Uploaded February 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This area was badly hit by flooding recently, and the local tour operators lost all of their bamboo rafts right before the new season opened. The Tourism Authority of Thailand helped them buy new rafts and invited us down for the annual rafting festival. It was humbling to see people who had been through so much, standing tall and working their way back. The trip was a lot of fun and the area is beautiful. It's not on the usual tourist track but it's not far off of it either, and it can easily be combined with trips to Samui, Phuket and other more popular Southern Thailand destinations. Phato is definitely worth visiting.
This area was badly hit by flooding recently, and the local tour operators lost all of their bamboo rafts right before the new season opened. The Tourism Authority of Thailand helped them buy new rafts and invited us down for the annual rafting festival. It was humbling to see people who had been through so much, standing tall and working their way back. The trip was a lot of fun and the area is beautiful. It's not on the usual tourist track but it's not far off of it either, and it can easily be combined with trips to Samui, Phuket and other more popular Southern Thailand destinations. Phato is definitely worth visiting.
