I have stayed at Samarn Bird Camp four times, and everytime has been good. Excellent food, pleasant service with Samarn and his wife. Excellent location just outside the park, quiet and clean rooms, good early starts and breakfast, and news about the latest birds sightings are always available if you can communicate a bit in Thai. If you visit Kaeng Krachan this is the place to stay! The WiFi is slow, but OK for emails. Highly Recommended.
This is a tricky review to write, because our experience was one of extremes. I am also confident that if we spoke Thai (which we do not) or if Mr. Samarn spoke English (and, contrary to their claim, no one at the camp can communicate more than one or two words in English) our experiences would have been better overall. 1 - The food was excellent - probably the best we have had in Thailand. 2 - Mr. Samarn and his family were very nice and extremely friendly, and wanted to make our stay pleasant. 3 - The accommodation was very good - clean, well serviced, and no complaints. 4 - The bird photography experience was a big disappointment and in some cases was extremely frustrating. I have no improvements to suggest to items 1, 2, or 3, except to say that a common language would have made them even better. I will limit my comments for item 4 - the bird photography. There were two full days of bird-photography, which was admirable. However, the lack of a common language meant that we had to take what we were given -- there was no opportunity for us to indicate what we wanted to do or see, no warning of what was being scheduled, no ability to prepare, and there was no indication of flexibility in the schedule. When we started out for the day, we had no idea where we were going, or for how long, or what the additional costs would be. A common language could have cleared up any of these questions. Mr. Samarn has taken many good bird photos himself, but he doesn't understand that other photographers may have different styles. He dictates forcefully what the guest should do: ISO settings, autofocus, flash, use of tripods, and is very impatient (to the point of rudeness) when I wanted to use a different technique. This made me very uncomfortable. He spends a lot of time setting up blinds and putting out food such as mealworms in sites where he knows the birds to frequent. I am grateful for the effort he puts into this. Several of the viewing opportunities were fine, but a couple were awful. We did see the Blue Pitta, which is a trophy for serious birders. The bird didn't show up on the first day after an hour, so we moved on - a reasonable attempt on our part. To my surprise, we went to the same spot on the second day and it appeared after a very short wait. Great! But, immediately when it appeared Mr. Samarn started shouting excitedly "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" The magic of the natural experience was lost and my ability to concentrate was destroyed. On the second afternoon, I sat roasting in a hot bird blind for over 3 hours. The first hour was good, but when I suggested that we were ready to go, Mr. Samarn was offended and asked what was wrong. He wouldn't believe that I wanted to stop and only after much persuasion he took my wife back to the camp. And then I was stranded for 2 hours waiting for him to return! Those last 2 hours were a waste of time (no new birds) in very unpleasant conditions. Earlier in the day, we did see the Great Hornbill after a long wait. (I understand the wait, because this is a very timid bird.) However, Mr. Samarn wouldn't let me set up a tripod ahead of time or find a good spot to take photos. When the bird finally showed up he started screaming at me "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" and actually physically pushed me to move when I was trying to compose the picture and focus. I couldn't believe what was happening. And I'm not very happy with the shots that I did get of this bird. I really like Mr. Samarn and his family, and would love to see their enterprise succeed. However, contrary to what they believe, they really only can provide services in English, so guests should be warned of this. Perhaps he can also develop and have translated (professionally) some written material detailing the agenda, the time at each site, the expected birds, and the recommended shooting settings or physical constraints. Most importantly, I believe that guests will better enjoy the bird photography experience if they can feel relaxed about applying their personal styles and tastes to their craft.…
We stayed here with Bangkok based birdwatching friends, who had visited previously. The host is very knowledgeable and a good bird photographer. He showed us species which we would otherwise have missed. The location is very convenient, providing easy access to Kaeng Krachan national park, one of the best birding spots in Thailand. The local food is delicious, the beer is cold. Free internet in the public areas. Slow (3.6 Mbps download) but OK for emails.
Samaran Bird camp is an excellent choice of stay for wildlife photographers. Just minutes away from the Kaeng Krachan entry point, the hotel is geared to cater to wildlife photographers with early morning 5.30am full breakfast and packed lunches / snacks if required. Neat and clean rooms, well maintained premises, great food and friendly staff adds to the value. While not a star property for those on photography missions, this place is just perfect.
A great hotel outside the fabulous Kaeng Krachan National Park. A great stop off for birders and non- birders alike. The owners are friendly and you can get an evening meal there too. We only stayed one night but could happily have stayed longer. The gardens and views from the room balcony are exceptional.
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