Off the Beaten Path in Northeast Thailand
Activity: Fully catered accommodation by Gecko Villa
Location: In the countryside outside Udon Thani, Northeast Thailand
Tip: Experience untouched rural Thailand from the heartlands of Isan.
The villages of Isan are rarely visited by tourists and offer a marked contrast to Thailand’s developed mass tourism destinations.
The experience: Gecko Villa offers guests the chance to experience traditional rural life in the rice-farming heartlands of Northeast Thailand, yet in comfort and without the normal language barriers encountered in the area.
Rice field
Rice field
Guests may participate in traditional activities, such as working in the rice paddies or sugar cane plantations, or may learn how to prepare local Isan specialties and more typical Thai dishes, from identifying and collecting produce in the organic gardens through preparing and cooking the finished dishes.
Guests may also participate in local festivals and celebrations, or in the daily rituals of village life. There are bicycles at the villa so guests may explore the immediate vicinity. And trips may be arranged to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ban Chiang, to local silk and khit weaving villages, to prehistoric landmarks, and to the wetlands nearby.
The villa has three bedrooms, a spacious living and dining room, wooden decking and a large, private, salt-water swimming pool. It stands on extensive grounds surrounded by rice fields, plantations, grazing grounds, orchards and gardens. Nearby are a forest temple, three typical small villages, local markets, and village schools. Stays are fully catered, with all meals freshly prepared by a local family.
How it helps: As a standalone property, Gecko Villa offers visitors the possibility of integrating themselves into the local community via a Thai host family. The impact of tourism is minimized by the deliberately small size of the property and a policy of only accommodating one group of visitors at a time.
Traditional rural life
Traditional rural life
All Gecko Villa’s revenues are distributed within the local community. All its employees are local. And the majority of produce and services at the property are sourced locally. For those who would like to assist the community, visits to village schools may be arranged. Donations of educational equipment, sporting goods or clothing are always gratefully accepted.
Gecko Villa would also welcome your help in undertaking its reforestation projects in disused rice paddies. ‘
Location and Contact Information
Gecko Villa
126 Moo 13, Baan Um Jaan, A. Prajak Sinlapakom, 41110 Udon Thani, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 81 9180500 (English, Thai)
E-mail: info@geckovilla.com
Web: www.geckovilla.com
Map: Marker indicates Udon Thani town, not where the Gecko villa is located.
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