Ecotourism
is the current 'buzz' word for many travelers.
What
is eco tourism?
For PaddleAsia, it means touring with the utmost appreciation
for the environment with the highest concern for its
preservation. It
means not using words like 'pristine' to
describe destinations that are nice, but by no means
pristine.
Every
aspect of PaddleAsia's tours strives to minimize our
impact on the fragile eco
systems that we visit. The
preservation of the environment takes priority over
business profits for PaddleAsia. Our specialty is
getting away from other tour groups. Even in popular
destinations like Phang Nga Bay, it is still easy
to experience solitude if you know where to go.
We
offer programs that allow you to intimately experience
the wildlife,
birds,
the jungle and mountains of Southern Thailand from
the comfort of a traditional canoe, the seat of a
quality mountain
bike, up the face of a rock
or on foot.
The peace and tranquility of
a canoe is the absolute best way to experience the
waters of Thailand's national parks. We have the only
extensive fleet of real sit-inside
kayaks in the region. Comfort,
speed, stability and efficiency are the hallmarks
of traditional sit-inside kayaks. Guests get to paddle
their own kayak; guides don't do the paddling for
you. 
We
are dedicated birders.
Check out our recent
bird sightings page.
Jungle
Survival and Bushcraft Skills
We
also offer specialized tropical jungle
survival courses, coastal
survival courses and bushcraft
courses.
Our
favorite destination for jungle survival skills training
is Khao
Sok National Park. Due to
the very rugged terrain, remoteness, and thick verdant
jungle, Khao Sok is the most ideal destination for
this activity.
We
don't bother applying meaningless ecotourism awards,
instead, we live our lives and run our tours with
the preservation of the environment as the highest
priority. Safety is, of course, also at the top of
our priority list. We spend a lot of time, energy
and money learning the best practices in accident
avoidance as well as how do deal with medical care.
Our safety record is perfect. Furthermore, we are
a highly certified
tour operator. [Certifications listed
at bottom of this page]
Wildlife
Tours
Explore
the magic of southern Thailand's wildlife
and natural wonders by gliding through the jungles
and coastlines on one of our canoe eco tours. You
can also tailer your wildlife-spotting
tour.
Rock
Climbing Tours
We
offer unique rock climbing tours that concentrate
on learning proper climbing technique and on getting
in direct touch with the incredible limestone karst
formations on Khao Sok, Phang Nga Bay and Phang Nga
Province. As with our paddling trips, our goal is
to go where others don't go and to experience the
best nature-based trip possible. Check out our rock
climbing information. We also
offer tropical
mountaineering trips. 
If
you are limited for time and just want to get away
from Phuket or Krabi, we offer a one-day or a two-day
rock
climbing trip to Phang Nga Town
and nearby crags. Here are some photos of rock
climbing in Phang Nga Bay.
See
some more rock
climbing images from Koh Yao Noi
here.
We practice
'Leave No Trace' environmentally-responsble
rock climbing trips. That's why we specialize in trad
climbing and top-roping over sport climbing, though
we do offer sport climbing on certain climbing routes.
Our climbing guides are trained to international
safety standards.
Tour
Destinations
We
specialize in tours to all of the best destinations
in Southern Thailand, including the less-visited parts
of Phang
Nga Bay and Khao
Sok National Park The abundance and
variety of wildlife there is truly amazing. In addition
to paddling tours in Khao Sok, you can go rock
climbing, mountain
climbing, birding and hiking.
There are trails of every degree of difficulty.
The
small world in Khao Sok is also very appealing. A
wide array of small to minute plants and animals thrive
in the thick verdant jungle of the park. If you like
lizards, you’ll love this place. Flower and
fungi of all sizes reside throughout the region. Basically,
it’s a dream for macro photographers
or fans of the smaller world of wonders.
Fly
fishing can be added to your Khao
Sok adventure for no
extra charge.
PaddleAsia
eco tours are designed for
first-timers and beginners. No experience
is necessary.
We have a variety of canoes to suit all body sizes.
Our goal is to maximize your comfort. We also
have two-person canoes for those who are not sure
if they can paddle on their own. Here
is some information on the downside of less responsible
tourism.
Thailand
Trekking Tours
If
you enjoy trekking, you owe it to yourself
to give canoeing a try. You could take any trail in
any woodland or mountain in S E Asia and have a fair
chance of seeing wildlife. Then again, you could also
paddle a canoe and see things up close without having
to be concerned about leeches, snakes, spiders, and
the other aspects of land-based nature appreciation.
PaddleAsia
offers trekking trips in Khao Sok National Park and
Phang
Nga Province.
We appreciate the small world and the best way to
experience it is on foot.
The
insect world in Thailand is extremely interesting.
Combination canoeing and trekking offers you the best
chance of seeing both the big stuff and the little
stuff. It's all available in Southern Thailand.
Mountain
Biking Tours
PaddleAsia
also offers
cycling trips in Phang Nga Province.
These trips are designed for both experience mountain
bikers as well as first-timers. This area gets almost
no tourism, so it's a journey into authentic rural
Thai village life.
If
you're looking for an exceptional experience on a
mountain bike, check out our Coast
to Coast Cycling Trip. You'll
cross the entire Malay Peninsula and you'd be mostly
off-road.
If
you have limited time, but still want to experience
the best mountain biking available in Phuket. We offer
full-day Phuket
mountain biking trips.
PaddleAsia has pioneered small
group canoeing, mountain biking, rock climbing, survival
training
and birding ecotourism to off-the-beaten-path destinations
throughout Southern Thailand.
