Rice farming homestay eco-vacation - the way of the Karen Hilltribe in Chiang Rai, Thailand
Tigerland Rice Farm - eco-vacation in rice planting and harvesting, the Karen hill tribe way
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Alvin Yong (Singapore)
+65-9833-9455 | email

Kitt Tiger (Thailand)
+66-956754995 | email
 
 
Rice Planting Season 2022
Trip 1: 10-15 Jul (Sun-Fri)
Trip 2: 17-22 Jul (Sun-Fri)
Trip 3: 24-29 Jul (Sun-Fri)
Singapore school holidays:
28 May to 26 Jun 2022
 
Rice Harvesting Season 2022
Trip 1: 4-9 Sep (Sun-Fri)
Trip 2: 18-23 Oct (Sun-Fri)
Trip 3: 25-30 Oct (Sun-Fri)
Singapore school holidays:
3-11 Sep 2022
19 Nov to 31 Dec 2022
About Us

 

The Story of Tigerland...

Tigerland is named after the great-grandfather of Kitt who was respectfully called Tiger by all the Karen villagers. Legend has it that Tiger was a brave man who fought and killed a tiger who wandered into the village to hunt for prey. It's a legendary story told to every generation of the Watasittikul family so no one will forget the origin of the name of their land - Tigerland.

The Story of Tigerland Rice Farm...

The Watasittikul family belongs to the Karen Sg'aw hilltribe originally from Myanmar. For 4 generations, they have been rice farmers and hunters in Tigerland. Although cash poor by the modern world standard of looking at the bank accounts, they are surrounded by abundance from the land, the river and the forest.

The idea of offering eco-rice farming vacation was seeded in Dec 2007 when the Yong family from Singapore unintentionally came to Chiang Rai. Unintentionally because the Yongs were bound for India but visa problem diverted them to Thailand. They chanced upon Kitt who guided them on a hilltribe tour and passionately shared his experience in rice farming.

The Yongs, as city folks, realized they knew so little about rice even though it is a staple food that they grow up on. When the urban folks think about rice, they think of ready-packed rice in the supermarket. There are probably few amongst the urbanites who are able to truly appreciate what lies behind every grain of rice: the nourishment provided by the natural elements - the sun, the rain and the earth - and the many months of labour and tender loving care by the farmers in the paddy.

Alvin Yong thought how wonderful it would be for the city families to experience the life of a rice farmer and learn first hand the planting and harvesting of rice in a paddy field. An after-dinner chit-chat with Kitt in Ban Yafu thus grew into a joint project in 2008 when the Yongs returned to Kitt's rice farm to experience Rice Planting in Jun 2008 and Rice Harvesting in Nov 2008.

Alvin's experience of rice farming with Kitt and his family was so enriching that a dedicated rice farming program was designed and launched as an eco-vacation program to benefit other interested families, individuals, teachers and students. A more detailed account of the Yong's first and subsequent experiences at Tigerland is found at their website ColoursOfLife.info.

In 2009, Alvin and Kitt launched TigerlandRiceFarm.biz - the first-of-its-kind back-to-nature fun-experiential eco-vacation.

In 2014, we rolled out Social Projects to support educational needs of the hilltribe children.

 

Our Team

Alvin Yong Kitt Father Gun and Mother Tomei

Alvin Yong
Co-Founder, TigerlandRiceFarm.biz
Founder, Stone Edge Experiential (www.stoneedge.biz)
Mobile: +65-9833-9455 | Email: Alvin

Alvin is a social entrepreneur with a passion in creating social businesses for sustainability, education and upliftment of marginalized communities. In 2011, he spent a year with his wife and daughter on Seva 2011 doing voluntary service in India and Africa. He was instrumental in the conceptualization and architecturing of the Tigerland Rice Farm eco-enterprise.

Yongyoot Watasittikul (Kitt)
Co-Founder and Principal Guide, TigerlandRiceFarm.biz
Committee member, Hilltribe Guide Association, Chiang Rai
Mobile: +668-1148-1979 | Email: Kitt

Kitt is a new generation Karen who aspires to keep alive the gradually disappearing traditions of his Karen hilltribe heritage. He hopes to do it through educational tourism and guiding. Kitt speaks Thai, Karen and English. He is married to Noot and has 2 young sons.

Songkian Watasittikul (Father Gun)
Dean of Rice Farming, TigerlandRiceFarm.biz
Chairman, Hilltribe Guide Association, Chiang Rai
Mobile: +668-0128-6273

Father Gun is Kitt's father and a highly experienced rice farmer who believes in the traditional organic style of farming. He advocates the use of natural fertilizers and refrains from using any form of agro-chemical fertilizers, pesticides or additives in his farm. Father Gun is jovial and a patient educator in rice farming and all things nature in his farm country. He taught himself spoken English from a language book.

Our Location in Chiang Rai:

On Google Map, type: 20.014003, 99.76917

 

Rice Farming Experience


© 2008-2023 TigerlandRiceFarm.biz is a social-eco enterprise under Stone Edge Experiential