[champson]

Howdy,

Does anyone have experience whitewater paddling in Thailand. I hear the Chaing Mai area is a good place to start. We are planning on being in the area in October. Just wondering if anyone out there has any miles under their belt in Southeast Asia. Thanks, any info is helpful.

Chris


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[TonyM]

Track down Eric Southwick, he lives in Chiangmai, and paddles. Try Facebook.

 

[nemi west]

WhiteWater Rafting Chiang Mai Thailand, Whitewater Kayaking Chiang Mai Thailand - Siam River Adventures in Chiang Mai, Thailand

We had a great time with these cats....... do the home stay up at their river base...... do not just do a day trip. The dinner there was our best meal in the 3 weeks in thailand

consider taking some gear with you that you can leave behind...... your worn out paddle and skirt will be loved in thailand ask what they need before you go

they had a good selection of boats.

the home river starts of class 2-3 for a couple miles...... great class 4 for a couple miles...... a couple miles of class 2-3 at the end. Don't forget your nose plugs....... warm brown water with elephants that go poo near the water

we also Mt biked out of Chaing Mai...... nice half day riding thru the forest thru villages down hill to a lake and lunch

Thailand was great.......

 

[wargowsky]

+1 for Siam. I was there in January and they were great. I was rafting, but there were a couple kayakers from the US on the trip with us. They had nothing but good things to say about their experience. Chiang mai is one of the cheapest places to stay in Thailand and is a pretty cool place to hang out. Apparently there is also some whitewater about Phuket, but I had several locals say that it really wasn't worth doing.

If you are up to travel, Nepal has some very good whitewater, and flights from Bangkok should only cost a couple hundred dollars. Paddle Nepal is a great company there. We did 4 different rivers with them and a couple overnight trips. Great staff, great prices, and very good kayak instructors/safety boaters.

Have a great trip!

 

[DesertDog]

I've spent a month in Chiang Mai last January and went packrafting on various rivers in the area. There is a lot to do if you have your own gear. I wrote a few posts on packrafting.org

Packrafting.org • View topic - Chiang Mai, Mae Wang river, Packraft Thailand

There are several outfitters but they wouldn't take me off the beaten track so I had to figure things out by myself. Be sure to post what you find so others can follow and help protect these rivers through public knowledge.

If you have time I would go spend a few weeks around Pai. Go down PAi river for 3-4 day trip. Water levels were low in January/February. You should have many more choices in October/November after the monsoon.

 

[DesertDog]

GO meet Bad Water Bob in CM. He posted a link on the post I wrote on packrafting.org

Packrafting.org • View topic - Chiang Mai, Mae Wang river, Packraft Thailand

He seems very enthusiastic to buddy up for Class III+ rivers in CM area.

Most outfitters go to Maeng Chang. You could run it on your own. Rent a car downtown. We paid $15/day and take off to explore national parks, hot springs and rivers around CM. The region has a lot more to offer than traffic crowded Chiang Mai.