Kiriwong Cultural Tour
This voluntourism trip is specially designed to combine some of Kiriwong Community-based Tourism Club’s most popular activities with new volunteer activities, suggested by ‘CBT Club’ members. The trip has been designed to be a fun experience which empowers both hosts and guests by striking a balance between learning and teaching; giving and receiving.
Highlights
Visit the birthplace of Thai Theravada Buddhism
Friendly homestay in Kiriwong village
Explore the diversity of the local fruit orchards
Trek through the beautiful jungles and mountains of Khao Luang National Park including overnight camp
Learn about the local process of tie dyeing from the plants we gather in the jungle
Spend a day volunteering on a local community project
Farewell party including local specialities
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Nakorn Sri Thammarat and Kiriwong
Today, we will meet our local guide in Nakorn Sri Thammarat, one of Southern Thailand’s best kept secrets. ‘Nakhon’ is alive with a vibrant mixture of Buddhist and Islamic cultures and a rich historical ambience. Nakhon also has fewer tourists than many nearby Thai cities, so the local people are particularly friendly and really excited to introduce guests to their homes.
In the morning, we will visit one of Thailand’s most ancient and revered temples, and the spiritual heart of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Wat Pramahathat. This is the largest temple in Southern Thailand, and it is believed to contain relics of the Buddha brought to Thailand by Queen Hem Chala of Sri Lanka more than a thousand years ago. Wat Pramahatat is considered by historians to be the birthplace of Thai Theravada Buddhism.
After the temple visit, we will travel by songteow to the Kiriwong community, nestled in the jungle and mountains of Kao Luang National Park. Upon arrival in Kiriwong, we will be met by a member of Kiriwong’s Community based Ecotourism Club, welcomed to Kiriwong village and given a short orientation, including information about local history, culture and Thai language. There will also be a chance for guests and hosts to share their expectations for the village visit, jungle camping and volunteering program.
Later, our guide will take us to explore Kiriwong community, where you will experience one of the most amazing community activities anywhere in the world. 30 different local groups make fruit wine, jewellry, soap, cosmetics and tie dyed clothing - using only natural, environmentally friendly materials.
Our accommodation will be in a hospitable family home, with members of the local ‘homestay group.’ These families have chosen to welcome guests because they enjoy the chance to meet visitors and practice a little English! We will have dinner with our host families and there will be time to relax and practice some Thai using language sheets that will be given to all guests. Your tour leader will also drop in during the evening to help you ask any special questions. Remember too that ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’, so don’t forget to bring some photos of your home to show your host family. (L, D)
Day 2
Today, we will set off with the local Community based Ecotourism Trekking Group into the emerald forests of Khao Luang National Park. This park covers 570 km2 of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, and includes Southern Thailand’s highest peak at 1,835 meters, giving the park a range of forest types from lowland to “cloud forest”. The park is recognized as a biodiversity “hotspot” with an exceptional amount of stunning flora and fauna. Tropical rainforest covering the park is part of the oldest terrestrial ecosystem on earth.
On the way up the mountain, we will pass the fruit orchards which sustain Kiriwong community. For over 200 years, Kiriwong’s families have developed the ‘suan som som’ system of mixed fruit orchards by carefully selecting wild seeds from the jungle and then planting various kinds of fruit trees, such as durian, coconut, mangosteen, jackfruit, banana and ginger. This unique local form of agro-forestry has been passed down through the generations, and mixes an astonishing number of flora within the same area. The benefits of maintaining such high biodiversity include soil renewal, nutrient cycling and thus consistently high yields of high quality fruits. These orchards have been at the heart of Kiriwong’s unique lifestyle and culture for over 200 years.
On the trail, we can stop to collect fresh fruits for tonight’s desert, and learn from our local guides about different edible and medicinal forest plants. In the evening, we will enjoy a peaceful night in Kiriwong’s own jungle camp! (B, L, D)
Day 3
On our way back down the mountain we will experience more jungle scenery and collect materials for a natural dying workshop in the afternoon.
Almost a decade ago, Kiriwong Community set up "Glum Mad Yom," the Natural Tied-Dyed Clothing Cooperative. This project has become a famous symbol of community initiative in Thailand, giving local people the chance to adapt their traditional forest knowledge to earn extra income, use local natural resources in an environmentally friendly way, and enjoy fun social activities. Their products are beautiful, and during this workshop, we will learn how to make natural dyed cloth, from the raw materials that we collected together in the jungle, through to the finished product – a unique scarf or shirt made with our own hands, and ready to take home!
This evening, we will meet to discuss tomorrow’s volunteer activities. After the briefing, we will return to our homestay families for dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 4
Today we will join together with the local people to lend a hand with volunteer projects that Kiriwong community has requested our assistance to support. Volunteering will require a mixture of our heads, hands and hearts. Specific activities will depend on the season. In particular, however, the community has requested that we participate in environmental activities with the local youth. This could include ‘waste clean ups’, local youth camps, or environmental surveys. We could also spend time teaching some simple English or computing, helping to develop English language resources for the local Kiriwong Information Centre, or building up a sweat though physical work like painting or repairing local community buildings. If you are a budding chef, you may also be asked to share a favourite mouth-watering recipe!
Tonight we will have a meal together to share our impressions and experiences with each other and with our hosts. The menu will include some classic dishes, and also some unusual local specialties. Music and good company will make for a great evening with our new friends in Kiriwong! (B, L, D)
Day 5
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