The Andaman Discoveries Blog Archive

by Jenny LovellI went to the 7 Pools, which is a local treasure. The hike is about 2 hours into the jungle, with thick brambles and groves of bamboo dotting the trail. We had to hike in and out within a few hours so that we weren't stuck in the jungle after nightfall. The gibbons are not friendly after sunset in the Kuraburi hills.We saw a series of fascinating natural phenomenon, including these amazing vines that zig-zagged like snakes and huge ant mansions.When we got to the top of the hike, we got into the most amazing series of pools [...]

Youth in Action Final SeminarIt was the belief of Thomas Jefferson that every generation needs a new revolution, and for the past year Youth in Action for Next Generations (YNG) strived to make sustainability a key issue for the next one. This global project, organized by Pistes-Solidaires, actively united young people from both developed and developing countries in sustainable development projects. In Thailand, Andaman Discoveries collaborated with Mangrove Action Project (MAP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to create a network of ten youth groups in the North Andaman region.Andaman Discoveries hosted the final meeting in November [...]

UK Family Supports Environmental EffortAndaman Discoveries and the village of Ban Talae Nok are extremely grateful to the Hannah Family (UK). Shortly after their recent village homestay, this benevolent family of four donated 10,000 Thai Baht (about $290) to the Ban Talae Nok Youth Group to support a regular beach clean-up effort. “We had such a fab stay at the village and thoroughly enjoyed the relatively unspoilt beauty of the coast there. We believe it would be a good thing, for everybody, if the beach was kept free of rubbish,” said Susan Hannah.Every two months the youth – armed with [...]

N-ACT supports communities through survey toursThe trekkers were rewarded with views of Waterfall La-On Dao.Two intrepid trekkers from Germany ventured deep into the Ban Na jungle with N-ACT program manager Nattaya “Nat” Sektheera and five local guides this July. Ani and Anne were excited by the unique opportunity to join a survey tour in a local community while volunteering at a tsunami-orphan aid project near Khao Lak. The jungle trek consisted of two days and one night of camping.“We had a wonderful time on the trek, the guides were so knowledgeable and helpful. Nat, our translator, was fantastic. She helped [...]

N-ACT Group Management TrainingNineteen people from six area villages took part in a group management training to help define current status of tourism in their village and learn how to work in a team. Expert facilitation was provided by Mangrove Action Project, with support from the Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism.Villagers from the North Andaman Region came together for three days in June with one common goal: to learn how to most effectively manage their CBT programs. The first day of the training allowed for everyone to get to know each other, understand each other’s communities and individual CBT programs. The [...]

From Tung La Ong pier, the departure point from the mainland, the light of dawn shimmered off the dense mist draped over the distant mountains, coating the rainforest with what looked like a rippled layer of icing. Two festively-painted fishing boats idled nearby while women perfunctorily sorted the previous night’s catch. Here I met Nu, my boat driver, a quiet but amiable young man with a shock of jet-black hair that he wears in the rough-cut mullet style currently in vogue in Thai pop culture. With a vigorous crank, our traditional longtail’s engine came to life in a piercing fit, [...]

Sponsor a Child TodayStudents have a lot on their minds: mathematics, history, language, and science, to name a few. Wondering how to pay for a school uniform or transportation to school should not be among those concerns. That’s why Andaman Discoveries started a scholarship program as part of its initial tsunami relief work. “The scholarship helps me achieve my dreams,” said scholarship recipient Chanthip Sunsab of Tung Dap (pictured). Andaman Discoveries scholarships provide financial support for 129 underprivileged in the region children like Chanthip, allowing them to complete high school. The money from the scholarships helps offset expenses like school [...]

We set out on a Sunday morning with daypacks and water in tow. Three members of the Andaman Discoveries’ team, Nat from N-ACT (North Andaman Community Tourism) and seven Nakha villagers departed for a hike into the Nakha forest. Our expedition was driven by the goal to see one of the world’s largest flowers, commonly known as Bua Poot, Raffleasia or stinking corpse lily.A dense forest teaming with life of the crawling ant variety, twisted vines and the Thailand humidity made for a strenuous day of adventure.The plan was described as an estimated three-hour hike to see an extraordinary wonder [...]

All together now!N-ACT unites communities, responsible tour operators, and other stakeholders in community development.The North Andaman Community Tourism (N-ACT) network was established over a year ago to help local communities secure their future through sustainable tourism and conservation. With support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), new villages are developing activities for guests.Tung Dap and Muang Kluang will begin receiving respectful guests in the next few months. Other recent successes include promoting Ban Talae Nok soaps to several distributors, sharing the “North Andaman Adventure Handbook” with select tour operators, and visiting a rare hot/cold springs that the [...]

Andaman Discoveries was happy to host Farang Untamed Travel magazine writer Jim Algie, who spent a few days with us in Kuraburi and in Ban Talae Nok this month. Jim provided us with the following excerpt from his forthcoming article:If I live through another 100 reincarnations I never want to visit, or write about, the big glitzy beach resorts of Thailand again, which could be almost anywhere in the Andaman or the Costa del Samui, or Bali or Hawaii: take your pick and it’s mostly the same franchised, five-star shtick. For the last few years I’ve preferred to venture down [...]

Karen befriends the local youth in Ban Talae NokThis month Andaman Discoveries welcomed Karen Spackman, who joins us from Stirlingshire, Scotland, via Andaman Discoveries’ new partner TWIN UK. Karen is currently piloting two new long-term volunteering programs: teaching English at the Temple Kindergarten, and vocational English at the Kuraburi hospital. “This is turning out to be such a fantastic experience for me, I have been made to feel part of the team as well as the community since arriving in Kuraburi. Working with the local children and nurses has really helped transform me from being just another tourist to a [...]

Cha accepts the award of “Outstanding Performance: Best Eco Tourism attraction” in BangkokThe Eco Tourism club of Ban Talae Nok won the silver Kinnaree Award for “Outstanding Performance: Best Eco Tourism Attraction” in this year’s Thailand Tourism Awards, presented by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). “I’m very proud of our village. There are communities who are supported by larger organizations, sometimes even by the government, and still couldn’t win the award,” said village chief Raywat Harnjit.A 20-member selection committee from TAT visited the village in August and assessed it on such criteria as environmental stewardship, community participation, sufficiency-economy philosophy, [...]