Herping In Thailand

[Snakeluvver2]

Hey guys

As of today it's official. I am going to Thailand from the 1st of Oct to 29th of Oct.

Just wondering if there is any place good for herping, species to look out for, parks or zoo's anything herp related.

Also if you had any great experiences with Thailand please tell us.

We have a fish farm there so I will be drinking beer, fishing and looking for reptiles (not all at the same time)


Thanks
Jannico

 

[bfg23]

See you there mate

On a serious note. I am going to Thailand in october too and have been wondering the same things myself.
The travel agent I used was not sure if there were any reptile parks, but she said to ask some locals when you get over there and they will help you.

Where abouts are you staying? Im in Phuket, Karon Beach.

 

[PimmsPythons]

there is a couple places in bangkok .one place called the snake farm does a good show and has some big cobras ,retics and burmese and you will have a laugh at their video presentation.
if you get a chance ,nip around to cambodia(heaps better than Thialand and far cheaper as well)do the ankor wat tours and phenon phen tours and spend a few days in sihanoukville.its a great little beach town and they have a place called "the snake house" which has a massive collection of reptiles and some birds and you can hold their albino burmese.its also a hotel and its quite cheap.all their resturant tables have a glass top and have young burmese and retics in them.everything was well looked after as well and apparently it is one of the only private collections in cambodia.
cheers
simon

 

[silatman]

We were in Phuket, Thailand in March this year and came across a few herps. There is a Cobra Show (located near the go-cart track) however I can't tell you what this is like as we chose not to go. We did get to hold a couple of large pythons at the Phuket Zoo but I was quite disappointed with the way the animals were treated and housed (not necessarily the snakes, but all of the animals). The best day we had was doing an elephant trek through the jungle. We came across this tiny green viper and would've missed it completely if the mahout (locals) hadn't pointed it out. It's a bit out of focus but we also saw this little lizard basking in the sun while on a tour around sunset point (near Karon beach I think). Just keep your eyes open...

 

[TonTan_Travel]

I know it is too late, but maybe useful for others in the future. The real herping adventure starts when you leave those reptile parks behind and just enter the jungles of Thailand.

For example, Khao Yai national park is a great place for herping tours. I even lead trips in that area, if you are interested. We go often to Khao Yai and see lots of reptiles like Burmese & Reticulated Pythons, Pitvipers, Water Dragons, King Cobras, Vine Snakes, Flying Dragons, Siamese Crocodile, Water Monitors, and more. The rainy season is better for herps than the winter/ dry season. You're likely to get a bit of rain, but you have a much bigger chance to see for example pitvipers and water dragons in the rainy season.

Most temple grounds in nearly every village throughout Thailand have some small patches of 'forest' or bushes in their backyard. Often good to find all kinds of snakes and lizards. So even if you are not interested in the culture, it is still a good place to visit.

Sometimes you don't have to travel far to see something.
I'm living in Thailand and last year I had a cobra in my bed room. Although I love snakes, I don't like to sleep with them... I prefer the Tokay Geckos in the bed room. They might be noisy, but not as dangerous as a cobra.

 

[snakes123]

I loved thailand...to bad i was 6 and didn't like reps much then. We saw a viper.

When i went to Malaysia when i was 13 we hired a guide, they are great he could spot all the vipers that were in the trees whet we couldn't even see when we were 1 meter away.

Hope you have a safe and amazing trip.

Ben

 

[spotlight]

its really hard to herp in the asian countries because once you leave the safety of a public place you can get ambushed and held for ransom just because you are white (they think you are rich!) , and the problem with the shows is that you will only watch them once and walk away in wishing you could free every snake (the conditions are very bad).
its a real eye opener
if anyone is going to the philippines i can send you to some great spots and arrange a guide, but walking into the jungle is a no go!, my wife is a philippino and no matter how hard i try she will not let go herping for local animals.
but there is a market there that sells what ever herps you want (green tree pythons go for $200 AUS).

 

[Snakeluvver2]

I'll probably be hitting the Philippines up soon as well.
Yer there's heaps of jungle and wild areas there, just walking outside I would see snakes and lizards.
Spotlighting at night was great.

 

[DanTheMan]

I'll probably be hitting the Philippines up soon as well.
Yer there's heaps of jungle and wild areas there, just walking outside I would see snakes and lizards.
Spotlighting at night was great.

Pictures?!

So keen to do some herping through Indonesia some time very soon.

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Most of my pics are in sydney. My dad's a bit of a caveman when it comes to computers haha.

Here's one I found during the day going for a ride on a motorbike.
Don't know what it is.
But it was hard to hook.

I was extra careful with snakes over there, I have no idea about there ven's and non ven's

Something I had for dinner one night.
The night after I ate a dog

 

[cadwallader]

that looks soo bad haha maccas run lol

 

[dexta]

when your at the markets you just ask someone there if there no of any snakes and they will show you. or anything you want really

 

[Jk888]

uhm yum?

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Dog taste like beef but the flavour is way stronger.

Frog taste like white meat but a tad more oily.

Taste great!

Locust taste just like spices

 

[nathancl]

im off on a trip through SE ASIA including Thailand hoping to get a bit of herping in around the drinking and eating! leaving in the next few days so will let you know how i go when i get home

 

[Fuscus]

if anyone is going to the philippines i can send you to some great spots and arrange a guide, but walking into the jungle is a no go!, my wife is a philippino and no matter how hard i try she will not let go herping for local animals.

My wife is also Filipino (her spelling) and says the same thing. Properly worth listening to.

 

[longqi]

Be very careful of the pretty snakes
If it looks small and a lot like a banded milk snake it is probably a Krait
They are pretty shy but will bite very quickly if trapped
[killed three people just in Bali last year]
Green tree vipers are throughout asia so watch for them in the bush
Same colour as virides can make you a bit crook
Not that many wild cobras around any more

Best way is find a local snake hunter/catcher
They know all the vens
Best ones are in villages not the towns

In Thailand they do roadside shows with putting King Cobras in with another snake
It will sicken you so dont watch it
Some Temples north of Changmai hold snakes as sacred
Lots of BIG kings and HUGE pythons
But will need a local to get you access

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Can anyone I.D that one snake I found?

 

[mmafan555]

its really hard to herp in the asian countries because once you leave the safety of a public place you can get ambushed and held for ransom just because you are white (they think you are rich!) , and the problem with the shows is that you will only watch them once and walk away in wishing you could free every snake (the conditions are very bad).

Depends where you go.. In India you don't have to worry about this at all. In other countries its a different story

but walking into the jungle is a no go!, my wife is a philippino and no matter how hard i try she will not let go herping for local animals.
.

?? Can you explain this more?

 

[longqi]

First off there is a very quiet but bloody civil war going on in Philippines esp in Mindanao
Same thing near Thai Malay border and parts of Cambodia still has live mines from Khmer Rouge days
Secondly most asians are terrified of anything that has no legs