Expedition Life
Thailand Community Development Expedition

The expedition offers numerous incredibly exciting opportunities to its members. As an expedition member you may have the opportunity to:

• Enjoy a unique Thai cultural adventure by immersing yourself in a traditional Thai community within a stunning tropical paradise, living and working alongside local people, and experiencing their culture, food and way of life
• Take the opportunity to learn some of the Thai language, which will be incredibly useful if you decide to continue traveling in the country or use your new skills to work within Thailand
• Become immediately immersed in English language classes, teaching English in the local schools and community and gaining a TEFL qualification
• Design and plan your own English language lessons, taking responsibility for the course content and the presentation techniques you decide to use
• Gain certifications and celebrate with local language students
• Assist both the child and adult environmental education and awareness programs, visiting and teaching within the local schools, hotels, the expedition base and in the open environment
• Assist in the development of a local community center
• Learn about local livelihoods such as rubber-tapping, palm oil production or cashew harvesting
• Relax and party with your new-found friends at the well-deserved weekly fiesta!
• Learn how to cook a number of tasty Thai dishes, including some regional favorites
• Go on amazing side-trips, including to Wat Tham Seua (the Tiger Cave Temple) – a forest monastery built upon a karst cliff which has stunning views
• Go on a variety of other spectacular adventures, which may include to the Than Bok Khorani National Park – a winding, crystal-clear stream; to spectacular limestone caves to see their amazing array of stalactites and stalagmites; to one or more of the region’s world famous beaches.
• Take a boat trip around Phang-Nga Bay to view the impressive islands of towering limestone that are surrounded by waters that remain calm all year, as well as scenic wonders and abundant wildlife.. This trip is Ao Luk’s unseen version of the area’s James Bond Island tour but you won’t see any other tourists on this trip. You will also be able to marvel at the mangrove forests and swamps that are cut by winding channels and waterways. This leisurely daytrip that takes you cruising through the dramatic limestone islands, occasionally stopping to enjoy quiet beaches, is far more rewarding than the standard bus-boat tour.
• Post-expedition: obtain teacher and environmental placements and job opportunities globally.

Side Trips / Other Opportunities

Side trips cost extra but are worth it as within the surrounding area there are opportunities to:

• Take a remarkable cruise to Phi Phi Island in Maya Bay, Phi Phi Ley, to see the sights of the beautiful area that was the location for the film ‘The Beach’ (which starred Leonardo DiCaprio)
• Visit the remnants of a 160 million year-old rainforest at Khao Sok National Park, home to Rafflesia Kerri Meyer (the world’s largest flower), as well as wild elephants, leopards, serow, banteng, guar, dusky languor, tigers, Malayan sun bears and over 180 bird species. Here you can sleep in a tree house by the river, hike to waterfalls or float your way down the river in inner tubes
• See Khao Khien – an islet that has ancient depictions of animals and boats which date back over 3,000 years and appear low on the mountain walls, just above the tide line of this shore-less island (which were presumably drawn by ancient mariners)
• Enjoy sea canoeing around the nearby world-famous national marine park, Ao Phang-Nga – a geological wonder filled with islets, sunken caverns and startling rock formations rising out of the sea. The bay is extremely sheltered, making it ideal for expeditions of sea canoes to explore the many fascinating caverns which have their own ecosystems
• Travel in a long tail speedboat just like James Bond!
• Take advantage of local dive centers to experience diving amid one of the most pristine and spectacular examples of the coral reef environment in warm, crystal-clear waters. If you are lucky, you might even see turtles and dolphins up-close in their natural environment. You can also pay extra to have lessons to attain to an internationally-recognized diving certification. Experienced divers can go diving at the world famous Similan Islands, which are considered some of the best in the world
• Visit Mu Ko Similan National Park, the famed diving grail of the Similan Islands, 50 kilometers off the coast in the Andaman Sea. Quite understandably it was voted one of the top ten loveliest places on earth by Skin Diving Magazine. There is great natural beauty on the islands themselves and on the extensive coral reefs surrounding them, which have abundant sea life and great water clarity.
• Immerse yourself in the Thai culture of the area, visiting the temples as well as remote and untouched ancient archaeological sites.