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Things to do in Takua Pa

Our most recommended things to do in Takua Pa

Khao Sok: Full-Day Bamboo Rafting and Elephant Bathing

1. Khao Sok: Full-Day Bamboo Rafting and Elephant Bathing

Discover the wild beauty of Khao Sok National Park on a full-day guided trip from Khao Sok. Feed and bathe elephants and take a bamboo raft downstream. Enjoy a Thai lunch, visit a market, and try local coffee. Following pickup from your hotel in Khao Lak, head to the Takuapa local market (only guests picked up from Khao Lak. Guests from other pick-up locations will not visit the local market) to browse and look at all the products. From there, continue to the elephant rescue camp. Feed these amazing animals some bananas and cool them off with a bath. Next, visit the monkey temple. Eat a Thai-style lunch at the local restaurant next to the river before bamboo rafting along the Khao Sok River. Relax as your guides gently steer the bamboo rafts downstream while you admire the dramatic limestone mountains and serene sounds of the jungle. Stop at the river bank for some trekking and relaxing in the front of a limestone cave after enjoying a coffee break. This coffee is made in a bamboo stick and served in bamboo cups, which you can take home with you. At the end of your tour, transfer back to your hotel in Khao Lak.

Street Food Market, Tsunami Museum, Temple & Old Town

2. Street Food Market, Tsunami Museum, Temple & Old Town

On this tour visit Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Museum, Buddhist temples and the old town of Takuapa which holds weekly Street Food Market. The tour begins with a stop in the Meseum. While here learn about history of the area before and after Tsunami in 2004. Observe the exhibition and gallery inside the main building, illustrating the local history of the area and its recovery from the disaster. Head to the next stop, the glamorous Kong Kha Temple. Admire the stunning pagoda gracefully decorated and built to honor the late deceased King Rama IX. See magnificent images of the life of Buddha beautifully presented in more modern art depictions. Have the opportunity to provide merit at the shrine and discover your life's prophecy in a traditional Thai way. Go to the historic part of Takuapa and explore its old town. See interesting Sino-European architecture and buildings dating back to the 13th-century. Check out the town's charming "Street Food Market" filled with hundreds of local delicacy stalls and enjoy local performances before the tour ends.

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What people are saying about Takua Pa

Overall rating

4.8 / 5

based on 388 reviews

Our day started at a morning food market. A great insight into local lives. Then on to the elephant camp. Being in a small group, each ‘family’ unit was allocated an elephant (& trainer) to bathe. This was an amazing experience on its own. Following the elephants baths, we were provided with drinks & snacks before moving on to Monkey Temple. Only a short stop here before moving on. A gentle punt along the river on a traditional bamboo raft. Our ‘driver’ pointing out wildlife and beautiful scenery along the way. A stop for tea or coffee, made using bamboo over a fire to heat the water near some caves and served in bamboo cups was quite a novelty. Once we’d disembarked the rafts it was on to our final stop of the day…lunch, before heading back to our hotels. Have to give many thanks to our driver and tour guide who kept us hydrated and informed all day. A great day out!

It was the most beautiful experience we had during our stay in Thailand. The trip was so well organised and the guide and driver so friendly. The river washing the elephants was amazing we will never forget. Bamboo rafting down the river in the national park was wonderful the scenery was amazing we even had coffee made on on a bonfire the water being boiled in a bamboo cane. Lunch was really lovely couldn’t eat it all so many choices. Watching baby monkeys playing by the temple was great they were so funny. If you are going to Thailand do this trip it was wonderful if we had more time I would have done it a second time.

The excursion was very good. The guide "Nain" was great and told us many things about Thailand. He took great photos and videos of us at every opportunity. He responded to our wishes and was also very friendly and personable. I would do a tour with him again anytime. As there were no other travelers we had a private tour at no extra charge.

Excellent trip well lead by our knowledgable and interesting guide. Elephant bathing was very good and interactive. Bamboo raft was very good with Bamboo cup of coffee brewd in Bamboo cane. This was followed by a very good lunch. Also included was stop at waterfall, viewing point, monkey temple and local market.

A great tour. There were only two of us. Unreservedly recommended.