Thailand Special Interests - Amazing Thailand Tourism and Travel Directory

Elephant Training
Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, 28 kilometres outside Lampang on the main highway to Chiang Mai, has replaced the former Elephant Training School at Ngao. Logging training sessions for young elephants are held daily at 9.00 AM in an attractive forest setting, and visitors are welcome.

Jungle Treks
Most popularly originating from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, these 2-6 day treks take visitors through forested mountains and high meadows in what are, actually, the lower extremities of Himalayan foothills. Major attractions are remote hilltribe villages. Mountains surrounding Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai host seven major, once-itinerant hill tribes of Tibeto-Burman origin - - the Meo, Lisu, Lahu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen. Each has distinctive dialects, costumes and customs.

Orchid Farms
Several establishments in the suburbs of Bangkok, and in Chiang Mai and Chon Buri province welcome visitors who may wish to admire, purchase or learn more about these fabled blooms.

Traditional Thai Massage
Courses are taught principally in Bangkok's Wat Pho, "home" of traditional Thai massage. Thai massage is also offered in Wat Mahathat and Wat Parinayok, both in Bangkok.

Wildlife Sanctuaries National Parks
Thailand has some 50 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries covering more than 25,000 square kilometres. Evenly spread throughout the kingdom, such places afford nature lovers opportunities to enjoy Thai flora and fauna in unspoiled surroundings. The most popular in
terms of convenient accessibility and immediately visible attractions are as follows:

Khao Yai National Park lies some 200 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, covers more than 540,000 acres, has an average elevation of 800 metres and a highest peak of 1,351 metres. The park supports elephants, tigers, bears, giant hombills and other protected wildlife, countless species of wild flowers, trees and spectacular waterfalls.

Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai province covers Thailand's highest mountain (2,565 metres). Forest above 1,800 metres is covered with lichens and wild orchids while at lower levels several lovely waterfalls share the mountainside with Meo and Karen hilltribe villages.

Ko Samet in Rayong province is the focal point of a Marine National Park. The narrow, 6 kilometre long island numbers among Thailand's most beautiful islands and is fringed by splendid beaches, dazzling coral reefs and limpid waters ideal for snorkelling and scubadiving.

Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi province is extremely popular. The mountainside forest setting contains the seventiered Erawan Waterfall, widely regarded as one of Thailand's loveliest cascades.

Sam Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province provided major settings for the award-winning movie The Killing Fields. A multi-peaked, thinly forested limestone mass rises majestically from coastal marshes that host numerous waterfowl species. Caves, islands, fine beaches and frequently seen wildlife comprise major attractions.

Khu Khut Waterfowl Park in Songkhla province occupies 520 square kilometres of the Great SongkhIa Lake and hosts some 140 resident and migratory species.

Ao Phang Nga National Park in Phang Nga province featured prominently in the James Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun. Verdant limestone islands, honeycombed with caves and aquatic grottoes, soar perpendicularly from almost perpetually calm waters. Major attractions include prehistoric rock paintings and a stilted Muslim fishing village.

Tarutao Marine National Park in Satun province, 31 kilometres off the southern Thai coast near the Thai-Malaysian Indian Ocean maritime border, is a 51 -island cluster covering some 1,400 square kilometres, and offers some of Southeast Asia's best scuba-diving waters.

Ko Samui and Ang Thong Marine National Park, covering an area of over 250 square kilometres, is located in Surat Thani province and composed of various islands noted for silvery sand and colourful coral reefs. Access to the islands can be made either from Ban Don, Surat Thani or Don Sak in Nakhon Si Thammarat.