Whitewater Rafting in Phang-nga

July 8, 2011 by  
Filed under Activities, New Release


FAST FUN AND EXCITING EXPERIENCE


Although there are no large rivers in Krabi, nearby Phang Nga province is a good place to enjoy this eco-friendly adventure sport. Most rafting trips take place on the Khlong Song Phraek stream in the Ton Paritwat Wildlife Sanctuary, not far from Phang Nga Town. This stream is quite narrow with a few boulders. A lot of fun if you do not mind getting wet but pretty tame if you have been whitewater rafting on larger rivers.
The trip is quite short, only taking about half a day. Most rafting trips to the area can include the possibility of other activities such as elephant trekking or ATV driving to one of the waterfalls in the wildlife sanctuary. Whitewater rafting in Phang Nga is available year round, though the rainy season, from June to November, is by far the best time to go. Enjoy non-stop, action packed wave crashing, white water rafting river adventure. Will take you down the beautiful Ton Paritwat Wildlife Sanctuary river and enjoy breath-taking views, but be warned, be prepared to get very wet.

Where’s the Water?

‘Water on demand’ makes rafting on the Tone Pariwat stream a unique experience
I held a life jacket in my hands, but hesitated to put it on. When I was first told to prepare for white-water rafting on Tone Pariwat, a stream flowing through lush jungle of Phangnga province, I expected a fierce flow of water which would be hard to navigate. But before my eyes was a narrow stream, only 30cm deep and flowing slowly. Although late April is the dry season in Thailand, rafting on the Tone Pariwat should still be possible, as Phangnga is well known for rain all year round. But I was surprised how dry it was. The stream flows from Tone Pariwat, the waterfall in the Tone Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary, 3km to the rafting area.


I almost laughed out loud when a group of foreign tourists, wearing helmets and life-jackets, settled in a raft by the dry stream. “Do you still expect some fun rafting?” someone shouted “With this stream, I think we’ll have to push the raft all the way.” Anyway, I was warned again by the staff of the rafting company to put on my safety gear and get ready. “Okay,” I said as I sat in the rubber raft, with no idea how we were going to go rafting. At least I did not forget to grab a waterproof bag for my camera. But then the water level rose quickly to one metre in only five minutes. The rapidly rising water level caused a small amount of chaos when some of the rafts drifted away. Passengers, who at first had seemed hesitant, now changed their minds and jumped into the rafts. “We open the dam gates,” a member of staff shouted. “There are four small reservoirs around here. We open them once a day in the afternoon. There’ll be enough water for rafting for about an hour.” And then another dam gate was opened, adding more water to the stream. “Go! Go! Go!” a rafter shouted, as 20 colourful rubber rafts started their exciting journey down the stream. “We only have an hour before the stream dries up again.” The small stream now turned into a torrent, splashing everyone with its white waves. The sudden rise of the water level made most tourists forget what they had been told, and a member of staff shouted for them to hold on tight as the raft headed towards a big rock, before he paddled hard and we avoided it. The raft could not avoid all the rocks, but those we hit, we just bounced off. Fortunately, the stream was not too fierce – the raft hit rocks only now and then. Nobody was injured, and the raft was filled with laughter. “We’ll raft for five kilometres, just take care of your camera and hold on tight,” I was warned. The stream snaked though orchards and jungle, allowing the rafters to enjoy the real jungle of Phangnga. When there were no difficult rapids, rafters just splashed each other. When the water level is right, rafting through the jungle of Phangnga at Tone Pariwat is a fun ride.

SOURCE : http://bangkokpost.com/travel/travelscoop/37610/where-s-the-water?awesm=fbshare.me_AN5ny

 

 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN KRABI
White Water Rafting in Ton Paritwat

 

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