Little Amazon

Khlong Sang Nae runs through low forest near Takua Pa in Phang Nga, and the name Little Amazon comes from what the paddle looks like: a narrow waterway roofed by overhanging trees, with banyan aerial roots hanging into and across the channel and light coming through in patches. The trip is an hour or so by canoe or kayak with a local paddler, run as a community enterprise from the village. The forest is not primary - this area was worked for tin, and the channels and the vegetation that grew back over the diggings are what you paddle through, which is a more interesting story than the Amazon comparison. Monkeys, kingfishers, monitor lizards and snakes are seen along the banks. It is calm flat water suitable for anyone. The name sets expectations that a small Thai canal cannot meet, and visitors expecting the Amazon are the ones who leave disappointed.

What you actually see

• The banyan roots - aerial roots hanging into and across the channel.
• The roofed waterway - overhanging trees closing over the canal.
• The regrown forest - vegetation over old tin workings.
• The wildlife - monkeys, kingfishers, monitors and snakes on the banks.

When to go

November to April; water levels and clarity are better in the dry season. Morning is quieter and better for wildlife. Two to three hours including the paddle.

Honest expectations

Small - it is a canal, not a river, and the Amazon comparison oversells it badly. About an hour on the water. Mosquitoes. The forest is regrowth over industrial workings rather than untouched.

Nearby

Takua Pa old town is close; Khao Lak and the Similan piers are south.