The Gibbon Experience

The people behind The Gibbon Experience in Chang Mai with their 2km of zip lines has now build a new site in Chonburi, situated just 1 hour outside of Bangkok and 50 minutes from Pattaya Beach at Khao Kheeo, Chonburi, this beautiful forest site offers easy and convenient access from both destinations.


The new site in Chonburi features Thailand’s longest zip-line at over 300 meters! The entire course is over 3 kilometers in length and has 26 platforms.
They had a deal that if you booked online and took the early departure at 06.00 you would get a discount – and the whole rainforest to yourself it turned out!
We got rigged up with harnesses and very flattering orange helmets and we were on our way, after a short trek we could get started and soon we were flying through the tree tops! I am not scared of heights at all, and the equipment was safe and very secure, and the guides were extremely focused and consistent with regards to safety so there was nothing to worry about and I was free to enjoy the views from the very first zip, and was the views amazing! I have never seen a forest from above before and I defiantly recommend it.


A few tree-top houses and hanging bridges along the way keep it interesting.
There are three or so drops throughout the course which keeps things interesting. The last drop is 60+ meters down. For major fun ask to be attached by your back instead of your front. It’s much more exciting that way.
At the end a delicious meal awaits at the office/meeting platform in the forest.
To book your own adventure at the Gibbon Experience visit http://www.treetopasia.com/
Kids are welcome too!

Bottle Beach on Ko Phanang

Bottle Beach, in Thai known as Haad Khuad, is a beach on the north of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand.
It lies in a protected cove with no road access, so you have to take a boat there from one of the nearby beaches. If you get a shared boat it is 100bath a person. The seclusion of this place means that it feels a million miles from the notorious Had Rin and its Full Moon Party.


Bottle Beach has developed from a little known traveler hide-away into a very popular backpacker beach with plenty of people having a beer or a bucket at night in one of the cozy little restaurants where you sit on cushions on the floor. The beach is beautiful and the accommodation, most of it fairly priced (bungalows start at 250bath) is good.

We stayed at “Smile Bungalows” for 350bath a night.

The long sweeping sand beach is quite lovely, particularly in early morning and late afternoon when the bulk of the day-trippers have left.

However my favorite thing about Bottle Beach was the look-out point. From the most eastern end of the beach you start a steep climb up a forested hill, after a little while you reach a small house where you pay 20bath per person and you can then keep on climbing. We encountered many small lizard-like animals and we also saw a long yellow snake. The climb up is a bit though – so bring water and don’t wear flip-flops !

The reward once you reach the top after about 40 minutes is well worth it though! You have an amazing view down Bottle Beach and the ocean and there is usually a nice breeze at the top to cool you down a bit.