Start: 1st March 2025 | End: 11th March 2025 | Meeting location: Hat Yai | Spaces available: 8
Included in the tour:
- Expert herpetologist guides.
- Transport.
- Private room.
- Meals & drinks.
- Entry fees.
Nights 1- 3: Than To
Our first herping destination in Yala province is Than To, an exquisite landscape of evergreen rainforests and overgrown plantations on rolling hills interrupted by extraordinary limestone karst formations and possibly our most consistently productive place in all of South-East Asia for snake diversity. We will visit a few different herping sites in the district, including a remote upland forest road where we have encountered multiple Sumatran cobras (Naja sumatrana) in the past, the base of humid limestone cliffs where the extremely rare dragon snake (Xenodermus javanicus) has been sighted, and rocky rivers in mature lowland forest with a high chance to encounter Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus), Thailand’s most venomous snake, and huge mangrove cat snakes (Boiga melanota). On our expedition to Yala in February - March 2023, dreams came true when a 4 meter king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) appeared at night along the river here.
Keep your eyes on the trees, as this forest is packed with arboreal snakes and stunning lizards, with Smith’s green eyed gecko (Gekko smithii), great angle-headed lizard (Gonocephalus grandis) and Armoured horned dragon (Acanthosaura armata) just a few species we regularly encounter here. Impressive tree frogs such as the Johor flying frog (Zhangixalus prominanus) and Wallace's flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) have been observed here on both our past expeditions to the area, using small pools along the rocky streams we will be hiking as their breeding ponds.
For our time here, we will be staying in air-conditioned accommodation situated at the base of limestone karst formations. The rare roughneck monitor lizard (Varanus rudicollis) has been observed in the resort garden, while on our recent trip we were treated with a vibrant blue coral snake (Calliophis bivirgata) and Kopstein's bronzeback (Dendrelaphis kopsteini) right outside our bungalows. The family who own the resort will make us food for most meals, but we will also drive into the local village where we can order burgers and other Thai food.
Schlegel's reed snake (Calamaria schlegeli)
Speckle-bellied keelback (Rhabdophis chrysargos)
Sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor)
Rusty-barred kukri snake (Oligodon signatus)
Long-nosed horned frog (Pelobatrachus nasuta)
Jade flying frog (Zhangixalus prominanus)
Nazgul's frog (Abavorana nazgul)
Wallace's flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)
Perak horned frog (Grillitschia aceras)
Giant river toad (Phrynoidis asper)
Sabah pit viper (Trimeresurus sabahi)
Malayan mountain pit viper (Ovophis convictus)
Nights 4 & 5: Betong
Next, we make a 2 night stop at a resort situated within cool, upper-elevation rainforest and agricultural land. Here, the peninsula clade of the Sabah pit viper (Trimeresurus sabahi fucatus) and the extremely rare Malayan mountain pit viper (Ovophis convictus) occur here, as well as some other cool-weather preferring snakes which we are unlikely to see at any other locations on the tour. This location is undoubtedly the best place on the tour for those who enjoy amphibians, as some of the most remarkable frogs in the region can be regularly seen here. Some rare species such as Nazgul's frog (Abavorana nazgul) and Norhayati's flying frog (Rhacophorus norhayatii) breed around swampy areas (especially during rain), and Supachai's caecilian (Ichthyophis supachaii) will also emerge from its subterranean lair during heavy rain.
Our resort in this area has pleasant rooms and the cool weather makes it very comfortable for sleeping. The restaurant on site serves mostly Chinese food, while we can also drive to Betong city for some meals and optional herping in lowland areas.
Nights 6 - 9: Bang Lang
Bang Lang National Park is part of the huge Belum-Temengor forest complex which extends across the Malaysian border and contains some of the most diverse primary rainforest in the Malay peninsula. It also consistently provides the highest chances of any location in South-East Asia to see some the most desirable species of snake in the entire region. In particular, we have observed either red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps) or blue coral snake (Calliophis bivirgata), sometimes both, at this location on every single one of our expeditions in the past. We have also seen several giant female Hagen’s pit-vipers (Trimeresurus hageni) and Wagler’s pit-viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) at this location, and have even been lucky enough to observe Wirot’s pit-viper (Craspedocephalus wiroti) here in the past - an extremely cryptic species which clings on at a few isolated primary forest localities in far Southern Thailand. Of course, there is a seemingly unlimited number of unique colubrids to be found here too, including every regionally occurring species of cat snake (Boiga sp), brightly-coloured bronzebacks (Dendrelaphis sp.) and countless other unique species. Our favourite road in the area consistently turns up large pythons, cobras and other 'showstopper' snakes.
Lizards and amphibians do just as well as snakes in pristine habitat. In both 2023 and 2024, we observed the super rare roughneck monitor (Varanus rudicollis). We also consistently find Bell’s angle-headed lizards (Gonocephalus belli), as well as the ultra-cute cat gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus). Huge long-nosed horned frogs (Pelobatrachus nasuta) call around every stream in this area, while rare species such as the Sunda beautiful frog (Pulchrana sundabarat) have consistent breeding pools. Keep a sharp eye on every herp you see here, as this forest has huge potential for new records of reptiles and amphibians never before recorded in Thailand.
We will be staying in a quaint little village surrounded by rainforest for 4 nights, with unbridled access to numerous different trails with highest-quality herping. The village has a restaurant and shop within a 2 minute walk of our rooms, although we will drive to Betong city on several evenings for food and to collect washed clothes. Snakes can be found directly outside the rooms here, and one can never get bored exploring the hills and valleys of Bang Lang.
Brown kukri snake (Oligodon purpurascens)
Keeled rat snake (Ptyas carinata)
Banded bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra)
Small-spotted coral snake (Calliophis maculiceps)
Mangrove cat snake (Boiga melanota)
Horrible bug-eyed frog (Theloderma horridum)
Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri)
Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma)
Day 10 - Hat Yai:
As usual, the final night of the tour will bring us back to Hat Yai for a night of herping in Sogkhla province. We have multiple sites within different habitats in this area, which we will select based upon what species we most feel like targeting. For example, if everyone is feeling tired after an intense 9 nights of herping, we can walk a quiet tarmac road through secondary forest and check drainage ditches, where we can see small-spotted coral snake (Calliophis maculiceps) and Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma). Alternatively, we can hike at a humid tropical rainforest for one last chance at seeing some of the showstopper jungle-dwelling species.
We will stay within the city that evening, where we will say our goodbyes and end the tour.
Accommodation & washing:
The accommodation varies from city hotels to jungle bungalows and can be quite rudimentary in the more remote areas. You will always have access to electricity, a fan and a western bathroom as a minimum. All hotels are supposed to have hot water, but it can be unreliable. There is wifi and great phone service (5G) at all accommodation throughout this tour. There will be an opportunity to wash dirty clothes at a laundrette on day 5 or 6 of the expedition.
Food:
Over the course of this tour you will have the opportunity to try a wide variety of traditional Thai cuisine as well as western classics when closer to town, not to forget Thailand’s herpers favourite; 7 Eleven.
Environmental conditions & fitness:
Southern Thailand’s tropical climate is hot and humid all year round. The temperature rarely drops below 20C at night, and usually climbs to 30C or more during the day. Thailand’s deep south is subjected to almost daily rain, so prepare to get wet at any time. During times of substantial rain and cloud cover, it can get relatively cool at night. We will not be scaling any mountains but a minimum level of fitness must be met, we advise an ability to walk 10km per day on uneven terrain. Mosquitoes, leeches and other biting/stinging invertebrates are part of jungle life.
Travel information:
All participants must arrive in Hat Yai before midday (12:00pm) on the 1st March 2025 at the latest, but we advise you to arrive the day before and get a good night of sleep before we begin. We will return to Hat Yai on 10th March 2025 and spend our night herping in the area. The tour ends on the morning of the 11th March. There is no itinerary for that day. Regular flights to/from Hat Yai International Airport are available from Bangkok, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
It is the guests’ responsibility to meet all entry requirements needed to enter Thailand, including visa procedures. Explore Herpetology can help advise entry requirements. Guests travelling from most countries do not require a visa to visit Thailand for less than 30 days. Make sure to check the entry requirements for your country before booking.
Important note on safety and insurance:
Thailand’s southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala have long been subject to scattered ethnic and religious insurgency. Westerners have never been targeted in the history of this conflict, and it is far safer to travel here than most highly touristic localities around the world. Our team have spent extensive time in Thailand’s most southern provinces and have had nothing but good experiences with both the local people and police, especially in Yala. Friendly faces and good food are just as common as elsewhere in rural Thailand, with better forest quality and herpetofauna biodiversity than anywhere else. Moreover, our time in Yala will be spent exploring remote rainforests in two of the most peaceful districts in the region, where tourism is becoming more popular every year. Conflict in the region has been on the decline for several years and is almost unheard of as of 2024, yet foreign governments still advise against all but essential travel to the region. Henceforth, many western insurance companies do not offer coverage in Yala province. If this is an issue for you, contact us directly and we can advise on where to get appropriate coverage.
