Trap-feeding Eden’s Whales of Thailand

This is a thrilling and exclusive tour to witness 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

Irrawaddy dolphin in the Gulf of Thailand

Join Mark Carwardine and Rachel Ashton 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, but we also have good opportunities to see the distinctive Irrawaddy dolphin and other cetacean species.

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 behaviour 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 will be 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 and transfer to hotel

This morning we arrive in Dubai and connect with our onward flight to Bangkok, arriving in the evening. Upon arrival in Bangkok, we transfer just over one hour to the hotel for dinner.

Accommodation: Chan'Le resort, 7-nights
Days 3-8 : Whale watching in the upper Gulf of Thailand

Over the next week, we enjoy daily exclusive 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. 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 and 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: Novotel Silom Hotel, 1-night
Day 10: Return UK

This morning we transfer back to Bangkok airport to take our return flight to the UK via Dubai.

Key info

Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 10 days from £7,495 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 9 days from £6,795 pp
Single supplement: From £780
Trip type:
Group Tour

Tailor-made can be arranged
Group Size: 10–14
When to go: Sep-Oct
Group Departures: We are currently finalising future dates for this tour. Please contact us for further 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
- Conservation fund contribution
Activities available:
- Boat trip
- Photography
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Expert leaders

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.

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Rachel Ashton

Rachel has worked closely with, and been a Project Manager for conservationist, zoologist, wildlife photographer, author and broadcaster Mark Carwardine since 2004.

She has organised and handled bookings on Mark’s trips over the years, as well as assisting him on many of his wildlife adventures, such as whale watching in Baja California (more than 50 trips), ship charters to Baffin Island, Antarctica and South Georgia, and snorkelling with manatees in Florida and sperm whales in Dominica.

A keen diver, she is, like Mark, passionate about marine wildlife. She started out in advertising and marketing in Australia, before a happy career switch to BBC Wildlife magazine in Bristol, where she ultimately became Features Editor. She also wrote the captions for the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for 15 years (1999-2015).

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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

Featured accommodation:

Overlooking the Gulf of Thailand and mangroves, Chan'Le Resort offers spacious accommodation and an excellent restaurant while staying in Samut Sakhon. Rooms are spacious and feature modern amenities, making it the perfect base for whale watching in the gulf. Find Out More about Chan’Le Resort

Trap-feeding Eden’s Whales of Thailand

Typical Itinerary

Day 1: Depart UK

Day 2: Arrive Bangkok and transfer to hotel

Days 3-8 : Whale watching in the upper Gulf of Thailand

Day 9: Final day of whale watching and return to Bangkok

Day 10: Return UK

Key info

Expert leaders

Mark Carwardine

Rachel Ashton

Gulf of Thailand

Chan’Le Resort

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Typical Itinerary

Day 1: Depart UK

Day 2: Arrive Bangkok and transfer to hotel

Days 3-8 : Whale watching in the upper Gulf of Thailand

Day 9: Final day of whale watching and return to Bangkok

Day 10: Return UK

Key info

Expert leaders

Mark Carwardine

Rachel Ashton

Gulf of Thailand

Chan’Le Resort

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Latest brochure

Follow us

Why us?

Travel

Experience

Conserve

Discover our other holiday experiences