Trap-feeding Eden’s Whales Photography Exclusive

This is a thrilling and exclusive tour to photograph one of the planet’s most exciting whale behaviours in a little visited corner of Thailand.

Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin in Thailand

Finless porpoise in the Gulf of Thailand

Great Cormorant boat in the Gulf of Thailand.

Irrawaddy dolphin in the Gulf of Thailand

Join Mark Carwardine on a quest to see and photograph one of the most remarkable cetacean spectacles. The population of Eden’s whales (a subspecies of Bryde’s whale) found in the upper Gulf of Thailand have developed an ingenious and novel hunting technique that's unlike anything seen elsewhere. Our tour focuses on observing and photographing the whale's trap-feeding behaviour, and with exclusive use of a vessel limited to a capacity of just six (plus Mark and crew), we place ourselves in the best position to capture some truly unique images of this fascinating spectacle.

Little more than an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, a secret and exciting wildlife experience awaits, completely off-grid from the Thai tourist trail. Only recently documented, the trap-feeding technique of the Gulf of Thailand’s Eden's whales is a behaviour unlike anything you are likely to have seen before. After creating a commotion with breaching and tail slapping, the whales hang vertically in the water with their mouths open wide at the surface. Anchovies and herring fleeing the disturbance below then leap and shoal into the calm of the whale’s mouth. Then after a minute or two, the whale closes its mouth, swallowing a mouthful of fish, in an impressive display. With most of their prey found at the surface of the ocean, the whales have adapted their behaviour from spectacular lunge feeding to this new and more productive method. This is the only location where this incredible behaviour can be witnessed and with a team of experts, we're in the best position to enjoy it.

In addition to the whales, we also hope to encounter the endangered and normally shy Irrawaddy dolphin that frequent these coastal waters and both finless porpoise and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin are all possible.

Typical Itinerary

Day 1: Depart UK
Day 2: Arrive Bangkok & Transfer to Hotel

This afternoon, we arrive in Bangkok and transfer approximately two hours to our beautiful lodge in the Thai countryside for dinner.

Accommodation: Asita Eco Resort, 7-nights
Days 3-8 : Whale Watching in the Upper Gulf of Thailand

Over the next seven days, we enjoy daily charters (lasting eight hours per day) into the upper Gulf of Thailand to maximise our whale watching. Our primary aim is to observe and photograph the Eden’s whale's remarkable trap-feeding behaviour, and to put us in the best place to do so, we have exclusive use of a specialist vessel. This boat usually has a capacity of 15, but we've reduced this to just six (plus Mark and crew) to maximise space and provide the best possible opportunities for photographers. It has also been selected as it sits low in the water, offering excellent angles to photograph the trap-feeding behaviour.

We hope to encounter both lone whales and perhaps mothers and calves also undertaking this remarkable behaviour, creating an even greater spectacle. Many of the local terns have also learnt to take advantage of the traps and will even dive into the whale's open mouth to snatch the fleeing fish. One of the most expressive and characterful faces of the dolphin family, the charming yet endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, is another of our target species. This distinctive species occurs in both freshwater and coastal marine habitats and is normally shy and difficult to observe, but in the upper Gulf of Thailand we have good chances to see and photograph them.
Day 9: Final Day of Whale Watching & Return to Bangkok

Today we set off for our final day of whale watching before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon to pack up and then transfer to Bangkok for the evening.

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, 1-night
Day 10: Return UK

This morning we transfer back to Bangkok airport to take our return flights to the UK.

Key info

Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 10 days from £11,695 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 9 days from £10,895 pp
Single supplement: From £1,245
Trip type:
Group Tour

Tailor-made can be arranged
Group Size: 6
Group Departures:
Make a booking request or enquire:
1. 20 Aug 2027 , Available Book Enquire
2. 28 Aug 2027 , 2 spaces Book Enquire
3. View All Departure Details
Tailor-made Departures:
A tailor-made holiday or private departure can be arranged, please contact us to tailor a trip to suit your requirements.
Included in the price/package:
- Accommodation
- Most meals
- Transfers
- Guided activities
- Photographic advice from Mark Carwardine
- Conservation fund contribution
View Detailed Itinerary
Send an Enquiry

Departures

Choose your preferred departure date below, then make a booking request, or enquire if you would like to ask us a question.

Departure date	Group size	Duration & price from	Single supplement	Sharing * * Sharing: We offer single travellers the option to share with another passenger to avoid single room supplements. M/F indicates male or female share	Tour leader(s)	Tour status
20 Aug 2027	6	10 days: £11,695 (inc. flights)	£1,245	On request Sharing * * Sharing: We offer single travellers the option to share with another passenger to avoid single room supplements. M/F indicates male or female share	Mark Carwardine	Available	Book Enquire
28 Aug 2027	6	10 days: £11,695 (inc. flights)	£1,245	On request Sharing * * Sharing: We offer single travellers the option to share with another passenger to avoid single room supplements. M/F indicates male or female share	Mark Carwardine	2 spaces	Book Enquire

* Sharing: We offer single travellers the option to share with another passenger to avoid single room supplements. M/F indicates male or female share
** Full: If your preferred holiday date is full we can add you to our waitlist, or we may be able to offer you a private departure or tailor a holiday to suit your requirements, please contact us for more details

If you can’t see the holiday or departure date that you are looking for, please contact us. We may be in the process of finalising further departures and are often able to tailor a holiday for you according to your own requirements.

Expert leader

Mark Carwardine

Mark Carwardine is a zoologist, an outspoken conservationist, an award-winning and bestselling author, a TV and radio presenter, a widely published photographer, a wildlife tour operator and leader, a lecturer, and a BBC Wildlife magazine columnist.

He co-presented the BBC-TV series Last Chance to See, with the comedian and actor Stephen Fry, and the BBC-TV series Museum of Life. He also presented the weekly half-hour radio programme Nature on BBC Radio 4 for many years.

He has written more than 60 books, including the Field Guide to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, The Shark Watcher’s Handbook and The Guinness Book of Animal Records. His latest is How to Photograph Garden Birds.

He was Chairman of the Judging Panel of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for seven years (2005-2011) and was selected as one of the world’s 40 most influential nature photographers in Outdoor Photography magazine.

View all tours led by Mark

Featured location:

Surrounded by the coastlines of Thailand and Cambodia, the shallow and warm waters offer a diverse marine habitat with extensive coral communities, mangroves and inter-tidal mudflats. This is the only known location to observe Eden’s whales trap feeding and is a great location to find Irrawaddy dolphins. Find Out More about {acc:title}

Where: Southern Thailand
Ideal for viewing: Eden’s whale, irrawaddy dolphin, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, finless porpoise, white-winged tern
Excellent for: Mark Carwardine wildlife holidays, Whale watching

Trap-feeding Eden’s Whales Photography Exclusive

Typical Itinerary

Day 1: Depart UK

Day 2: Arrive Bangkok & Transfer to Hotel

Days 3-8 : Whale Watching in the Upper Gulf of Thailand

Day 9: Final Day of Whale Watching & Return to Bangkok

Day 10: Return UK

Key info

Departures

Expert leader

Mark Carwardine

Gulf of Thailand

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Typical Itinerary

Day 1: Depart UK

Day 2: Arrive Bangkok & Transfer to Hotel

Days 3-8 : Whale Watching in the Upper Gulf of Thailand

Day 9: Final Day of Whale Watching & Return to Bangkok

Day 10: Return UK

Key info

Departures

Expert leader

Mark Carwardine

Gulf of Thailand

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Why us?

Travel

Experience

Conserve

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