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Traditional Thai Home-stay

Bang-Khao Home-Stay Program - Phattalung/Songkhla

Looking to immerse yourself in the real face of Thailand? Then consider a home-stay program as part of your real life holiday experience in this wonderful country.

There are plenty of differing options available throughout the country, whether you choose to stay with the Northern Hill-tribes in their huts and mountain villages,  the farming communities around the North East of Thailand, or head south to Southern Thailand, known for rubber tapping and fruit cultivation, a home-stay program will provide you with a real sense of having seen Thailand at its best!

Traditional Home-stay Village House in Bang Khao

This week we feature a lesser known home-stay program in the village of Bang Khao located near to the scenic Songkhla lake area, and  Thale Noi 'Water Lily' lake, the main attraction of Phattalung which divides these two provinces.

The villagers of Bang Khao village decided to form an Eco-tourism group with the aim to provide a real life home-stay program in this wonderfully scenic region. The program on offer includes accommodation, day-time activities and traditional meals with locally fresh cooked seafood accompanied by an evening cultural show.

On your visit will be taken on the near by lake and rivers through the lily pads on a traditional boat cruise, shown local farming methods and how local produce is made such as products made from coconut shells and fermented cat fish.

Explore the nearby Lily pad rivers and lakes in traditional style

The Bang Khao Eco Tourism village has plenty of natural attractions to see including the water lilies, water buffalo, the swamp tea forest (Melaleuca cajuputi), “Kong”(Hanguanaceae), algae, and other aquatic plants. This area is also well known for its nature and bird watching, which is another popular activity here.

The local Water Buffalo

After a relaxing day you will spend the evening in the company of the villagers, enjoying a delicious seafood dinner and hearing the stories from the local of Ban Khao about legends and the past as you relax and enjoy a home-stay experience in an outstanding countryside environment.

Nearby attractions include local weaving and handicraft villages, Khao Chaison hot springs, Sumano Cave, Rattaphum for kayaking and Khao Pu -Khao Ya National Park for camping and trekking adventure. Any of these attractions can be included as part of an itinerary in the Phattalung/Songkhla area and combined with a variety of nearby beach destinations including  Songkhla, Trang, Krabi , Satun and Nakhon Sri Thammarat.

Coconut shell products made by the villagers

A 1 night package for the Bang Khao Home stay includes accommodation , breakfast, lunch and dinner  (a cultural show during dinner) and the activities mentioned in the article. Longer stays are also possible.

For more information please contact us Xplore-Thailand, Specialists in Traditional Thai Tours and Travel.

For photos of the home-stay, please visit our face-book page and they are also featured on the TAT Hat Yai face-book page as well.

Koh Phayam Island

Unseen Thailand - Koh Phayam Island


This week we visit one of Thailand's lesser known of and visited Andaman Sea Islands, Koh Phayam.

Imagine staying on an Island with no cars, no ATM's, limited electricity and roads that are only traveled by bicycle/motorcycle and on foot! Welcome to the ultimate in Paradise - Koh Phayam Island, located just off the coast of Ranong, in south western Thailand, easily accessible by regular boat to the islands pier, Koh Phayam awaits to offer you, pure beauty and relaxation!

Welcome to Paradise 'Koh Phayam - Thailand

Unlike its more well known Andaman Sea counterparts Phuket and Phi-Phi Island, Koh Phayam has managed to escape from being over developed for mass-tourism, and has remained unspoilt, keeping its charm and traditions. The locals who live on this wonderful island, still make a living as those before them have done in the past,  from fishing the coastal waters, tapping rubber from the abundance of trees and growing cashew nuts all to sell, and now they have the added incentive of cultivating for the tourist, by offering tourism related tours and services, whilst retaining the islands natural environment and eco system.

Traditional local fishing boats

Koh Phayam Island is a small island, 10 kilometers long , 5 kilometers and home to a population of around 500 people. Since the arrival of tourism to the island, several resorts and bungalow properties have appeared along its has fantastic sandy beaches and coastline and Koh Phayam has managed to retain its beautiful appearance and relaxing tranquility, without being spoiled by large developments, which keeps the traditional Thai beach experience truly alive!

The main beach areas are Aow Yai and Aow Khao Kwai bays, with beautiful curving sandy beaches, they are ideal for sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling, as well as a good snooze in a hammock!
Koh Phayam island is a real beach lovers paradise, with clear clean waters , the under water coral, just waiting to be explored. Scuba diving is a very popular activity here too.

Most choices of accommodation are located near these beaches and at Buffalo Bay, home to the family orientated Buffalo Bay Vacation club, with wonderful bungalows, located in a lush beach garden setting. The deluxe bungalows featured in this photo also offer a beach-front location, overlooking Buffalo Bay.The beaches and waters around here make Koh Phayam ideal for a family holiday .The hotel offers a kids club with plenty of activities to keep them amused whilst the adults get some much need relaxation therapy!

Deluxe Beach-front bungalows at Buffalo Bay Vacation Club

A stay on Koh Phayam island can be as active or as relaxing as you wish for it to be. Apart from the obvious attractions of the beach and the sea, the islands inland is worth exploring on foot through the mangrove forests, home to a variety of nature and wildlife, treks through the forests and jungles can be arranged locally, birdwatching and kayaking are also popular activities here too.

Nearby, there are plenty of other places of interest to visit including nearby Chang Island, with more wonderful beaches and home to a local small horn-bill population. Further out into the Andaman sea are many small islands with beautiful beaches that you can hire long-tailed boats to and spend the days soaking up the sun, or enjoy the waters around them.

A trip to the fishing port town of Ranong on the mainland is definitely worth considering as the surrounding countryside is home to some fantastic scenery, more mangrove forests, ornate temples and volcanic hot springs, known for medicinal purposes, the waters retain a constant heat of around 65 degrees celsius!
Porn Rung Hot Spring in the Ngao National Park and the hot springs at the Raksawarin public park, are both very popular with locals and visitors alike. This area also has an abundance of waterfalls to trek to and swim in and  The Agro-Tourism garden is worth a visit, where you will see a variety of flora and fauna including wild orchids which are cultivated here.

Try one of Ranong's Volcanic Hot Springs!

For a spot of intrigue and shopping, trips to Son Island and Victoria point, parts of nearby Myanmar can also be arranged, where you can enjoy shopping for cheap souvenirs, have lunch, visit another country and return with your duty free items, all in a day. A visa may need to be obtained, before making this trip to Myanmar, so please check before traveling.

Then there's the history and nostalgia dating back to World War Two, the Japanese who used this area as a base and facilitate the transfer of war materials and suppliers into Myanmar, left behind some reminders of those dark times. A wreck of a warship, an underground tunnel and railway line near to Khao Fa Chi are all that remain of their military base.

Next time you consider Thailand as your holiday destination, make a point of including Koh Phayam in your itinerary, come for a couple of nights, weeks or even months if you have the time! and enjoy relaxing on one of arguably the most beautiful and tranquil islands in the Andaman Sea, Koh Phayam!

For more information about Koh Phayam visit www.kohphayam.org and contact Xplore-Asia Thailand, to arrange your dream getaway in paradise! ThailandXploreAsia

Local Thai Handicrafts

Ban Khiriwong Village
Nakhon Sri Thammarat

We start off by visiting the former royal city province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat in Southern Thailand. Steeped in History, local culture and housing one of the largest temples in the country outside of the capital, Bangkok, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, was once its own kingdom, before being brought into the Kingdom of Thailand.

Nowadays, Nakhon as the locals refer to her is a bustling Southern city offering plenty for the tourist. The coastline has wonderful beaches in the areas of Khanom and Sichon, inland the attractions are the mountains and waterfalls, fantastic for camping, trekking, kayaking and bird watching, and of course the city itself, with its main Buddhist Temple Wat Maharatat, the local history museum, traditional Thai style markets and handicraft stalls offering the tourist, a real insight into local culture and life.

Handicrafts are a very important part of Thai culture. Thais are taught the basic skills at schools and by their own families, who have handed them down over generations. Skills such as basket making, brass shaping, cloth dyeing for fabric products , traditional cloth weaving techniques and making wonderful products from coconut shells are very common in this area of Thailand

Many such products are produced locally in villages, and are sold to make a living and help provide an income for the local people and the country as a whole. The quality of these products is very high indeed, and their costs relatively low in comparison to what you would pay at home.

Xplore Asia Thailand takes you to one such village, located amongst the beautiful scenery of Khao Luang National Park, Ban Khiriwong Village is an Eco Tourism sufficiency village, where the locals have set up a handicrafts program to produce products for sale to provide the local economy and themselves with an income.

With Khao Luang mountain as a backdrop to the village, Khiriwong has plenty to offer the tourist, looking for adventure or relaxation, with home-stay programs, bird watching, camping and trekking all available here, in a wonderful setting.

For more information on Xplore-Asia's 3 night 4 day itinerary to Nakhon Sri Thammarat, including Khirwong village, contact us and visit our facebook site.

Next week, we take you to Koh Phayam, an unseen, little known and visited island just off of the coast of Ranong. See you soon.

A Warm Welcome from Xplore-Asia Thailand to our newest weekly blog

Welcome to Xplore Asia-Thailand's newest addition, our weekly blog. Each week, we will keep you up to date with all of our news from the Land of Smiles and provide you with an insight to the attractions and tours that you should consider, when making a visit to this wonderful country.

We will choose a destination and an itinerary of the week coupled with an attraction featured in the itinerary. For more details and to make a reservation, please contact us.



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