Our kayaking and camping adventure started from the Trailhead Thailand shop in Chiang Mai's old town with a delicious coffee and tour briefing. The jouney would see us drive to Lampang province and to a man-made lake called Kiw Lom before a half day kayaking trip to our camping area for the evening. The next day would involve another 3 hours of kayaking to complete the length of the lake and mark the end of the trip. Camping in Thailand has only recently become popular, and for the most part camping areas are generally within national park HQ areas in designated areas. We were therefore particuarly excited for this trip as the camp site would be completely inaccessible other than by boat with the kayaking and camping tour completely unique to Trailhead Thailand.
The morning was spent travelling to the start point in Lampang, stopping off for a light lunch on the way and once at the start area we unloaded the kayaks and gear for the first step of the adventure. We were to be given Oru Kayaks for the 2 days of kayaking. The Oru Kayak is a foldable kayak inspired by origami from the USA which weighs just 12kg / 26lbs and once unfolded is 3.5m in length leaving plenty of space to sit comfortably and store bags, water and other gear. The maximum weight capacity of the 1 man Oru Beach LT is a massive 136kg or 300lbs. After just a few minutes the kayaks were unfolded and set up and after some safety instructions from the guides were were ready for the off. We started from the dam area at Kiw Lom and meandered our way along the calm waters of the lake, the lake was surrounded by dense emerald green jungle and craggy peaks making for a beautiful setting.
There was plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings and take photos as we paddled our way to the campsite and we explored several small islands as we went along. The 3 hours of kayaking was very comfortable thanks to the seat on the Oru Kayak and the back rest and with no roads around the lake we were free to enjoy the peace and quiet as well was watch the myriad of birdlife and jumping fish. As we approached the campsite we could see the staff from Trailhead had begun to prepare the area in anticipation of our arrival which was a welcome site. The ground was a small grassy bluff backed by forest and was a stunning setting for pitching the tents! We were given a refreshing cold drink as we disembarked and were helped by the team in setting up the tents for the evening and preparing the area for cooking. With a couple of hours of daylight left we swam in the lake to cool down and relax and enjoyed the sun setting in front of us. With the tents ready, bags unpacked and feeling refreshed we were ready for dinner!
With night falling the group lit a fire and we all sat around enjoying a cool beer and sharing photos of the adventures of day 1. The Trailhead staff were busy preparing dinner, a delicious feast including fresh fish grilled over the fire, sticky rice cooked in bamboo, grilled pork and pappaya salad. We were all hungry by the time dinner was prepared so it was a welcome site to see such a feast! As the evening wore on we relaxed by the fire chatting and keeping warm as the temperature dropped quite quickly as soon as the sun set and before long headed off to the tents to turn in for the evening.
We woke up bright and early to the smell of fresh coffee brewing and the sun rising over the mountains. The temperature was still refreshingly cool as we cooked up breakfast to fuel up for another few hours on the kayak. Another delicious feast was prepared by the guides and after breakfast and several coffee's to stock up on the caffeine we all helped to pack up the tents and gear and set off. We were full of energy as we left and the first hour of the kayaking took us through a stunning gorge with shear cliffs either side of a narrow channel. We spent 20 minutes just looking up and the huge cliffs and admiring the spectacular scenery before we eventually opened out into wide open lake where the karst formations and jungle turned to small patches of farmland.
After 2 more hours of kayaking we approached our destination, a small lakeside village on the northern edge of Kiw Lom. The village was a ramshackle of colourful buildings huddled together overlooking the water's edge and as we approached we could reflect on this unique kayaking and camping adventure in Thailand. The remainder of the Trailhead staff were on the shore to meet us when we arrived and after packing away our gear, folding up the Oru Kayaks we enjoyed a simple lunch in the village before setting off for the 2 hour drive back to Chiang Mai.
I had never considered myself an enthusiast of kayaking in Thailand generally as most places are quite inaccessible and lacking the transportation needed for a regular kayak. The Oru Kayak Beach LT is a fantastic bit of kit which opens up all kinds of opportunities for kayaking in Thailand and beyond. It also creates new opportunies for camping in Thailand as its capable of holding quite a lot of gear making it possible to explore places never possible before.
