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| © Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) |
A stunning four-hour walk along a pristine forest trail in Chiang Mai, Thailand will be the beneficiary of a PATA Foundation grant in 2007. The Pang Soong Nature Trail, a private sector and village community joint venture, will follow the Mae Lai stream from the trail head, at 1,000 m above sea level, back into the mountains and over or around some 17 waterfalls to the source of the stream, at 1,500 m.
PATA member Track of the Tiger has been entrusted with PATA Foundation money to commence the trail, as well as a plant nursery in the woods around the village. Under a 10-year agreement with the local community, Track of the Tiger will source funding and, through its not-for-profit VWB (Voluntourists-without-borders), provide paying volunteers to develop the trail alongside village workers.
The village owns the rights to the forest through which the trail runs and will levy an entrance fee for each tourist using the trail. Local guides with good "forest knowledge" will accompany visiting groups.
Source: Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) news, April 2007 |
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