Khiri dips into community travel

BANGKOK Southeast Asian- inbound tour specialist, Khiri Travel, will unveil two new community and nature-based tours in North Thailand and North Lombok at ITB Berlin, next week.

The emphasis is on providing insights into lesser-known corners of popular destinations, with the trips giving flexible options, depending on budget and interests.

The Thailand-headquartered tour operator says its mission in Thailand is to reinvent tourist perceptions of a country that has been at the forefront mass tourism in ASEAN for close on 50 years.

In Indonesia the priority is to promote community-based experiences on Lombok that is often overshadowed by its popular neighbour Bali.

Thailand

Khiri Travel will introduce its “Hidden Gem: Phitsanulok to Loei & Udon Thani” a four-day/three-night trip at ITB.

Guests will be able enjoy a trip to Phra Buddha Chinnarat in historic Phitsanulok and a trip to Phu Hin Rongkla a former 1970s communist stronghold in the mountains and the strange Suan Hin Pha Ngan geological karst formations.

There’s a bicycle ride to a weaving village, lunch in an eco farm and overnight in Chiang Khan, a teakwood settlement with narrow lanes on the southern bank of the Mekong river overlooking Laos. Guests have the option of staying in a Thai-style villa with pool overlooking the Mekong or a chic hotel in town beside walking street.

From there guests can travel on to Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos or on to Udon Thani via Phu Pra Bat historical rock formations for air connections.

Lombok, Indonesia

Khiri Travel Indonesia is launching a two-day community based experience combining Sembalun*, North Lombok, the gateway to Mt Rinjani and the Gili islands of East Lombok.

Guests ride a bicycle through verdant fields in Sembalun to a weaving village for coffee and a chance to listen (and play) traditional gamelan music, then ride through a bamboo forest to see a community school where the emphasis is on learning while playing.

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