Visiting the North Andaman Coast the Friendly Way

Andaman Discoveries offers experiences of traditional culture and ecology of rural, coastal Thailand. Several village tours are available, including cultural tours, family tours and hands-on tours. Each of the village tours contains a diverse mix of cultural exchange, ecological and handicraft-making activities. The tours are designed for everybody, regardless of age or ability, including mature and single travelers. In addition, to village tours and homestays, AD also can arrange long-term volunteering placements and study tours, and can book tours to Koh Surin and the Koh Ra Ecolodge. AD activities include: Eco tours, jungle hiking, island and snorkeling trips, mangrove exploration, orchid conservation, cycling and fishing trips with subsistence fishermen; Interactive tours, including handicraft workshops at the Ban Talae Nok Handmade Soap Cooperative and Ban Talae Nok Batik Group; And cultural tours, such as workshops, livelihood exchange (weaving fishing nets, making squid traps, roasting cashew nuts, driving a long-tail boat, rubber tapping and picking fruit), Thai cooking, and dessert making. For those who want to give back, AD also offers “hands-on” tours: Mangrove reforestation, orchid conservation, beach clearance, and teaching English to children, adults and local guides. For travellers with a bit more time, AD offers placements at the Phuket Special School for disabled children, a Southern Thailand Orphanage, as well as teaching English at the Burmese Learning Center at Kuraburi Pier. AD can arrange study tours, home-stays with host families and handicraft cooperatives, conservation work, as well as the opportunity to try out new tourist activities and check out new community-led projects. How it helps: People who aspire to travel less invasively and give something back to the communities they visit can be overwhelmed by the myriad of companies that tout “community-based tourism, responsible travel, sustainable travel, eco tours” et cetera. Andaman Discoveries claims it has been the real deal from the beginning. It evolved from the North Andaman Tsunami Relief (NATR), a non-profit organization that has implemented more than 120 projects in 12 tsunami-affected communities since 2005. After meeting basic needs stemming from the tsunami, discussions led to livelihood development. Villagers decided that community-based tourism (CBT) would provide additional income, support the continuity of their traditions and lifestyle, and aid sustainable resource management. Meaningful and interactive activities for guests were developed in tandem with the necessary training for the villagers. Responsible tours and volunteer placements in these communities create numerous employment opportunities through homestay, handicraft production and guiding. Guests do not merely watch the villagers going about their daily lives, but become part of it through various livelihood activities. The fact that people are spending their time and money to experience natural ecology and traditional livelihoods shows the communities the importance of preserving these assets.