Eco-tourism at Uncle Thun’s Salak Plantation

Uncle Than’s salak plantation in Pa Bon, Phatthalung, is a working orchard of roughly 1,050 salak (snake fruit) palms across 20-plus rai, open to visitors daily 08:00-17:00 for a flat 50 THB entry. It’s one of the few salak farms in southern Thailand set up specifically for agro-tourism rather than wholesale supply alone.

Lung Than Damrueang built the place up from a rubber and mixed-fruit plot into a dedicated salak orchard, and it’s now recognised locally as a model small farm — the kind of operation southern Thai agriculture offices point to when they talk about turning a fruit crop into a visitor business. His son, Vichai, handles most of the guided explanations today. What makes a visit worth the drive rather than just buying salak at a market is the hands-on piece: staff show visitors how to hand-pollinate a salak flower, and if you do it yourself they’ll note your name and the date on a small certificate — because salak takes about nine months from pollination to ripe fruit, it’s effectively an invitation to come back later and taste what you started.

The rest of the visit is walking shaded rows of low, spiny-trunked palms, watching harvesting technique demonstrated by hand (salak grows in tight clusters low on the trunk and has to be cut carefully to avoid the thorns), and tasting fresh fruit on-site — sweet-tart, crisp, with a texture closer to a firm apple than most tropical fruit. The farm also serves southern Thai dishes, curries and vegetable sides, and occasionally runs salak-eating competitions for visiting groups. Peak fruiting runs roughly August-September, when there’s the most to see and taste, though the orchard has fruit at varying stages most of the year.

Insider Tip: Call ahead on 084 859 3571 before driving out, especially outside peak season — this is a working family farm, not a staffed attraction, and having Vichai or another family member expecting you means an actual guided walk instead of wandering the rows alone.

Watch out: There’s no public transport to the farm and mobile signal is patchy in parts of Pa Bon district — download offline maps before you set off, and budget the full 45-60 minutes from Phatthalung town rather than assuming a short hop.

Wear closed shoes for the dirt paths between rows and bring cash — this is a small rural operation with no card facilities. Insect repellent is worth packing too, particularly around the shaded rest areas near the orchard’s edges.