Ban Tham Sue Homestay

Ban Tham Sue Homestay is a community-run tourism enterprise on the Phetchaburi River in Kaeng Krachan district, Phetchaburi province, about a 20-minute drive from Kaeng Krachan town. Rather than selling rooms, the community sells a program: river tubing, tree-planting activities and shared meals with host families, booked ahead as a package from 650 THB per person for a minimum group of five. There’s no reception desk and no walk-in booking — everything runs through the community’s Facebook page or phone contact.

The signature activity is floating down the Phetchaburi River on inflated rubber tubes past forest banks, arranged by the homestay group rather than a commercial tour operator. On land, visitors mould salted eggs on banana or palm leaves the traditional way, and take part in the village’s tree bank project — firing seed-packed mud balls from slingshots into cleared forest patches to reseed them, a low-key reforestation effort the community has run for years. A riverside market sells produce from local orchards, including the durian, rambutan and mangosteen the area is known for.

The “Tiger Cave” in the name is the village’s origin story, not a bookable stop. Older residents named the settlement after tiger tracks they found here when the community was founded; there’s no evidence of a developed cave attraction open to visitors, so don’t plan a trip around seeing one. What the community does offer is straightforward: farm and river life, run by the people who actually live it, with lodging built around it rather than the other way round — Thai-standard homestay rooms plus riverside tent camping for those who want a simpler overnight.

Insider Tip: Ask about the tree bank slingshot activity specifically when you book — it’s the one thing here you won’t find at other Phetchaburi homestays, and groups sometimes skip it if they don’t request it in advance.

Watch out: This is not a drop-in attraction. Packages need a minimum of five people and advance notice, and transport to the village (roughly 30 km southwest of Phetchaburi town) isn’t included — arrange your own car or motorbike, or coordinate with the community when you book.

Kaeng Krachan National Park’s main entrance is a separate destination nearby, with its own 300 THB foreigner fee and seasonal access restrictions on the upper Ban Krang–Phanoen Thung zone from roughly August through October — the homestay package doesn’t include park entry, so budget and plan that leg on its own if a jungle trek is also on the itinerary.

Visit Ban Tham Sue for the river float and the tree-planting slingshots, not for a cave. Pair it with a Kaeng Krachan National Park trip or the Khao Phanoen Thung viewpoint if you’re already out in the district, and see the Phetchaburi hub for the rest of the province.