For a one day trip to see if you might like to try this further there is an excellent introduction into hill-tribe hiking. Wayfers travel has an option for you to stroll through a few Karen villages, plus do a spot of river rafting to see if this might be of interest.
The remote mountains near Nan, in northern Isan, remain little walked, even by pioneering backpackers. Pooh Eco trekking is a company that puts profits back into Thai communities. Its treks are rough and ready, but you will walk through tribal areas, rainforest and many caves.
If you want to get back to nature, rugged mountains, waterfalls, rainforests and archipelagos of coral-fringed islands then Thailand’s intrepid landscapes are legion and abundant with wildlife. Just bring a snorkel mask and binoculars and, if visiting the rainforest, a mosquito net, torch and anti-leech socks.
Three wonderful wild spots that you should visit are:
Khao Yai National Park in Isan is an easy access wilderness and is easy to do in a day trip from Bangkok. As well as cheeky macaques and muntjak deer, there’s nowhere better in Southeast Asia to see wild elephants.
Nd national park from Nakhon Si Thammarat is as wild as southern Thailand gets, forest trails are walked by tigers and elephants, and there’s not a tourist in sight. Visit en route to Ko Phangan or Ko Samui.
Thi Lor Su waterfall is one of Thailand’s biggest, it plunges through a series of sapphire pools in a protected rainforest. However, the only access here is on a guided trek.
The number of monks in Thailand is about 300, 000, it’s almost impossible not to bump into one. However try not to do so literally, especially if you’re a woman. Their high status means that certain rules of etiquette apply. One dictates that monks and women should never touch. Also, you should only give or receive items with your right hand, always try to sit in a lower position than a monk when chatting and never point your feet at them or any image of Buddha.
Thai cooks fill their woks with the spices of India, the tangy flavours of China, herbs straight from a tropical kitchen garden, banana flower, lemongrass, galangal root, kaffir lime and whirl them together into those distinctive Thai flavours. In goes the coconut, shrimp paste, coriander and lime, sending seafood, chicken or tofu sizzling. It looks simple and it is when you know-how. Even a day’s instruction will unlock the secrets of cooking with a wok. You will find most courses in Chiang Mai and Bangkok but look beyond the cities too. The best schools teach local specialities, such as Khao sooi noodle soup in the north.
The remote mountains near Nan, in northern Isan, remain little walked, even by pioneering backpackers. Pooh Eco trekking is a company that puts profits back into Thai communities. Its treks are rough and ready, but you will walk through tribal areas, rainforest and many caves.
If you want to get back to nature, rugged mountains, waterfalls, rainforests and archipelagos of coral-fringed islands then Thailand’s intrepid landscapes are legion and abundant with wildlife. Just bring a snorkel mask and binoculars and, if visiting the rainforest, a mosquito net, torch and anti-leech socks.
Three wonderful wild spots that you should visit are:
Khao Yai National Park in Isan is an easy access wilderness and is easy to do in a day trip from Bangkok. As well as cheeky macaques and muntjak deer, there’s nowhere better in Southeast Asia to see wild elephants.
Nd national park from Nakhon Si Thammarat is as wild as southern Thailand gets, forest trails are walked by tigers and elephants, and there’s not a tourist in sight. Visit en route to Ko Phangan or Ko Samui.
Thi Lor Su waterfall is one of Thailand’s biggest, it plunges through a series of sapphire pools in a protected rainforest. However, the only access here is on a guided trek.
The number of monks in Thailand is about 300, 000, it’s almost impossible not to bump into one. However try not to do so literally, especially if you’re a woman. Their high status means that certain rules of etiquette apply. One dictates that monks and women should never touch. Also, you should only give or receive items with your right hand, always try to sit in a lower position than a monk when chatting and never point your feet at them or any image of Buddha.
Thai cooks fill their woks with the spices of India, the tangy flavours of China, herbs straight from a tropical kitchen garden, banana flower, lemongrass, galangal root, kaffir lime and whirl them together into those distinctive Thai flavours. In goes the coconut, shrimp paste, coriander and lime, sending seafood, chicken or tofu sizzling. It looks simple and it is when you know-how. Even a day’s instruction will unlock the secrets of cooking with a wok. You will find most courses in Chiang Mai and Bangkok but look beyond the cities too. The best schools teach local specialities, such as Khao sooi noodle soup in the north.