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Dates: 7th – 18th August 2025
Price: £3,495 places available
Single Room Supplement: none
Deposit: £400 per person
Price Includes: Accommodation, all meals, ground transport, services of guides & holiday report
Not Included: International flights & domestic flights within Thailand, travel insurance, drinks & other personal items
Conservation Donation: Butterfly Conservation
Leader(s): Adrian Hoskins & Antonio Giudici
Group Size: Minimum 3 & maximum 6 guests + 2 leaders
Holiday Highlights
- Travel along mountain ridges of the Malay Peninsula for a beautiful array of butterflies, including the star of this particular show – the iconic Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing!
- Enjoy a great variety of other stunning butterfly species in some wonderful locations in South Thailand & Malaysia
- Good roads, comfortable vehicle and accomodation used throughout the tour
- A small group tour of no more than 6 guests – perfect for photography enthusiasts
- Led by vastly experienced tour leaders & butterfly experts Adrian Hoskins & Antonio Giudici
- Relaxed pace tour with plenty of time given to observing and enjoying wildlife & locations visited
- Contribute to Butterfly Conservation
A chance to see & photograph the incredibly beautiful and iconic Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing, plus a huge variety of other exotic species!
A chance to see & photograph the incredibly beautiful and iconic Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana), plus a huge variety of other exotic species!
The huge Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing Trogonoptera brookiana is one of the most spectacular and iconic butterflies in the world. On this tour we visit one of the best locations, where it’s often possible to see up to 50 of these wonderful creatures settled together on the ground.
Your Greenwings guide Adrian was instrumental in banning the importation of specimens of this butterfly to the European Union. In his book “Butterflies of the World” he describes encountering a huge aggregation of brookiana at the location we visit on this tour:
“Rajah Brooke’s Birdwings are powerful flyers, capable of travelling from one side of a river to the other with no more than three or four wing-beats. Males congregate at hot sulphur springs, seepages and other sources of minerals. In May 2009 in Perak I came across one of the most stunning butterfly spectacles I have ever seen – a massive group of over 100 pristine T.brookiana settled on a small patch of ground on a quiet forest track. No photograph or words can begin to do justice to the beauty of these creatures; and to see such a huge aggregation was a sight guaranteed to blow the mind of even the most experienced entomologist. Try to imagine a quivering mass of 100 iridescent green butterflies, each measuring about 16cm (6.3in) across, crammed tightly together on a patch of ground the size of a small dining table. Then try to imagine the thrill of being so close that you could reach down and touch them. After taking a few photographs you edge gently away but the whole group erupts into flight and you are surrounded by a swirling mass of glittering green wings. You freeze on the spot, hoping not to scare them away; and they respond by gliding closely around you. One by one they resettle on the ground until they encircle you. After a couple of minutes they relax and outspread their glorious wings. You are utterly mesmerised. The huge privilege of such an experience is something you never forget.”
Of course, this tour is about much more than “just” brookiana, as we also visit a range of other sites in South Thailand and northern Malaysia, that are sure to produce a truly stunning array of exotic species including glittering red and blue Paralaxita metalmarks, many large and colourful Nymphalids, swallowtails, swordtails, intricately marked satyrs and stunning long-tailed hairstreaks. Take a look at the gallery to see a small selection of the beautiful butterflies photographed on previous trips!
Throughout the tour we will have Antonio Giudici as our local guide. Antonio probably knows more about the butterflies of Thailand and peninsular Malaysia than anyone else alive. We’ll have a private minibus and a professional driver throughout the tour. We’ll stay in comfortable hotels and resorts. All meals are included, but please note that for lunches we usually visit a 7-Eleven store and choose our snacks and drinks there, as this saves a lot of time and maximises our time in the butterfly habitats.
IMPORTANT: Please note that this tour begins at Nakhon Si Thammarat airport, but ends at Hat Yai airport (both in Thailand). International flights arrive and depart from Bangkok airport, but it is necessary to self-transfer to the domestic airport, which is about an hours drive away by free shuttle coach. You therefore need to allow at least 4-5 hours between arrival at Bangkok and departure from the domestic airport. Notes will be provided well in advance, to help you navigate the airport and get on the shuttle coach. Due to the possibility of delayed flights and missed connections, you may prefer to arrive at Bangkok a day early, and overnight at an airport hotel.
You will be met by Adrian and Antonio at Nakhon Si Thammarat airport on 8th August, and the tour ends at Hat Yai on the afternoon/evening of 18th August.
VISAS: Currently UK passport holders do not need visas for entry to Thailand or Malaysia. Guests from other countries should refer to their Thailand and Malaysian Embassies to enquire whether visas are needed.
Please note that the following is only intended as a guide. The actual itinerary may be changed if necessary due to local conditions, road closures, etc.
Day 1 (7th Aug): Afternoon arrival and meeting at Nakhon Si Thammarat airport in South Thailand. Transfer to our hotel in town.
Day 2: Visit Krung Ching waterfall (55 Km) in one of the richest forests in South Thailand. An easy trail of 3.5 km through a pristine forest. Lunch in the field. Afternoon drive back to the hotel and then dinner in town.
Day 3: Early breakfast and drive to Karom waterfall with a short but interesting trail and a beautiful waterfall area. Lunch on site. Afternoon drive back to the hotel and dinner in town.
Day 4: Visit to Yong waterfall, home of several interesting Lycaenidae and, with a bit of luck, of the rarest Delias of the region, Delias singhapura. Lunch in the field. Afternoon Transfer to Hat Yai, check-in at our hotel. Dinner in town.
Day 5: Early morning transfer to Sadao Border (60km) and then along the Asean Highway to Ipoh (300km). Some butterflying will be possible on our arrival around the lodge. Check in at the hotel. Dinner.
Day 6: Breakfast at the hotel. Short transfer (16 Km, 20 mins) to Gua Tempurung, where we will visit a famous cave and a very rich butterfly location. We’ll explore the surroundings, also with the help of a local expert. Afternoon back to the hotel. Dinner at the lodge.
Day 7: Breakfast at the hotel. Target of the day and at the best location is to spot several, sometimes dozens of Trogonoptera brookiana (Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing), puddling in the mud of a stream at the edge of a forest. Exploring the nearby trail other species and more specimens of Trogonoptera can be seen resting on the leaves or feeding on flowers. Afternoon back to the hotel. Dinner in at the lodge.
Day 8: Explore a couple of waterfalls deep in the forested area of Gopeng, inhabited by the original people of Peninsula: the Orang Asli. Interesting forest trail to Damak Waterfall. with several uncommon species. Again, we will have the chance to observe the Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing. Afternoon back to the resort. Dinner.
Day 9: Breakfast at the hotel and quick check out. Transfer to Betong (Thailand) (205 Km, 3.30’). We’ll stop after the border to a nice trail nearby Betong town. Afternoon check in at the hotel. Dinner in town.
Day 10: Breakfast in town. Visit the wonderful trail at Chulaporn 10 and the nearby communist village. One of the best sources of uncommon butterflies in the area. Afternoon back to the hotel. Dinner in town.
Day 11 (18th Aug): Early breakfast and check out from the hotel. Transfer to Hat Yai airport (250 Km, 4 hours). On the way we can stop for few hours at one location among three good spots in the area. Afternoon arrival at the airport for departures or, depending on the flight schedule, to check in to local hotel.
To follow
To follow