For those extremists amongst us there’s now a brand-new challenge to take up in the hills – Xtremeadventures aka Phuket Tree Adventure. On a hillside spanning 19,200sqm and based in a rubber plantation above Wat Chalong, Phuket Tree Adventure is truly impressive in several aspects.
There are no less than 69 ‘Stations’ – activities – up there including tightropes, ‘flying fox’, net walking, several different types of bridges and more – plus all the time you’ll be attached to a harness. The company was among the first treetop park developers in France and has had extensive experience since in the development of parks in France, Holland and now Asia. Health & Safety standards are sky high, starting with independent, regular documented and certified inspections of the trees (mostly rubber) and all top-rate equipment guaranteed for years.
Phuket Tree Adventure has a firm and unbending list of safety rules that are explained to punters when first arriving at the shady reception area. Every player is equipped by an operator with a safety harness, a double lanyard, two karabiners, one sling and a pulley.
Long hair must be attached and necklaces removed; appropriate shoes must be worn; the safety harness must be worn and attached to the red life line; no drinking from cans due to risk of bees and wasps – and many more rules, all making perfect sense and strictly adhered to.
The gradient up the hill towards the activities is tough going and we only then begin to appreciate just how fabulously fit the PTA team have to be to daily chaperone guests around this grueling terrain.
There are in total 69 ‘stations’ (activities) to choose from with nine Blue stations marked ‘easy, followed by another set of Blue ‘easy’ stations but further up the hill the tough get going, as it were. 12 Red ‘difficult’ stations are followed by nine Black ‘challenging’ stations.