Phu Khao Thong Travel Community

Phu Khao Thong is a community-based tourism venture in Sukhirin district, Narathiwat’s southernmost interior, built around the legacy of a French-run gold mine that operated on nearby Tomo mountain before 1931. The concession closed after the Pacific War, but the gold in the ground never left, and villagers here still pan for it using the same traditional technique passed down through generations — now the centrepiece of a half-day visit rather than a livelihood on its own.

The main activity is a 7km kayak or raft trip along the upper Sai Buri River, from Ban Tomo down to the Ban Ai Pa Cho model farm, taking roughly 2 hours over gentle rapids (grade 1-2, no whitewater experience needed). Along the way you pass villagers working the riverbank for gold, and at the end of the route there’s a chance to try panning yourself under their guidance. A separate activity visits what remains of the old Tomo Gold Mine — a former residence and a network of four main tunnels plus smaller side tunnels, now preserved as a small heritage site rather than reopened for mining.

Insider Tip: Rafting runs best September through January when the Sai Buri has enough flow for the route without turning into serious whitewater — outside that window, ask the community directly whether the river level supports a trip before you commit to the drive out.

A short walk from the put-in point stands a giant tetrameles tree, reportedly over a century old with a trunk said to measure around 25 metres in circumference — a striking stop even if you’re skipping the water activities. The area also sits close to the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Thailand’s most important hornbill habitats, with ten of the country’s thirteen hornbill species recorded in the surrounding forest.

Safety Tip: Narathiwat is one of Thailand’s three southernmost “Deep South” provinces, where a long-running separatist insurgency has led most Western governments to issue travel advisories. Sukhirin is a quiet, rural district near the Malaysian border rather than a known flashpoint, and the community actively promotes tourism here, but check your government’s current advice before travelling, book activities through the registered community rather than showing up independently, and stick to daylight hours.

Combine a visit with the wider forests of Narathiwat province — the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary for hornbill spotting, or Budo Su-ngai Padi National Park for another rural corner of the same interior hill country.