Monday

After breakfast we will set off for Khao Yai National Park, make a pit stop to get food supplies before we get there. We arrive at about 4.30pm and will then set up the camp and have a Thai dinner. In the evening we will do an exciting night safari.

Tuesday

Early morning we will have breakfast, tidy up the camp site and head off into the jungle. We set up the camp, cook and learn about survival techniques from the experienced park rangers.

Wednesday

After breakfast you we go trekking to different stunning waterfalls, feel free to jump in. Again we will camp at a campsite with amazing views

Thursday

Today we trek back to the rangers base to check into our air-conditioned rooms. Here you will be able relax those aching limbs and get that well deserved shower. We will stay here for 1 night, taking in the glorious scenic views.

Friday

We make our way back to Singburi and the Eco houses (see first week).

Weekends are always free after Jungle Trekking programme. Relax at the Eco-House accommodation, take a local taxi into town, expand your sightseeing and visit the many more sites in the central provinces or take a bus to Bangkok city for the weekend.

Remember to take the following with you on the trek:

• Raincoat
• Sleeping bag and fleece – it can get cold in the early mornings
• Towel
• Trekking gear – good walking boots (trainers at your own risk)
• Cap or sun hat
• T-shirt and shorts
• Torch
• Water bottle
• Sunscreen
• Mosquito repellent
• Snacks (crisps and cookies) the food menu will be very limited in the jungle!

We will provide the tent, first aid kit and food. Please note that this trek can be physically demanding and on some days you could be trekking for four to seven hours (with breaks). You will be trekking deep in the jungle, climbing vines and walking up and down mountains. Feedback from past volunteers has been that its hard work but one of the most adventurous and fun activities they have ever done. You will end up with lots of stories to tell your family and friends back home.

During the temple stay you will experience the Thai temple life first hand, and it is pretty impressive and special.

Monday

After breakfast we leave the eco house in Singburi and take you to Khao Yai National Park. On the way we stop for lunch. After dinner you will be introduced to Buddhism & Meditation ethics.

Tuesday

Forget the lie-ins this week as we rise with (or before!) the dawn to give alms to the Monks. After breakfast we will have a discussion with a local monk, where you will have the chance to ask him questions and hear the Buddhist perspective from a monk. Once he leaves we will have lunch followed by a documentary to learn more of Lord Buddha. We will have dinner at the resort and an early bed time is recommended, as we have an early rise next morning.

Wednesday temple stay!

Tonight we stay at a temple. We leave very early morning and upon arrival we will pay respect to the head master of the temple. Today we also learn some of the history of the surrounding area and temple, we will help clean the temple (sweeping leaves). Then luch, your last meal of today, as monks eat only one or two meals a day all before 12:00 (noon). After lunch we will learn walking and sitting meditation forms.

Thursday, today we live like a monk

We will get up early for a session of sitting meditation. Immediately after, the boys will follow the monks around the village to gather alms. The girls will stay at the temple and help prepare the temple for when they return. Upon returning you will come together and pray before breakfast. After breakfast we will be spending the day just like the monks: Meditating, praying, gardening and cleaning the temple ground. Again more evening chanting and early sleep time.

Friday

Awake at the temple. You can give alms to the monks, or stay at the temple. We will eat breakfast and provide gifts for the monks for our appreciation for letting us stay and then return for Singburi Eco-house, visiting Wat Muang in Ang Thong long the way.

Weekend

Weekends are always free after this week. Relax at the Eco-House accommodation, take a local taxi into town, expand your sightseeing and visit the many more sites in the central provinces or take a bus to Bangkok city for the weekend.

Remember

• Please bring your own white clothes which are not tight or see through, if you don’t have any please buy some before departing to Buddhism and Culture week.
• Please be calm and quiet during and following meditation and chanting
• Monks only eat one meal per day so we don’t have dinner on Wednesday
• Men and women cannot sleep together during temple stay and no passionate contact during temple stay
• Please do not point your feet to the monks or the Buddha
• Women are not allowed to stay close to monks or touch the monks so please be cautious.

The biggest area in need is education so you will be visiting the local schools during term time or local children or perhaps local police from the village at the Eco house during school holidays. You can chat to the kids, help with both English and maths through playing games, singing songs etc. More information will be given to you about this during your first week.

Accommodation during this week will be either at the eco house or if you prefer, a home-stay. Most of the schools are within walking distance. For those schools that are not, the teacher or a local co-ordinator will transport you there and back. Remember to dress and behave appropriately. The students will look up to you and will attempt to copy your fashion and actions. Ladies, you need to make sure you don’t expose too much skin. Polo shirts/T-shirts, trousers and long skirts are all fine. Also the smarter you dress the more respect you will receive in the classroom.

It can be helpful to bring some materials to help you assist with teaching. For example, books, games and toys. It’s a nice idea to donate these to the school or children once you have left. Pens and paper will be provided. If you have any questions about this week, then please feel free to contact us or talk to the co-ordinators.

While you are training you will focus on many different areas, a large part of Thai boxing includes agility, speed and balance. In order to develop each discipline of Muay Thai (i.e. punches, kicks, elbows etc), you will learn exercises and training drills that promote these three important things.

A typical day begins with an early start, getting up at 5.30am. This is necessary so that you are not spending the hottest hours of the day participating in intensive boxing training. You will head for a run to warm up followed by refreshments at the gym. From here you will take training exercises led by our experienced Thai Boxing trainer. Once fully warmed up you will head into the ring to spar one-on-one. Our co-ordinator will translate the instructor’s explanations into English. He will try to teach you some Thai necessary to learn more about the sport.

From 9am you have the option of going to the swimming pool (14km away) or relaxing back at the eco-house with other participants. The morning routine is repeated at around 3pm. The training can be quite intense, so it is important that you have a “warm down” period each day.

You will have the opportunity to take part in optional Tae Kwon Do classes some evenings.

Add some Xtreme Activities. If you are an adrenaline junky like us we have some great options for you to add to your beach week.

You could add on:

• 2 day rock climbing course
• 2 day freediving course
• 5 Muay Thai sessions
• 1/2 day discover scuba dive experience
• a full adventure day (incl. abseiling, jungle tour, speed-boating)

Email us for more details and prices.

Return transfer is not included in the price of the trip, please budget about £15 to cover this, our rep can help you organise a ticket.

You leave the island on the Saturday morning at 10 am and will arrive back in Bangkok around 20.30pm. You will be taken directly to bus station. On arrival in Bangkok you can get a taxi to the airport, or you can travel onto your next destination. In the past, travellers on the 4-week option have preferred to spend one final night in Bangkok making onwards travel arrangements for Sunday.

Remember, if you do fly back on the Saturday, do not arrange your flight any earlier than 11pm, better even just after midnight. If you stay an extra day, you can arrange your flight for any time on the Sunday.

Please note Itineraries are flexible and subject to change.

An easier option although a little more expensive is to arrange a flight from Koh Samui, this is three hours from Koh Tao by boat and there is a transfer service (payable locally) where you can catch a connecting flight to Bangkok which takes one hour. This is advantageous because it takes you directly to the international airport.

If you are planning on travelling to Thailand for 28 days or less and you have British, Dutch or USA passport you can get a Visa exemption on arrival. This is valid for 28 days and cannot be extended in Thailand. If you are planning on being in Thailand longer than 28 days you will need to pre-arrange a Visa. You can prearrange a visa for 60 days which you can extend to 90 days in Thailand.

There are two ways of arranging your visa. When you are from the UK. You can either go in person to the Thai embassy in London, or you can post your passport along with the necessary documentation and fee to one of the Thai Consulates. In general this works the same for the other countries like The Netherlands and United States too, but please contact the nearest Thai Consulate for visa inquiries.

Please note that you are responsible for arranging your own visa. Xtreme Gap cannot be held responsible if you fail to travel with the correct visa. So please check with your local embassy personally. The previous information is meant as a guide, but visa rules change often and frequently. So do not take this as the current law.

Take €100 a week and you will be living very well. Remember that everything is included on this trip. So all the food, the accommodation, the transfers, airport pick up and loads of activities and adventures along the way are already paid for.

Usually there is an average of 15 fellow travel mates on the trip, but it can be more or less. Did you know that you can meet other travellers before you head out to Thailand? Simply sign up to our online travellers meeting point and you start to chat to other people interested in Thailand. Once you book, securing a place with £100 or €100 deposit, you will be given access to an exclusive buddy list. This enables you to talk directly with other people signed up your trip! So you already make some new friends on your trip before you go!

Yes, you can start off with this trip and then do some backpacking in Laos afterwards for example. Another really popular option is to get a 60 day visa before you leave Thailand, and then bolt on the Koh Tao adventure after this trip giving you two months in Thailand.

Test your metal on another paradise island on the Koh Tao Adventure, where you can learn some adventure sports or perhaps learn to dive.

You might notice that this trip is similar in style to the Xtreme Thailand experience, in many ways it is, the first two weeks are identical. It is a little bit cheaper than the kind experience and the last two weeks are different, what is the difference?

Well apart from price , this trip features more cultural aspects and has less action and activities included, you also stay to your beach week in a different location closer to Bangkok away from the former party (which is why the Xtreme Thailand experiences more expensive).

If budget is not so much the concern we definitely recommend Xtreme Thailand experience, but the Thailand adventure is a lot of fun too. This is not the Xtreme Thailand Experience! This trip does not include the full moon party and the Adventure day.