Ecotourism in Thailand

In search of further ‘green travel’, my next port of call signalled something of a sea change in surroundings, as I boarded the ferry from Centrepoint Pier to Koh Kut. The emerald-hued island lies opposite the Thai/Cambodia border in the Gulf of Thailand, but remains relatively unknown. Despite its hemline of dazzling sand and translucent coves, it has so far resisted the siren call of industrialsized tourism that has swept Phuket and Koh Samui. And if the name sounds familiar, it might be because of Koh Kut’s lone luxury resort, the 2014 Thailand Green Award-winning eco-hotel Soneva Kiri. A dizzying counterpoint to the homespun simplicity of the CBT villages, Soneva Kiri lies firmly on the exclusive side. The standard room was a private villa with an infinity pool, merged with patches of rainforest. This ultimate in eco-luxury is a place where lunch, if you like, is sushi on your sun lounger. It is the sort of castaway reverie where you might wash up one in a lifetime (unless you are Madonna, who comes here often). Fireflies lit my path to dinner as a symphony of croaking and chirping emanated from the undergrowth.

“So, what’s your take on Paradise?” grinned the resort’s resident ‘social and environmental sustainability coordinator’ Martijn van Berlo the following morning. Before long, he had outlined all current eco-concerns for the ‘Garden of Eden’, from cesspits and garbage incinerators to cooking fat recycled as biodiesel, to solar panels and waste separation. A quietly spoken Dutchman, Martijn admitted that there was “still a long way to go” in the resort’s quest for sustainability. He also left me to ponder his argument that, unlike luxury resorts that can afford to recycle and treat waste, it was the simpler beach hut hotels that trash the environment – the next challenge for Trat perhaps?

I was not the only person there, but it was an enchanting spot. All around, insects were trilling like telephones and fish darted in the shadowy underwater light. I jumped into the cool water and, after my sweaty hike, it felt like diving into silk. Then I lay on a rock like a lizard and thought about Woranit Kayaras and all the other inspiring people I had met on my tour of Trat Province’s greenest and finest. Perhaps all travellers could benefit from a bit of their collective wisdom, I decided, as the natural waters rippled all around me.

Visits to CBT communities should be pre-booked. Local Alike arrange group and tailormade tours.

Do you know an organisation or individual in Thailand (or running trips in Thailand) worthy of an award for ‘green’ and sustainable tourism? If so, nominate them in the Thailand Green Awards UK.

Main Image: The beaches of Koh Chang (Dreamstime)