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International school programmes – day by day overview.
15 individual days on programming that you can mix and match to suit your group needs.
Example: 5 day & 4 night ‘Pang Soong Lodge’ programme.
Voluntourism based, the programme includes: physical nature trail development, nature trail guide book development, forest crop augmentation, a river study, teaching English in a local school, a baseline study to track the progress of a biodiversity development project.
Example: 5 Day & 4 Night - ‘Mix & Match programme.
A programme combining voluntourism, sightseeing, sot adventure, and community service (full text for insertion further down the page will be sent as a separate file)
Example: 4 Day & 3 Night - Voluntourism, Education, Adventure.
A programme combining voluntourism, sightseeing, sot adventure, and community service (full text for insertion further down the page will be sent as a separate file)
International School programmes – Pricing
What are the costs, what is included and what is not.
Safety
Addressing the safety issues as they relate to the running of our school programmes at Pang Soong Lodge.
Personnel
Details on personnel, their experience and qualifications
Introduction
Duration: From 2 to 15 days.
Programme: Multi choice - Educational field studies, outdoor adventure, sightseeing and voluntourism programmes for the International schools market.
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Description: In order to introduce the potential 'visiting school' group client base to the full scope of educational activity options available to them within one hour's travel from Chiang Mai city, we have put together a 14 day programme that incorporates most if not all of those options.
We recommend that potential clients use this 14 day programme as a design tool selecting just the particular days they want, and organizing them into a programme schedule that suits their time available. (Example) a school with 3 days available to them might select days 1,4 and 11 from the outline below.
Operators: Educational programme (MRV-EDS), Voluntourism content (VWB - Voluntourists Without Borders), Tours and transport - Track of the Tiger T.R.D.
Typical group sizes: 16-60 students per group.
Accommodation:
(1) The Pang Soong Lodge & Outdoor Education Centre. (dormitory styled rooms) 50kms (55 minutes) northeast of the city at 1'000 m.a.s.l.
(2) The Down Town Inn Chiang Mai. (shared twin bedded rooms).
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Day 1 - Arrival day, transfer to Pang Song Lodge, safety briefing, and campfire activities.
Day 2 - Jungle trekking, map reading and compass use, team building and leadership.
Day 3 & 4 - Rock climbing instruction and climb plus a river tracing programme, groups are alternated on second day.
Day 5 & 6 - A volutourism programme - nature trail development, plant nursery work, English language instruction, engage in small construction tasks.
Day 7 - Follow the Pang Soong nature trail (an ecotourism product), attend a jungle survival workshop.
Day 8 - Environmental field studies; Water pollution, garbage disposal study, basic health study (rural school children).
Day 9 - The - 'Mae On Adventure Pursuits Challenge' combining outdoor activities, trekking, rafting, navigation and team building challenges.
Day 10 - Voluntourism work at an ethnic minority temple orphanage, a visit to Wat Doi Suthep, (a revered temple), and a set Thai dinner.
Day 11 - Elephant show and safari, oxcart ride, bamboo rafting programme, and 2hrs work on an ecotourism and agrotourism project alongside the Paulong hill tribe - an ethnic minority group.
Day 12 - The Chiang Mai City Cultural Treasure Hunt - a team building challenge, followed by an afternoon exploring the handicrafts market. A traditional Khantoke dinner.
Day 13 - River crossing challenge (adventure safety training) and a whitewater rafting programme.
Day 14 - Local markets, Ping river trip (history), museums and temple architecture, plus a theme dinner.
Day 15 - Last minute handicraft shopping, and departure day.
Examples of Evening 'Educational Fun Based' Entertainment:
Bamboo Craft Workshop - cutting, carving, introduction to one of the most versatile plants on the planet
Jungle Survival Workshop - raft building, knot tying, shelter building, trap building
Topical Debates - conservation vs. preservation, slash and burn farming vs. agroforestry
Introduction to First Aid - practical, factsheets, scenarios
Day One
Meals: (Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
You are met on arrival at Chiang Mai airport by MRV-EDS staff, and transfer to minibuses for the 50 minute drive out of the city to the Pang Soong Lodge.
Leaving the city, you travel across the flood plains northeast of the Ping river for 35 kms., And then climb for 15 kms., from an elevation of app: 300 m.a.s.l. into the more temperate climate, and thick jungle at 1'000 m.a.s.l.
The group checks into comfortable barrack room style accommodation spread over three buildings, clustered around the main buildings of the Lodge, and close to the bubbling Mae Lai stream.
The staff will provide you with a familiarization lecture on the property, safety issues, and your programme for the next few days.
Dinner is a set buffet meal served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
After dinner, the group attends a lecture and practical instruction on map reading and compass use in preparation for the following day's activities.
Students are then given time at leisure to relax around the campfire (invariably lit for most of the year), before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Two
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
After a full breakfast served in the Lodge's restaurant, the students are split into two groups:
Group 1 - Departs the lodge by vehicle for a half day jungle trekking programme designed to allow them to practice and enhance their map reading and compass navigation skills.
Group 2 - Moves to an area on the property set aside for team building and leadership activities. Here, subdivided into groups, they commence a team building programme, a students version of a challenge called the Baht Builder.
It is designed to improve their ability to communicate, to solve problems, and to work effectively as a team member.
Both groups return to the Lodge for a buffet lunch in the restaurant.
After lunch, the groups change places - group 1 undertaking the team building programme, and group 2 undertaking the map reading and compass use trekking programme.
Returning to the Lodge, the groups have some free time to relax and clean up before dinner, which is followed by some evening 'educational fun based' entertainment arranged by our staff.
Then it is time at leisure to relax around the campfire (invariably lit for most of the year before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Three
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
After a full breakfast served in the Lodge's restaurant the students again split into two groups, 1 and 2 respectively.
Group 1 - Boards the waiting vehicles and leaves the lodge for a full day of rock climbing and abseiling at the nearby 'Crazy Horse' mountain with over 200 climbing routes. The programme is supervised by our own staff and by well qualified rock climbing instructors.
Group 2 - Attends a full day programme which starts with a river tracing component along the Mae Lai stream. During the tracing they need to work as a team to overcome small waterfalls and other obstacles as they ascend the stream.
They continue upstream at a measured pace, using ropes, ladders and climbing equipment as they negotiate waterfalls and obstacles (under expert supervision) stopping for regular breaks and a picnic lunch around a pool at the base of a waterfall.
The group uses the network of footpaths to return to the Lodge in the mid-afternoon.
Returning to the Lodge, both groups have some free time to relax and clean up before dinner, which is followed by some evening 'educational fun based' entertainment arranged by our staff.
Then it is time at leisure to relax around the campfire before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Four
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
After a full breakfast served in the Lodge's restaurant the students again split into two groups, 1 and 2 respectively.
Group 1 - Attends a full day programme which starts with a river tracing component along the Mae Lai stream. During the tracing they need to work as a team to overcome small waterfalls and other obstacles as they ascend the stream.
They continue upstream at a measured pace, using ropes, ladders and climbing equipment as they negotiate waterfalls and obstacles (under expert supervision) stopping for regular breaks and a picnic lunch around a pool at the base of a waterfall.
The group uses the network of footpaths to return to the Lodge in the mid-afternoon.
Group 2 - Boards the waiting vehicles and leaves the lodge for a full day of rock climbing and abseiling at the nearby 'Crazy Horse' mountain with over 200 climbing routes. The programme is supervised by our own staff and by well qualified rock climbing instructors.
Returning to the Lodge, both groups have some free time to relax and clean up before dinner, which is followed by some evening 'educational fun based' entertainment arranged by our staff.
Then it is time at leisure to relax around the campfire before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Five
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
After a full breakfast served in the Lodge's restaurant, the students are split into working groups, introduced to their counterparts (village workers) and allocated tasks under the VWB (Voluntourists Without Borders initiative) for the day. Lunch menu and meal time will be determined by the work location.
Typical tasks will be:
Repairing the steps, railings and walkways of the Pang Soong Nature Trail.
· Cross planting forest products from the VWB nurseries to the villagers community forest.
· Assisting with English language lessons in one of the local schools.
· Assisting with small construction tasks (toilets, dining areas, nurseries) in the local schools.
Note* The VWB Initiative has an inventory of small construction tasks, each of which require different levels of funding, hands on assistance, and time to complete.
The groups return to the Lodge in the late afternoon and the students prepare for an evening of 'entertainment exchange' activities with the villagers of Ban Mae Lai. This is followed by a speech from the village headman, thanking the students for contributing to the development of the ecotourism product under the VWB Initiative.
·Dinner is a 'Kad Mua' style market dinner (northern Thai foods) incorporating standard Thai dishes, and some interesting forest products.
The students retire to bed at their leisure.
Day Six
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
After a full breakfast served in the Lodge's restaurant, the students are split into working groups, and again paired up with their counterparts (village workers) and allocated tasks under the VWB (Voluntourists Without Borders initiative) for the day.
Lunch menu and meal time will be determined by the work location.
Typical tasks will be:
Repairing the steps, railings and walkways of the Pang Soong Nature Trail.
·Cross planting forest products from the nurseries to the villagers community forest.
·Assisting with English language lessons in one of the local schools.
·Assisting with small construction tasks (toilets, dining areas, nurseries) in the local schools.
Note* The VWB Initiative has an inventory of small construction tasks, each of which require different levels of funding, hands on assistance, and time to complete.
The groups return to the Lodge in the late afternoon and the students prepare for an evening of 'entertainment exchange' activities with the villagers of Ban Mae Lai. This is followed by a speech from the village headman, thanking the students for contributing to the development of the ecotourism product under the VWB Initiative.
Dinner is a 'Kad Mua' style market dinner (northern Thai foods) incorporating standard Thai dishes, and some interesting forest products.
The students retire to bed at their leisure.
Day Seven
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
A full buffet breakfast is served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
Set off in groups along the Pang Soong Nature Trail, the first of our VWB Initiatives aimed at helping the villagers develop and operate their own ecotourism product industry.
Each group is provided with a copy of the Pang Soong Nature Trail Guide led by one of our VWB Initiative personnel, and a local community forest guide. The walk, up and down, takes 4-5 hours, with rest stops and lunch around a pool at the base of one of the many waterfalls (some 17 of them) en route.
Return to the Lodge in the mid afternoon, and commence a 2-3 hour 'jungle craft and survival' workshop under instruction by the MRV-EDS instructors.
Enjoy a BBQ dinner before spending some time around the campfire before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Eight
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
A full buffet breakfast is served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
Note* A picnic lunch is provided to be eaten at a suitable location (local school) during the mid-day break.
The students are split into 3 groups for a day of environmental field studies, preferably assisted by senior local school students from the area who will be tasked to follow up on the studies and help implement an 'environmental repair' programme:
1. Conduct a water pollution study along the length of the Mae Lai stream, measured at 4 points between just upstream of the Lodge and the reservoir (downstream of the lychee plantations) at Ban Rim Phaen.
2. Conduct a garbage disposal study following the axis of the Mae Lai stream between the Lodge and the reservoir to establish the level and means of garbage disposal in force (incineration, collection, dumping in public areas/river bank etc.)
3. Conduct a basic health study, with assistance from the local hospital staff, at 3 sample schools in the area - detail will be collated and changes tracked on an annual basis. The study includes designing a basic hygiene programme that can be implemented and monitored by the 'senior' local school children.
Returning to the Lodge, both groups have some free time to relax and clean up before dinner, which is followed by some evening 'educational fun based' entertainment arranged by our staff.
Dinner is a Thai/western style buffet served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
Then it is time at leisure to relax around the campfire before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Nine
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
Board vehicles and head down to the lower slopes of the mountain range for the 'Mae On Adventure Pursuits Challenge'.
The challenge is essentially a treasure hunt that requires groups to complete a circuit through the rural area, and depicted on a map, using different methods of transport (bike, foot, and rubber raft) in order to get from point to point, or cross obstacles put in your path.
At various stations along the way, the teams will have to undertake a variety of challenges, where the scoring system is based on penalty time points, and such penalties are added to the group's overall challenge time.
A picnic lunch is taken on route.
Typical challenges:
1. Plough a straight furrow through a rice paddy - using a buffalo.
2. Harvest, thresh and bag 0.5kg of rice.
3. Cross the Mae On dam by car inner tube raft, collecting a buoy en route.
4. Take a digital photograph of the Pooyai Ban at Ban ..................
5. Construct a 'Chinese bamboo walking bridge' to cross a stream.
Returning to the Lodge, both groups have some free time to relax and clean up before dinner, which is followed by some evening 'educational fun based' entertainment arranged by our staff.
Dinner is a Thai/western style buffet served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
Then it is time at leisure to relax around the campfire before taking a hot drink and retiring to bed.
Day Ten
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast served in the Lodge's open sided restaurant.
Check out of the Lodge, board your vehicles, and wave goodbye to the villagers of Ban Mae Lai as you depart for the last time, headed for Chiang Mai city some 50kms distant.
On the outskirts of Chiang Mai we stop at Wat Don Chan, a Buddhist temple that doubles as an orphanage and school for some 400+ ethnic minority orphans most of whom have lost parents to poverty, aids, war, or political persecution.
Spend some 4 hours working on VWB (Voluntourists Without Borders) initiative projects with the school, and orphanage. Typically they would cover:
1. Assisting to teach the English language to several classes - using a programme based on interactive techniques and materials developed for that purpose.
2. Working alongside the orphans on the temple's integrated organic farming project - in place to provide low cost food for the orphans, as well as to generate cash from sales of excess produce.
3. Touring the temple, orphanage and school projects before engaging in a programme of sport and other recreational activities with the orphans.
Lunch will be taken with the orphans, eating the same food as they do, and before you leave you will have the opportunity to pass on your old clothes, books etc., for distribution as directed by the abbot.
Leaving the orphanage, we travel directly to Wat Doi Suthep, visiting this famous temple overlooking the city of Chiang Mai, arriving in time to watch the late afternoon sun play across the city below.
It is said that 'You have not visited Chiang Mai unless you have been to Wat Doi Suthep, and eaten Khao Soy - the signature dish of the north".
Reboard the vehicles, and descend to the city below, checking into accommodation at the Down Town Inn, in the heart of the city, within 100 metres of the well known night bazaar.
Dinner is a set meal at Just Khao Soy, immediately around the corner from the hotel. The meal is followed by free time in the 'Night Bazaar' before you return to the hotel and retire to bed.
Day Eleven
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
Breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant.
Depart the hotel and head north from the city to the Mae Taeng area where you enjoy a one hour elephant show and safari, an oxcart ride, and a bamboo rafting trip.
Continue north, taking lunch in the village of Chiang Dao before visiting the VWB Initiative in the Paulong hill tribe village of Ban Pang Daeng Nai.
Spend some 2 hours working alongside the villagers on one of two tasks that afford you excellent 'non tourist' like interchange with one of the most colourful ethnic minority groups.
1. Repair of the check dam walls - a project initiated by his majesty the King of Thailand. See the Pang Daeng Nai Project
2. Upgrading and improving the Pang Dang Nai Nature Trail.
On completion of your tasks, take half an hour to explore the village and the homes of your co-workers before attending a small 'thank you' ceremony, in your honour, presided over by the village headman.
Reboard the transport and return to the city, and your hotel.
The evening dinner is a set Thai style meal taken at one of the well known riverside restaurants.
Return to the hotel and retire to bed.
Day Twelve
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Outline itinerary:
Breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant.
The group is split into teams of 8-10 participants to undertake the 'Chiang Mai City Cultural Challenge', a student version of a team building programme by Track of the tiger designed to develop analytical and leadership skills whilst at the same time showcasing the cultural and historical highlights of this 700 year old city.
Return to the hotel for a buffet lunch.
In the afternoon, depart for the handicrafts village of Ban Tawai some 20kms outside the town. Spend several hours browsing the colourful markets for bargains in arts and crafts.
Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
In the early evening, transport collects you for a 'Khantoke dinner' and traditional Thai dance show of some 2 hours in duration.
Returning to the hotel, you are given the opportunity to visit the night bazaar for the last time, or to take a classic 2 hour Thai spa treatment at your own expense.
Return to the hotel and retire to bed.
Day Thirteen
Meals: (Breakfast)
Outline itinerary:
Breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant.
Depart the hotel in for the Mae Taeng river northwest of the city, and a 4 hour white water rafting programme conducted by 'Siam Whitewater Rafting' with additional outdoor guides provided by Track of the Tiger and MRV-EDS.
On reaching the put in point on the river, the group is given an extended version of the standard safety lecture, that involves a high level of practical training.
Engage in a rope assisted river crossing exercise designed to boost confidence and develop outdoor skills, team building and leadership.
Enjoy a picnic lunch on the riverbank before breaking into teams for the whitewater ascent.
With 4 students, a whitewater rafting guide, and an outdoor guide (white water trained) per raft, the group sets off down this exciting river along a stretch deemed suitable for students of this particular age group.
Arriving at the base of the last rapid area, the rafts are gathered together at a centre stream start point before commencing a 1 km team paddle challenge with the winning team being awarded a special prize.
Refreshments, dry towels and access to showers and changing rooms are provided at the exit point.
Board the transport provided and return to the city centre and the Chiang Inn.
Dinner is a buffet meal served in the hotel restaurant.
Retire to bed at your leisure.
Day Fourteen
Meals: (Breakfast)
Outline itinerary:
Breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant.
Set off for a tour of the bustling Worowot markets, (fresh and dried food plus all manner of products) on its current site along the banks of the river. Some 300 years ago, the market was of the floating variety where goods were sold from lighters plying the ping river.
Board 'Scorpion Boats' , a design from a bygone era for a historical ride up the Ping River, with the boatmen identifying old sites on the river bank, showing you faded sepia photographs of early commerce, and of the buildings that used to be landmarks along the river. They leave you to debate the merits of progress and change.
Leave the river at an exit point upstream of the city, and head off for an international buffet lunch in one of the big hotels.
Visit three beautiful temples, one a delightful wooden temple at the base of Doi Suthep, and the other two, beautifully renovated temples next to each other in the old city - all three are excellent examples of Buddhist architecture.
Visit the city's newest museum, established in the old government hall building in the centre of the city at the Three Kings monument.
Return to the hotel for time at leisure before dinner.
Head off for a farewell dinner and traditional dance show staged at a local restaurant.
Note* The price and format for this component is dictated by the group size.
Return to the hotel and retire to bed at your leisure.
Day Fifteen
Meals: (Breakfast)
Outline itinerary:
Breakfast in the hotel.
Depart by coach to the airport for your flight home, stopping (if time permits) for a visit to the giant Central Department Store and northern products market en route for the opportunity to do some last minute shopping, or just simply to browse the thousands of shops and boutiques.
Arrive at the airport, checking in for your flight home.
End of services.
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Typically prices for groups of 24-60 students would cost calculated at a minimum of 16 – 60 students would cost around Baht 2’225.- per day, or roughly US$ 58-60.-
Prices do not include TAX & VAT, (if those receipts are need you will have to add 7 % to the price).
The price includes:
All transport and transfers in Chiang Mai - airport back to airport.
All accommodation.
All meals.
Cost of all activities in the itinerary.
Insurance.
Bottled water – available at all times on the programme.
Cost of 1 local co-worker per student on VWB project days - @ Baht 200.- per project work day.
A per diem amount to cover standard materials used (bamboo, wire, rope, tools etc.) on VWB project days. @ Baht 200.- per VWB project work day.
The price does not include:
Snacks and soft drinks.
Airport taxes.
Admissions to attractions not listed in the itinerary.
Additional fundraising as listed below – (optional) aimed at maximizing the impact your group makes on the VWB initiative.
F.O.C. Policy.
Two teachers free of charge per group, minimum group size 16.
Typical project tasks will include:
Voluntourism – Building, repairing the steps, railings and walkways of the Pang Soong Nature Trail. Survey and planning work for the introduction of bridges, canopy walks etc.
Forest Augmentation - Cross planting forest products from the nurseries to the growing areas – (seasonal), or engaging in other plant nursery related work..
Teaching – Assisting with English language lessons in one of the local schools.
Community Development - Assisting with small construction tasks (toilets, dining areas, nurseries) in the local schools.
Environmental Education – River pollution surveys, bird watching & recording, tree species identification, numbering and activity reporting (flowering periods, fruit production, growth etc.)
Environmental baseline Studies –Participation in the establishment, or continued data gathering for a wide range of environmental baseline studies.
Social studies – Village household surveys – demographics, origins, lifestyle, health, wealth, occupation, etc.
Note* The VWB Initiative has an inventory of small construction tasks, each of which require different levels of funding, hands on assistance, and time to complete.
As stated earlier, the basic price does include funding for local co-workers and for basic project materials. We would be able to do good work with just that.
However, if you have the opportunity to raise additional funds from private or corporate sponsors (as suggested on our website www.voluntourists-without-borders.com) then your group could aim to do one or more of the following, depending on funds raised.
1. To allow us to bring in extra villagers as co-workers on their project. At Baht 200.- per day per worker the locals are very productive and can contribute greatly to the project. A reasonable target figure would be to cover the cost of 20 additional workers for 4 days - or Baht 16’000.-
2. The more funding we have, the more ‘trail aids’ (bamboo/wood bridges, traverse wires etc.) we can build along the trail. We attribute an approximate cost of Baht 10’000 per bridge for fundraising purposes. Once the basic trail is completed, we will commence design and build on a ‘zip wire’ based canopy walk attraction.
3. The VWB Initiative will construct a nursery on suite in order that we may be able to propagate plants from seedlings/cuttings for re-introduction into the designated test areas and into designated areas of the community forest.
4. The estimated cost for the entire greenhouse project is Baht 100’000, but we can build it in four equally costed stages (Baht 25’000 per stage) if need be.
5. Second hand English language learning materials, and unwanted children’s clothing are always welcomed – whatever you can bring.
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Addressing the safety issues as they relate to the running of our school programmes at Pang Soong Lodge.
Details on personnel, their experience and qualifications
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