss green and refitted for hauling groups),
are definitely unique. While not exactly necessary in the untamed-road-through-the-jungle
sense, they do add a welcome touch of safariness.
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A monkey, a pair of buffalo, and coconuts
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| Thai-style rodeo
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The tours resident monkey is a pigtail macaque, and her tail
is not the only pig-like feature: shes fat (enormously so)
and a bit of a diva too. But no matter, shes still able to
perform her gum-chewing, coconut-retrieving, milk-drinking duties.
She might not cooperate with people wanting to take pictures, but
a moody monkey is still a funny monkey.
The water buffalo are much more accepting of cameras. Visitors,
singles or in pairs, clamber on to the back of Mr Handsome and Mr
Lucky, while the buffalo stand nearly motionless, chewing their
cud and looking particularly uninterested. When the cameras cease
their clicking, the animals are fitted with wooden carts and haul
human six-packs in a quick loop.
In Thailand, as demonstrated at the coconut station, nothing is
wasted not the tree, the coconut, not even the husk. The
amount of effort required to reap the benefits of the nut-fetching
monkeys hard work is considerable, but well worth it. The
guide explains the many uses from milk to oil to desert
while the nut cracking specialist deftly fieldstrips the coconut
until nothing but shredded meat remains.
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The ABCs of rubber
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| Rubber Tree tapping
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Tidy forests of perfectly aligned trees occupy many parts of Phuket,
but they arent the work of obsessive trolls theyre
rubber plantations. For those that have wondered what happens in
these magical woods, the rubber tree demonstration is quite enlightening.
The entire process, from tapping the tree to collecting, cleaning,
and pressing the sap, happens right before your eyes. This is where
the tires on your car or bicycle among many other necessary
products are born.
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Curry in the jungle
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| Curry ingredients
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The Thai curry station has all the ingredients for the spice-filled
dish laid out in a table in front of a bamboo hut, and it seems
that this is more than a place for tourist visits, but also the
chefs residence.
She sets about chopping ingredients and placing them in small individual
bowls like on a television cooking show, while the guide calls the
play-by-play. Ingredients pass from one guest to another, allowing
everyone the chance to assess the distinctive aroma of each item
in the curry.
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All aboard the elephants
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| Elephants &
Mahouts: ready for trekking |
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The camps setting, high in the hills between Chalong and
Kata, is breathtaking and peaceful. At no time is this more obvious
than during the 30-minute elephant trek, where the stunning sea
views extend for miles. Youre on an elephants back on
top of a small mountain its difficult to get more elevated
than that in Phuket. The mahouts which are Karen people,
not Thai, and have been working with pachyderms for generations
balance on the beasts necks, a foot behind each ear,
and make sure their animals linger at the best viewpoints. Arriving
back at the camp, guests purchase fruit baskets and treat the elephants
to post-walk goodies while the guide outlines the plight of Thai
elephants.
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| Approaching the
beast |
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Nobody doubts that elephants are intelligent, and the youths are
not only clever (an adjective the guide used repeatedly), but they
have an endearing playfulness thats almost human. The second
half of the elephant program is a show put on by three young
but by no means small elephants that appear to be smiling
at all times; they really look like theyre having fun. They
run through a routine that includes saying hello, giving kisses
(with sound effects!), and painting like Picasso. Music
comes on for their next-to-last act, the elephant boogie, and they
keep dancing long after the music ends. Posing for pictures after
the show, they sway back and forth like Stevie Wonder to a song
only they can hear.
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Tour notes
The 4-in-1 tour lasts approximately three hours, and is conducted
twice daily (morning and afternoon). For a little more money, morning
guests can choose to conclude their trip with lunch on a wooden
Chinese junk while cruising Chalong Bay or dine in the jungle; afternoon
guests can add a sunset cruise with a drink and light refreshments
or dinner in the jungle.
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Interested in this tour?
Siam
Safari 4-in-1 Tour Price from 1,450 Baht |
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| Pick up from hotel
and transfer to Chalong. Travel by four wheel drive Land Rover into Chalong highlands.
Arrive at Siam Safari elephant camp on the top of a mountain. Watch how monkey
are trained to pick coconuts and see them in action. Learn about buffaloes, you
can try to sit on one as well, try a ride on a wooden cart pulled by buffalo...
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more... | |
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Photo Gallery of the tour
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| See below for tour reviews |
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