Thailand2002_Itinerary

Bangkok
The team will fly into this fascinating and diverse city - the Orient's most cosmopolitan. Time will be spent here acclimatising to the temperature and way of life. Thailand's capital might well come as a shock to the senses, but there is plenty to see for anyone prepared to put up with the heat and confusion. Despite the city being incredibly urbanised beneath its modern veneer lies an unmistakable "Thai-ness".

Acclimatisation Trek
These now constitute a huge 34,500sq km (12,700sq miles) of Thailand. Of particular note is Khao Yai park because of its bird life and waterfalls. Iridescent kingfishers and orange-breasted, red-headed trogons flit beneath the shade of leafy canopies. Gibbons and flying squirrels, elephants, black bears and tigers dwell in these vast stretches of evergreen. An initial acclimatisation trek here would enable the team to adjust to the heat and humidity whilst ironing out any preliminary expeditioning problems.

Community Project
Currently we have projects including working in a childrens primary school in Nan (north-east), also working amongst villages helping develop communities and working practices. It is also possible to incorporate a cultural phase, detailed below, this would allow team members to learn at first hand about the way of life in the more rural parts of the country.

Cultural phase
Imagine living in an authentic hill tribe, hunting, farming, cooking etc. There are exciting opportunities to spend a few days with one of the many hill tribes learning their traditions and values. They occupy the highland areas that fringe the Northern regions of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and Tak.

Main Trekking Phase
The team would embark on their main trekking phase in the lush jungle of northern regions. The team will have the option of employing elephants to trek to the nearby hill tribes, and rafting along the country's extensive river network. This is not the normal white water rafting but bamboo rafting! The rafts themselves are constructed by the locals in the north-west of Thailand.

Rest and Relaxation
Due to Thailand's extensive coastline there is no lack of beautiful beaches and islands to relax on. Returning southward to Bangkok and onwards to the less touristed islands such as Koh Chang or Koh Tao enables the team to relax before returning home