Organized Tours

Adventure & Wellness Travel

While for some, the ideal holiday is days spent rolling around on a beach sipping juicy cocktails, others want to push themselves to the limit, seeking thrills and adventure. Fortunately, Thailand's well-developed tourism industry offers lots of upcountry options for the more intrepid traveler. Routes have opened up nature's wild side to those who would dare, and many operators have jockeyed into place, providing adventure-travel options that are well planned and safe for everyone, from beginners to experts. The following section will give you an overview of the many options, but for planning details refer to the specific destination chapters throughout this book.

The first thing many people consider for an active vacation is scuba diving or snorkeling. Living coral reefs grace the waters of the Andaman Sea, off Thailand's southwest coast and the Gulf of Thailand. More than 80 species of coral have been discovered in the Gulf, while the deeper and more saline Andaman has more than 210. Marine life includes hundreds of species of fish, plus numerous varieties of crustaceans and sea turtles. With the aid of scuba gear, divers can get an up-close-and-personal view of this undersea universe. For those without certification, many reefs close to the surface are still vibrant.

From Phuket, you can take a day trip that includes two or three dives. Long-term scuba trips on live-aboard boats run seasonally; Fantasea's Ocean-Rover has just inaugurated the region's first golf-dive trips. Always check that an operator has PADI-certified dive masters, and that their boats are carrying the full bevy of certificates of approval issued by international marine safety organizations. Scuba training and certification packages are common and can have you ready to dive in 5 days. Pretty much every beach has independent operators or guesthouses that rent snorkels, masks, and fins for the day. A few boat operators take snorkelers to reefs off neighboring islands -- especially from Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Koh Samui, and Pattaya.

Thailand's mountainous jungle terrain in the north has become a haven for trekkers. At the same time, human rights organizations have highlighted the damage this does to sustainability in remote villages inhabited by poor hill-tribes -- where the places visited have become no more than paying human zoos.

Choose your operator carefully and look out for NGO-led projects where the local people reap real benefits from your visit. Treks can last 3 to 10 nights but usually involve no more than 3 to 4 hours of walking on jungle paths. All tours provide local guides to accompany groups, and the guides will keep the pace steady but comfortable for all trekkers involved. Some trips break up the monotonous walking with treks on elephant-back, in four-wheel-drive jeeps, or light rafting on flat bamboo rafts. Chiang Mai has the most trekking firms, while Chiang Rai, Pai, and Mae Hong Son also have their share of trekking companies. Recommended trekking operators are North By Northeast (tel. 04251-3572; www.north-by-north-east.com) and Active Travel (tel. 05327-7178; www.activethailand.com).

River rafting in rubber dinghies and kayaks is becoming increasingly popular in Thailand, with operators taking off in places like Pai. Winding through dense jungles, past rock formations and local villages, these trips include camping and sometimes trekking. Rapids are rarely extreme but are big enough to be loads of fun, and safety measures are taken seriously.

A few lucky folks know that Thailand is home to one of the top 10 climbing walls in the world. Rock climbing at Railay Beach in Krabi is attracting lovers of the sport, who come to have a go at these challenging cliffs. Views are breathtaking -- you'll get to take in truly amazing scenery out into the Andaman and surrounding islands. A few small outfits accept beginners for training or will organize climbs for more specialized experts, providing all the necessary equipment.

If the wild isn't calling you, know that Thailand also has a number of wellness programs, varying from posh beach resorts like the Chiva-Som in Hua to low-key centers, such as the chain of colonic centers known as The Spa. Health programs at these centers may include yoga, tai chi, massage, fasting, and alternative therapies. Some of these centers also offer meditation, but those who'd prefer a deeper immersion can look at some of the short-stay or longer residential courses that teach the Theravada Buddhist tradition of meditation and developing insight, known as Vipassana. The most well promoted residencies are those at Wat Suan Mokkh or Wat Kaew Tham. In the north, there's Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong. Courses are held in Bangkok at Wat Mahathat, or The House of Dhamma.

You might also consider a course in Thai massage. It's now easy to find massage schools all over Thailand, but most teach in Thai. However, big-name spa Chiva-Som in Hua Hin has set up an academy in Bangkok's Sukhumvit Soi 63 where, unlike most places, a huge range of wellness techniques are at last being taught in English by trained therapists. See www.chivasomacademy.com for info.

Volunteer Travel

If you've always wanted to get close to elephants, Thailand is the place for you -- you can volunteer or work with elephants at a number of places here. The best are the courses at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center at Lampang (tel. 05422-9042), where you can train to be an elephant "mahout" and learn how to hop on and steer your very own 2-ton elephant. You'll get to know the language of the elephants (a mix of Thai and Karen words) and you'll also be called upon to feed and wash them.

Those seriously interested in marine conservation can join the volunteer team at Koh Phra Thong near Phuket, where an Italian-led nonprofit organization called Naucrates (www.naucrates.org) has spent almost a decade educating local communities on ecological issues and monitoring the decline of local turtles. They also run a mangrove revitalization scheme.

Also read Vagabonding (Villard, 2002), travel writer Rolf Potts's own personal guide to escaping the routine and finding ways to work around the globe. It's an intriguing read for those wanting to break free and discover volunteer and work opportunities during their travels.