Koh Ra Ecolodge
- The Story
- Tours
An island retreat that is close to Kuraburi but feels far away, the Koh Ra Ecolodge features a secluded island beach, pristine jungle, and a "green" accommodation alternative. The Koh Ra Ecolodge was started by a locally-based NGO that has worked in marine conservation in the area for several years and collaborated with Andaman Discoveries in the past. Their mission is to offer a green alternative model to Thailand's mass-tourism beach resorts; provide a venue for sustainability and conservation projects and workshops; and work to benefit the local environment and communities in the area.
A Koh Ra Ecolodge Bungalow
Visitors and guests can enjoy walks and hikes through many varied habitats including pristine jungle, dry savannah forest, traditional mixed-agriculture gardens, mangroves, and beaches with rocky headlands. Natural history educational materials about the local flora and fauna are available for guests. A short walk away is a Thai and Sea Gypsy ("Moken") village with whom the Ecolodge is currently working to develop a "lifestyle tour" and guided botanical walks to learn about the tradition plant uses of the Sea Gypsies.
Other activities include sea kayaking, snorkeling, diving, and yoga. Guests may volunteer in the organic garden or help out with various sustainable-living projects such as solar-shower or created wetlands construction. There are several ecological monitoring projects ongoing at the Ecolodge that guests may join, including a Reef Check led coral reef monitoring project and a forest ecology project focusing on hornbills.
The Koh Ra Ecolodge follows and surpasses guidelines of sustainable accommodations and is continually looking for new ways to improve its operations. At the Ecolodge, guests can stay in simple and comfortable bungalow rooms tucked under the jungle canopy. All large trees on the Ecolodge grounds were left standing and provide habitat for the many hornbills and other birds which live here while providing cool shade for us. The center of the Ecolodge is a spacious beachside sala (traditional Thai open-air structure), restaurant and hangout area. Here you can watch the magnificent and ever-changing sea and mountain views, and crab-eating macaque monkeys out on the rocky point.
We appreciated the soft beach, lush forest, delicious food, great company, and the opportunity for more genuine cultural interaction and learning. Staying here for a few days gave us a sense of fulfillment — environmental stewardship and conservation, cultural preservation, and natural beauty are rarely found in a place so welcoming to visitors.
Maren and Brian, USA
Andaman Discoveries can book your Koh Ra Ecolodge visit as part of your homestay or as a separate destination.
