BootsnAll Travel Network



Different Things To Do In Thailand: Build A Rainforest Camp!

Green Wall

A large part of Ko Libong is covered with rainforest, which is protected under the ‘no hunting zone’. On my first day at the Nature Resort I decided to go for a walk up the hill at its back. The path let through fields and a rubber plantation, one of many that cover the flatter parts of Ko Libong like a park landscape with trees arranged in military rows.

I hesitated—this looked like private land—but a man sitting on the porch of a hut by the plantation’s edge waved me on. His dog Leila bounded after me, ignoring his calls, her nose to the ground and tail wagging in the air. There would be no snakes accosting us here!

My Adopted Dog Leila

The hill may only have been two hundred metres high, but the afternoon heat was intense. I looked for a stick to lean on, and when the third one snapped under my weight I remembered that a tropical plantation is no place to pick up a walking stick when the beach nearby is littered with termite-free driftwood.

Never mind, there it was: the jungle’s edge, like a green wall. There was no getting through without a machete.

The Professor laughed. “Ah yes, nature is throwing up a barrier against the plantations! But when you go inside the jungle it’s dark and cool and you can walk easily.”

I remembered that from Africa. Mature rainforest is nature’s very own park landscape, with hardly any undergrowth in the cathredal-like duskiness. Here the barrier is formed by the canopy, with tree branches and epiphytes vying for the light.

“Well, it would be nice to have access to it…”

This view was echoed by the Swedish Engineer. Touring the island on mountainbikes or kayaking through the mangroves was too strenuous for the kids, whereas the jungle was almost on top of the resort. “Why not build a forest path and a tree platform where the children can spend the night? It would be such an adventure!”

“Yes of course,” the Professor said. “It’s a wonderful idea and the land is there. I just don’t have the manpower.”

The Swedish Engineer continued to talk about a place where he and his family had stayed, which was built on the outskirts of the rainforest with hornbills flying right among the bungalows. I thought about the Lizardking who had described and photographed no fewer than sixteen species of reptiles and amphibians during a five-day stay in the immediate vicinity of the Nature Resort. Libong has a lot more to offer than seagrass and dugongs.

And this is what impressed me about the Libong Nature Beach Resort: the Lizardking’s report and the results of the latest dugong survey were displayed at the bar for everyone to take a look at, and there was plenty of information on display about the island’s nature, culture and activities on offer. Something for everyone.

“Hm, you have volunteers here,” I said. “And you say that you have tents…”

“Yes, quite a few tents.”

“Well, so a whole group of volunteers could come up to construct a rainforest camp. They could build a path and a tree platform which could be used by scientists as well as by kids and tourists to sleep on. They would complement each other perfectly!”

“Yes of course, that could be arranged”.

So there you have it: another expedition proposal. Get hacking and sweating in the jungle and catch the bugs while I’ll be snorkelling around in the seagrass beds 😉

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