Thailand Adventure

Trekking
Trekking is one of the most popular outdoor activities enjoyed by visitors of all ages. While trekking you can soothe your mind and spirit in the fresh air and stunning scenery of Thailand’s undiscovered wilds, and get a comprehensive aerobic workout at the same time. Treks can range from a single day’s light excursion to physically challenging adventures of a week or more.

* TAK
Trails are found in Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary and the western portion of Thung Yai Naresuan, which together with the adjoining Huai Kha Kaeng Wildlife Sanctuary has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Campsites are provided but you must bring your own tent and camping gear. Permits are required for entry into the wildlife sanctuary. These can be obtained at the Umphang Eco tourism Club in Umphang. Pack light for a jungle trek, and bring insect repellent. Most who visit Mae Sot in Tak are determined to see the spectacular Ti Lo Su Waterfall. Tour operators usually offer mountain biking, elephant-back rides, or rafting for part of the long trek, but most of it is done on foot.

* PHITSANULOK-PHETCHABUN
Both provinces are popular camping and trekking destinations because they contain several national parks between them, each featuring different landscape and flora and fauna. The rocky hills along the border between the two provinces were Communist hideaways in the 1970s. Nowadays an efficient road network links the area with the rest of the country, and nature-lovers flock there for the waterfalls, the fields of wildflowers and butterflies, and the spectacular landscape, which changes with the seasons. Best time to go is October-December for the wildflowers, although any time of the year is suitable for hiking and camping.

Each of the national parks in the area has its own distinct character. Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, 80 kilometres from Phitsanulok on the route to Lomsak, is marked by its open savanna, which blazes with colour during the wildflower season (July-October). Wild animals are often spotted feeding around these fields. Phu Hin Rong Kla, 125 kilometres from Phitsanulok, got its name from the strange-looking rock fields eroded by wind and rains. The park features many hiking trails, most of them leading to beautiful waterfalls.

Nam Nao National Park on the Lomsak-Chum Pae route is one of the top camping destinations in the cool season (November-February), with its picturesque pine forest, caves of stalactites and stalagmites, and dry, cool weather. It is a watershed area andthe source of several rivers in the North and Northeast.

Cycling
Cycling can either be a method of transport or the best way to tour. It is an ideal means to appreciate Thailand’s spectacular natural environment and the local lifestyle by riding through those narrow roads that tourist buses can't penetrate. Perfect for those who want to ride with a chance to experience rural life, nature, Thai culture and the charm of the countryside including a chance to visit both well known and new tourist attractions. It is safe, cheap and fun and also environmentally green.

Organized cycling tours can be booked from Australia (with great support for cyclists, such as trailing trucks, with food and water). Mountain-biking or road cycling are both popular options. The roads in Thailand are generally very good, making cycling much easier.

Otherwise, many resorts offer bike-hire for their guests.

Most cycling tours run out of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, or Chiang Mai and cover the northern region such as Mae Hong Sorn, Petchabun. Resorts with bike hire are in most tourist areas.

For daily bike hire – approximately AU$ 8.00 per person. There are also numerous biking tour operators offering well-organized tours, most include guides, back-up vehicles, food and overnight equipments at reasonable rates.

Suggested Areas
The hilly North of Thailand is most suitable for mountain biking. The best time to visit is November to February, when the weather is cooler. A number of companies offer wellorganised biking tours, most include guides and, on certain tours, back-up vehicles carrying food and overnight equipment. Bikes are also widely available in major tourist destinations, where they can be rented at extremely reasonable rates on a daily basis.

1. MAE HONG SON
The centre for mountain biking adventure is Pai District, where several bike shops rent out bikes and gear to tourists. Bike tours explore nearby and remote hilltribe villages, waterfalls and hot springs. The best time is November-May. Experienced guides are ready to lead biking parties through breathtaking back-country trails for up to a week. There are natural cycle paths through the forest, first trod by animals, then beaten by man. They range from as narrow as a single person’s stride or as wide as an elephant or ox cart.

2. CHIANG MAI
The centre of biking activity, the most scenic route is from Doi Inthanon to Ob Luang George via Mae Chaem.

The first leg, a route of about 20 kilometres, is strictly for experienced mountain bikers while the second section, 30-kilometre long, is less demanding and suitable for bikers of intermediate skills and higher.

3. SUKHOTHAI-AYUTTHAYA
At the ancient Siamese capital of Sukhothai, there are dedicated cycle paths to take you round the majestic ruins, temples and palaces. Further south, a bike is the ideal way to see the sprawling remains of the kingdom’s once great capital Ayutthaya.

4. NAKHON NAYOK
Just north of Bangkok, Nakhon Nayok has designated off-road biking trails through the foothills of Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai itself, with its 13 marked trails, is another magnificent mountain biking site. Other fine biking routes are in the parks of Khao Sam Roi Yot in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Khao Kichakut in Chanthaburi, Chalerm Rattanakosin and Saiyok in Kanchanaburi, and Kaeng Krachan in Phetchaburi.

5. PHETCHABUN
Nature bike rides in Thung Salaeng Luang has been designed to promote a better understanding of nature and conservation. Guides are well trained and accompany participants on bicycle trips offering information of interests and safety tips.

Bird Watch
Thailand has 96 national parks, 100 wildlife and non-hunting sanctuaries and 65 forest parks, which together make up a full 13 percent of land area. The park system, managed by the Royal Forestry Department, provides the visitor with easy access to the country’s nature reserves, from the mountain pine forests of the North to the southern rainforests to the spectacular coral and marine life off both coasts.

Some of the wildlife and non-hunting sanctuaries adjoin one another. Most of the parks are accessible by road, offer simple accommodation and charge a small admission fee. In the larger ones such as Khao Yai, rangers can be hired as guides for long treks. Wildlife sanctuaries are not tourism areas, however, so visitors must bring food and camping gear and observe the no disturbance rules set up to protect the animals.

* Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi
In the South, the narrow, peninsula province of Prachuab Khiri Khan and its neighbour Phetchaburi offer an attractive mountain and sea combination. Within their parameter, they contain the twin beach resorts of Hua Hin and Cha-am, and two large havens for wildlife, Sam Roi Yot and Kaeng Krachan National Parks. Sam Roi Yot (Three-Hundred Peaks) National Park has sandy beaches, caves and mangrove forests and provides a home for 300 species of birds. Kaeng Krachan is the largest national park. Its birdlife includes 250 species, among them the great hornbill and the grey peacock. Kaeng Krachan also offers abundant hiking delights — wildlife, birds, lush jungle — along the trail to Tho Tip Waterfall, which takes about three hours.

* Nakhon Ratchasima
Khao Yai is a major bird-watching hub, being home to rare species including all four species of hornbill: the great, wreathed, oriental pied and brown.

* Chiang Mai
This northern capital is an important bird-watching destination. Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand at 2,565 metres above sea level, forms the southernly end of the Himalayan range and provides a home for 364 species of birds, many of them not seen elsewhere in the country. The best time for bird-watching is from November to February.

Rock Climbing
Rock climbing in Thailand is practised wherever there are rocks – and even some places where there are not.

Clubs like the Thailand Rock Climbing Federation and the Bangkok Rock Climbing Club can furnish you with details of climb sites wherever you are travelling in the kingdom, including artificial practice walls in Bangkok.

Some of the best locations for rock climbing are in the central regions near Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani Province, or in the spectacular limestone mountains that run through Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

On the East Coast and easily accessible from Bangkok are sites in Chon Buri. The spectacular coastal cliffs of Railay Beach in Krabi are the climbing focus of the South, with further pitches to be found on some of the islands.

Climbing is a technical sport. You should not go alone, especially if you are a beginner. The discipline is safe if you use first-class equipment, go with an experienced guide and teacher who shows you how to practice safe climbing, and if you follow safety procedures. As well as safety issues related to climbing, make sure you protect yourself from the sun. It is easy to get burned if you are on an exposed rock for long periods. Sunblock is essential.