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.

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.