Top Bangkok Full-day Tours - page 6

Excellent full day tour to the temple ruins of Ayutthaya, located about 90 minutes outside of Bangkok. Very easy meeting point to find, and guests were organized into their respective tours by placing a sticker on your shirt with your tour operator's name. The bus was quite comfortable, and water was provided both on board, and at the restaurant for lunch. Optional soft drinks could be purchased at the restaurant itself. Our guide, Jum (whose English was great), provided a fantastic overview of each temple that we were to visit. She also educated us a lot about the city's history on the bus ride out to Ayutthaya, and the importance it played as a one-time capital of Thailand. Jum guided you through the entrance to each temple, gave a brief synopsis of the highlights of each temple, and then released you with a sufficient period of time to explore/take pictures on your own. A set meeting time was established for all guests to meet back at the bus afterwards. For some reason, by mistake, I chose a price that didn't include lunch or the entrance fee to the last (and most detailed) temple, but Jum was able to collect payment from me onboard the bus, so that we didn't miss out on these two occasions. So I would suggest choosing the tour price that includes the lunch and last temple, since you're most likely going to enjoy these two activities with the rest of the guests anyway. Jum was sweet, and did a short "thank you" speech as we boarded the bus for our return trip, and then left you alone to either rest, or visit with other passengers while traveling back to the drop-off point (different than the starting point, and within steps of a BTS station). Well worth the money, and a special thanks again to our knowledgeable guide, Jum!!

Pickup was on time. Nice, friendly and kind guide Ms. Surin or Mam and driver Mr. Jirawat. I am a solo traveler and another person in the group is also a solo traveler. We got to do and see all things listed including 2 main waterfalls and a trekking. Almost at the end of the trekking I requested a little detour to see a nearby smaller waterfall and the guide let the group there since we had time. While climbing steep stairs at two major waterfalls and trekking, Ms. Surin pays attention to travelers’ safety. On the way there she bought us small mosquitoes repellent spray and wipe as there could be a lot of mosquitoes. She warned us of blood sucking leech in wet area and under leaves. She watched out and listened for snake. She allows us to take our time and warn us which area could be slippery and dangerous. At the same time she kept her eyes and ears out for wild animals. We saw 4 hornbills (2 different kinds), dears, monkeys, black squirrels. The driver and the guide drove us around to try to find elephants but we didn’t have luck. On the way back to Bangkok I requested to stop at a fruit stand along the road and we got to try and buy fresh and delicious Durian, Pamello, Mangosteens, Salak at a very good price much cheaper than those sold in Bangkok. I had a wonderful day. I often travel alone and having good companies while traveling made the trip memorable. I recommend this one day trip if you don’t have much time but want to enjoy the rich wilderness of Thailand without much exhaustion.

The tour was an all day tour—about 12.5 hours from start to finish. It was an active tour—bring bathing suits and water shoes for optimal experience at waterfalls. The Bridge Over the River Kwai stop was really moving. The elephant experience was educational, and messy. Our tour guide, Rung, was patient and pleasant. She was a fountain of information about culture and history. She was very helpful in getting food for us on the tour when we asked for some food options that were not standard. The van we traveled in was extremely comfortable and the driver was careful. We drove relatively long stretches but stopped for breaks if needed. This tour was one our best experiences in Bangkok.