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As well as boasting huge tracts of virgin rainforest and limestone mountain ranges, Khao Sok National Park also boats rugged high cliffs similar to those found in Guilin, China, which has led to the park being labeled 'Thailand's Guilin'.
Covering about 646 square kilometers, the park's main attractions include Namtok Mae Yai ('Mae Yai waterfall'), which can easily be reached by car, and Namtok Sip-Ed Chan ('Eleven-tiered waterfall'), which is about four km from the park's main office. There are also several other magnificent waterfalls and caves, which are mostly accessible on foot.
Khao Sok is also inhabited by some rare wildlife species, including elephants, leopards, gaur, dusky langurs, tigers, as well as Malayan sun bears. Bird lovers will also be enthralled by a visit to the park since there are said to be over 180 species within its borders.
Rare flora are also found along nature trails within the park, particularly to the south, where local plants such as bamboo, ferns and giant rattan can be found.
To top it all, the Bua Phut ('Rafflesia Kerri Meyer') is perhaps what the majority of visitors to Khao Sok look forward to seeing most.
When in full bloom, the Bua Phut is approximately 80 centimeters in diameter, and it is said to be the largest flower in the world. The flower is a natural parasite without roots of its own, so it relies on the roots of a jungle vine to survive. The best time to see Bua Phut is from October to December, when they are in full bloom.
Contact the park’s headquarters for a local guide. Note that a walk of between five to eight hours is required in order to get the chance to see such a rare flower.
The park and other entrepreneurs provide bungalows, camping areas and raft-houses while accommodation owners typically also provide food.
For accommodation or further information about the park, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Regional Office 5 on Tel: +66 (0)77 288 818-9.
Khao Sok National Park can be reached by bus from Surat Thani town, Phuket or Krabi.
Transport connections:
Car: From Bangkok, take Highway 4 to Chumphon province via the provinces of Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan. Then switch on to Highway 41 and Highway 401, which will take you right into the town of Surat Thani.
Bus: Air-conditioned buses depart Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal regularly on a daily basis for Surat Thani province. For further information, call the Southern Bus Terminal on Tel: +66 (0)2 434 5557-8, or visit http://www.transport.co.th.
Train: Trains depart Bangkok's main station of Hua Lamphong 10 times daily, starting from early morning through to 10.50 pm. The trip takes about 12-13 hours in total. Ask for the train from Bangkok to Phun Phin, which is the closest station to the town of Surat Thani.
For further information, contact the State Railway of Thailand on Tel: +66 (0)2 220 4444, or the SRT hotline (from Bangkok only) on Tel: 1690.
Surat Thani Railway Station is 12 km from the town. A regular bus service operates between the station and the town.
Air: Thai Airways International (THAI) offers two daily flights connecting Bangkok with Surat Thani. The flight time is approximately one hour and 10 minutes. THAI also flies to Phuket and Krabi.
For further information, contact THAI's Bangkok office on Tel: +66 (0)2 280 0060 or visit http://www.thaiairways.com.
Zip line trip through rainforest
Flight of the Gibbon Adventure Tour is a unique zip line canopy tour through pristine, 1,500-year-old rainforest outside the northern city of Chiang Mai. Here you’ll find 18 platforms, skybridges and lowering stations connecting two kilometers of zip lines that take you through different layers of the rainforest’s canopy.
Applying a similar cable pully system to one designed by a group of environmental scientists to allow them to travel through the topmost canopy of Costa Rican rainforest, you can zip through the forest in Chiang Mai “as gracefully as a gibbon”.
Located in a forest near the village of Mae Kompong in Mae-on district, about a 45-minute drive from downtown Chiang Mai, the tour is run by Tree Top Asia. A one-day package costs 2,600 baht per person and includes round-trip transport, set lunch, and a visit to Mae Kompong village, home to a small community of coffee growers.
It is a one day tour. You spend about three hours in the forest canopy on cables and bridges, one hour trekking along Mae Kompong waterfall, about one hour having time for lunch and visiting the village. Add 45 minutes to one hour travel time each way. So allow 7 hours from pick up time.
The total length is almost two kilometres and it is probably the highest of its kind in the world.
It is called flight of the gibbon because it mimics the way gibbons negotiate thru the forest and because Treetop Adventures as a company are committed to the preservation and conservation of these magnificent primates. 10% of all profits go towards Gibbon conservation and other conservation projects.
Flight of the Gibbon is also very active in rainforest restoration and primate rehabilitation projects in the area. It is ideally suited for family-oriented Thailand vacations as well as backpackers.
For more information, call Tel: +66 (0)89 970 5511 or +66 (0)89 850 3808 or visit http://www.TreeTopAsia.com.
Jim Thompson's historic Thai home
Although the name might initially suggest otherwise, Jim Thompson's House is actually one of the best-preserved examples of a traditional Thai home in Bangkok.
Once home to the American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, the remarkable house-cum-museum accommodates Thompson's vast collection of antiques and artworks from all over Southeast Asia. Notable items include priceless examples of blue and white Ming porcelain and 19th century paintings from the Jataka Tales, which cover the walls of the building's rooms.
Don't miss the headless Buddha figure in the garden, which dates back to the 6th century. This early Dvaravati image is one of the oldest surviving Buddha statues of its kind in the world.
Perhaps even more fascinating than the house itself is the tale of the mysterious owner.
A former member of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the CIA, Thompson revived Thailand's flagging silk weaving industry at the end of World War II. His marketing skills helped turn the fortunes of the ailing silk industry around, and Thompson is to this day regarded as the very finest brand of Thai silk.
As his business grew, Thompson became a well-known Bangkok socialite, dedicated to reviving local arts and crafts. Much of his art collection is still on display at his Ayutthayan house in Bangkok's Rama I Road area.
Thompson disappeared under mysterious circumstances while walking in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands in 1967. Many theories have been put forward to explain his disappearance but the truth remains a mystery. Suggestions of a conspiracy involving his CIA connections have been proposed as a form of explanation, but so too have jungle tigers, heart attacks and Communist insurgents.
Thompson's House is located alongside the Saen Saeb Canal on Soi Kasem San 2, off Rama I Road opposite the National Stadium (BTS: National Stadium). Opening hours are 9 am-4.30 pm daily except Sundays.
Photography is not allowed within the house. Admission is 50 baht (US$1.38) for those aged under 25 and 100 baht for all other adults. Guides are available.
For further information, contact Tel: +66 (0)2 216 7368.
'All things Thai' at Bangsai
The Bangsai Arts and Crafts Village, located within the Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center, was built and donated by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The village consists of traditional Thai-style houses representing the country's four main regions and serves as a permanent site for the demonstration and display of folk arts and crafts, and other exhibits on Thai culture and local ways of life.
The Training Center consists of workshops where visitors can observe the skills involved in producing various forms of Thai crafts.
The Freshwater Aquarium is the largest freshwater aquarium in the country, featuring a variety of freshwater organisms that live in the Chao Phraya River ecosystem, the main artery of the northern and central plains of the kingdom. Fierce carnivorous freshwater species found in the country can also be seen.
The Bird Park consists of two large aviaries with many species of rare birds. A cable bridge enables visitors to view the birds at close range.
The Royal Lodge is a central Thai-style structure, the form and detail of which reflect the simple beauty of the traditional Thai dwelling. This serves as the Royal residence of Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the royal family during visits to the center. The Royal Lodge is surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens.
Situated on an area of 285 rai (hectares), the center is where farmers from Ayutthaya as well as other nearby provinces undergo training in folk arts and crafts. The center is under the supervision of the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) Foundation, established under Royal Patronage on July 21, 1976.
An extensive range of products and activities can be seen here, including various forms of basketry, the production of artificial flowers, hand-woven silk and cotton and silk dyeing, wood carving, miniature hand-made Thai dolls, furniture making, products made from fabrics and much more. All these products are sold at the center and at all branches of the Chitralada Store, right across the country.
The Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya province's Bang Sai district. It is within 10 minutes drive from the exit of the Northern Expressway or approximately 50-minutes drive for Bangkok. The center is open daily except Mondays, from 8.30 am to 4 pm.
For further information, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Regional Office 6 on Tel: +66 (0)3 524 6076-7.
Eco-focused insights at Baan Klong Rua
The village of Baan Klong Rua is located within a remote tropical rainforest in the southern province of Ranong.
The Pa-Toh rain forest is an area noted for its natural landscape and diverse variety of flora and fauna. The village community’s residents are known for their deep respect for nature and for their efforts to live in harmony with the natural environment, drawing on a wealth of folk wisdom, handed down from one generation to the next.
A rich natural habitat, Pha-Toh is treasured for its biological diversity. A huge variety of plant life and wildlife can be found along the forest floor and in the treetops. If trekking deep in the forest, visitors will come across an interesting variety of plants and wildlife that form the area’s rich ecosystem.
Forest trails occasionally reveal the odd animal footprint, while you can soon refresh yourself at one of two major waterfalls near the village, or spot a Bua Phud (‘Rafflesia’), a huge flower that can only be found in a handful of places worldwide.
Klong Rua makes an interesting alternative travel destination for a special vacation. The immense natural beauty, coupled with a warm welcome from local villagers and the chance to experience their traditional ways, makes Klong Rua an exhilarating spot for those in search of new and exciting adventures, both physically and culturally.
Given its remote location and natural landscape, the installation of basic utilities such as electricity and irrigation systems in and around the village is quite a challenge. Villagers rely mainly on natural energy sources, such as the sun, along with water supplies via the Heow Taa Chan Waterfall.
The Baan Klong Rua Eco-tour Group provides opportunities for visitors to experience various dimensions of villagers’ unique culture and way of life that cannot easily be found elsewhere. For example, it’s possible to learn more about the traditional techniques used to cultivate rubber, an insight into tin mining, along with other local handicrafts.
During the rainy season, locally grown fruits are in abundance, while during the cool season, coffee is produced, which provides visitors with the chance to learn more about the whole production process.
Transport connections:
Train: The nearest train station to Klong Rua Village is Lang Suan Station in Chumporn province. From Lang Suan Station, it takes about an hour and a half hour by car or taxi to reach the village.
Rapid Train 85 (Bangkok-Nakhon Si Thammarat) departs Bangkok at 7.15 pm, arriving in Lang Suan at 5 am the following morning. Rapid Train 39 (Bangkok-Surat Thani), a diesel locomotive, leaves Bangkok at 10.50 pm, arriving at Lang Suan at 6.44 am.
For further information on train services, call the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) on Tel: +66 (0)2 220 4334, or (local call only) the SRT hotline number Tel: 1690.
For further information on the Klong Rua Project, contact Manit Molee, the village coordinator, on Tel: +66 (0)7 895 0501, or visit http://www.klongrua.com/en.
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