Community Ecotourism Resources
Community Ecotourism Resources
Natural Tourism Resources
· Forest Resources. Due to its hilly terrain, Ban Mae Kampong is surrounded by the forest area with the domination of hill evergreen forest. With this type of forest, the area has a high diversity of tree species, including wild animals. The well-known plant specie is the terrestrial wild orchid. It is now domesticated for sale for the tourists. The forest area also includes forest-tea orchards. In addition, in Ban Mae Kampong, the community forest has been established since 1993, covering an area of 1 square kilometer. This community forest serves as a source of non-timber forest products and campsite for ecotourism.
· Waterfall. There is one small waterfall originated from the natural stream in Ban Mae Kampong. It is divided into seven levels. On the top of waterfall, the scenery of mountain range can be seen. The access trail has been developed to reach all levels of the waterfall. Rest rooms, a small pavilion, and sign boards are also provided.
· Stone Cliff. This is the limestone cliff. The unique feature of this stone cliff is the water from the stream running under it and disappear before going out again on the opposite side of the stone cliff.
· Rocking Stone. This rocking stone is located in Ban Than Thong, the nearby village, along the road to Ban Mae Kampong. The unique feature of this stone is that it rocks when someone pushing it. However, it will rock the same no matter how hard of the pushing. It is popular among local tourists.
· Stone Garden. This stone garden is located near the stone cliff. It occurs naturally, with the scattered stones in the area. It looks like a garden of stone.
Cultural Tourism Resources
· Culture and Way of Life. Ban Mae Kampong is a typical Northern Thai village. It possesses a unique Northern Thai culture. Local villagers speak Northern Thai dialect and identify themselves as khonmuang, a separate ethnic group from the central Thai. They have their own traditional customs. In addition, the fermented-tea producing community is also a major tourism attraction.
· Temple. Wat Khantha Phreksa is old and only one temple in the community. It was built around 1953, with the unique style of Northern Thai architecture. The church was built in the middle of water to serve as a marking stone in the central Thai culture. The temple serves as a center of village life.
· Occupation Groups. Various occupation groups exist in the community. These include the local guide group, the traditional music group, the housewives group, the herbal medicine group, the traditional massage group, the bamboo weaving group, and the black-smith group. These occupation groups serve as tourism attraction.
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