Traveling to SE Asia; want to see wild orchids

[vapyle]

Hello all!

As you may have gathered from my title, I'm traveling to SE Asia. I'll be going in January, February and March of 2014 (so soon, ahg!). Thailand and Vietnam are on the itinerary; the rest is very open. Where might I go to see wild orchids while there? And what species should I look for? Or even, where do I start to learn more, haha?

A (very) cursory search of this board and the interwebs told me little. (Except that Phals grow wild there; I already knew that, and that's what made me explore this topic in the first place).

If anyone is interested, I can post additional info as I search more thoroughly.

Thanks in advance!
Tori

[WhiteRabbit]

Very cool!

I hope some members can advise you!

[Kevin_PR]

Bulbophyllum, Paphiopedilum, Vanda, Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Habenaria................. and the list goes on of Genera you can find in Thailand. You might be there out of season to see blooms. I would suggest you look for a tour. Backwoods of SE Asia I would imagine are pretty dangerous. And even though you will be in a tropical country the orchids will not be so obvious unless you know what you are looking for and where.

[Silje]

Hello!

Sounds like a nice trip! Take me with you. I'm longing for Asia at the moment.

I can't suggest any trips focusing on wild orchids, and I have to say first of all that you're out of the main flowering season (at least in Thailand), but here are two easy accessible options that you can consider to start of with, and then you can venture deeper into the jungle afterwards if you feel like it.

1). Lam Ru National Park, Khao Lak area in Thailand.
For 100 Baht you get an entrance ticket that is valid for both the coastal nature walk and to the Lam Ru waterfall. There are no guides available and you don't need one because the tracks are easy to follow. I haven't been to the waterfall, but along the coastal nature walk you can go in search of wild orchids all on your own and you will most likely find phalaenopsis cornu-cervi and dendrobiums. If you're lucky, and you find a person in the reception that can speak English, you might be able to dig up a botanist or a ranger with orchid knowledge, but it's not offered, and it will take a bit of effort to find that person unless...the German guy running the 'Orchid and butterfly farm' in Khao Lak knows of someone or is interested in taking you himself.

Khao Lak is one of the larger tourist areas on the Andaman coast in Thailand. You fly to Phuket and then it's about an hour drive north on the mainland. There are lots of accommodation available for all budgets. I've added a link to my Norwegain (unfortunately) blog about Lam Ru National Park. . If you have any further questions, just ask...

2. Right, so now we're advancing slightly here, but this is still fairly civilized. A couple of hours drive away from Khao Lak is Khao Sok National Park. The park surrounds the large man-made dam Chieow Laan Lake. The landscape is dominated by steep limestone cliffs and it looks virtually impossible to get on land, but there are paths and tracks suitable for jungle hikes. This is a place where you need a guide and I recommend the Limstone Lake Tours.. Write them a request and say that you're interested in seeing wild orchids and I would think that they will be able to find you a guide that can show them to you. When I was in Khao Sok with a guide, I was not very interested in orchids and did not go in search of them, but I was blown away by my guide's knowledge of the jungle and the plants. On our boat cruises we saw wild orchids on the cliffs, but for the most part they were far away and out of bloom (in Feb/March). If you ask for it, some of the guides at Limestone will also be able to guide you on a couple of days hike through the jungle from a nearby village to the lake. I haven't done that yet, but it's on the bucket list.

Apart from that, Khao Sok is also just an absolutely amazing spot well worth visiting just for a chance to sleep in the raft houses on the lake, swim in the emerald fresh water and wake up to the gibbon's call in the morning. Again, in Norwegian, but it gives you an impression of the landscape and the accommodation. Khao Sok National Park.

[vapyle]

Thank you so much!

Eskevingo, thanks for the genera recommendations -- now I can do some real research! And you're right; a tour probably is a good idea isn't it? Shows how much of a seasoned world traveler I am (not), right? lol.

Silje -- Lam Ru and Khao Sok parks sound like fantastic places, even if I wouldn't see orchids! Thank you for thse suggestions; they may be added to the itinerary. The cultural resources interest me because I am an historian and almost-anthropologist by training, but a nature nerd by birth!

You all are awesome!
Tori

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Many of the orchids in those regions are spring/summer growing/blooming. A few will be fall blooming.

If you're going now, you will miss a lot of orchids because some will be terrestrials that are on their way to becoming fully deciduous.

You might or might not be in time to catch Habenaria rhodocheila, Habenaria xanthocheila, Habenaria carnea, and Habenaria erichmichaelii.

You could catch some of the Jewel Orchids if you know where to look. Some genera include Dossinia, Macodes, Anoetochilus, Cheirostylis.

The Eulophias, Calanthes, Gastrorchis, Ipsea, Malaxis, Liparis, and Phaius would probably be harder to find right now.

You might be able to see Erias or Porpax.

[Kevin_PR]

Fun fact about Bangkok, my fathers home city.

"Recently declared the world's hottest city by the World Meteorological Organization, it also boasts the world's longest name: Krung-thep-maha-nakorn-boworn-ratana-kosin-mahintar-ayudhya-amaha-dilok-pop-nopa-ratana-rajthani-burirom-udom-rajniwes-mahasat-arn-amorn-pimarn-avatar-satit-sakattiya-visanukam.

"Not surprisingly, only a handful of Thais can remember such a mouthful, although the abbreviated translation of the whole is a relatively brief Jewelled city of the god Indra. However, most Thais simply refer to it as Krung Thep, City Angels."

We sought a ruling from a Bangkok wordsmith, Theppitak Karoonboonyanan who said the correct spelling (163 letters) is Krung*thep*maha*nakorn*amorn*ratana*kosin*mahintar *ayutthay*amaha*dilok*phop*noppa*ratrajathani*buri rom*udom*rajaniwes*mahasat*harn*amorn*phimarn*avat arn*sathit*sakkattiya*visanukamprasit.

Theppitak separated the words of K161t and translated them as:


•krungthep mahanakorn
The great city of angels,
•amorn rattanakosin mahintara yutthaya mahadilok phop
the supreme unconqueralble land of the great immortal divinity (Indra),
•noparat rajathani burirom
the royal capital of nine noble gems, the pleasant city,
•udomrajaniwes mahasatharn
with plenty of grand royal palaces,
•amorn phimarn avatarnsathit
and divine paradises for the reincarnated deity (Vishnu),
•sakkatattiya visanukam prasit
given by Indra and created by the god of crafting (Visnukarma).



I can vouch for it being hot(I'd say more humid than hot). If you fly into Bangkok the moment you step outside the airport you can feel "a wall" of humidity slam you in the face. Bangkok is a 10 shower a day kinda place. but the rest of the country is not so bad.

---------- Post added at 01:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------

There is a pop song that all they do is sing the Original name of Bangkok. Here it is just in case you were wondering how to say it.

Real name of Bangkok - Krung Thep Mahanakon - YouTube

---------- Post added at 02:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:52 PM ----------

Here is a video of people trekking to see orchids in Thailand. If granny can make it up there should be a nice walk. Most orchids diversity is at higher altitudes.(in any tropical regions)

Trip to Phu Luang, the Royal Mountain of Orchids, Thailand - YouTube

[Silje]

And talking about Bangkok...if you go into Thonburi, the old residential areas of Bangkok you can find beautiful orchid nurseries with amazing vandas! Also recommended.

Gotta love Bangkok. I think I left my heart in one of the backalleys of Yaowarat Road (Chinatown).

[naoki]

Tori, if you are interested in Cypripedium, Holger Perner's orchid tour sounds amazing.
http://hengduanbiotech.com
It's in S. China.

Tom (Botany Boy) went there this summer, and he has been gradually uploading his video from the tour:
Videos about slipper orchids

[euplusia]

I made a backpacking tour by my own with public buses in Thailand years back and have visited Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, the ancient capitals. Then I went to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle. No worry, it is save now, very kind people. Eating in the cookshops is nice food. I've seen more orchids in the north of this country.
In Malaysia the Cameron Hills and Genting Highlands are good places. Bulbophyllums and Dendrochilums, Bletia and slopes covered with flowering Arundina graminifolia.
Otherwise Holger Perner is the man for all Chinese slippers. I like to read his articles in the German Orchid Magazine. And China is an adventure of its own, but here you better make an organized tour. Very good link by Naoki.