Tour dates:

* From 8th June - 15th June 2008 (8 nights, 9 Days)

* From 19th June - 26th June 2008 (8 nights, 9 Days)

Tour includes:

* Great food, easy transportation and comfortable accommodation at The Mushroom Research Centre.

* Great day-trips collecting tropical mushrooms. This is the best season in the year here with an abundance of species to be found.

* Learn the delights of Thai mushroom cuisine. You can learn to cook Amoneta, Termite Mushroom and Black Boletes for example.

* You can participate in our mushroom biodiversity survey and mushroom identification and we have well equipped laboratories and libraries on hand to help with your discoveries.

Sightseeing Tours:

* Excursions will be provided such as bamboo rafting, elephant riding, temples  and hot springs.

* You will have opportunities to learn about Thai local culture, customs and life.

Guides:

* Dr. Ruilin Zhao and Dr K.D.Hyde - Fully Qualified Thailand mushroom experts who will be on hand to help you to view and understand the fungi and this fasinating rainforest environment in which they are to be found.

Accommodations:

Accommodation is in lovely wooden chalets set in the forest among the wildlife. All chalets have private en-suite bathrooms and hot water.

Price:

* 1490 $us per person based on two people sharing accommodation.
* 2200 $us for a private room.
The fees cover all transport, food, accommodation, site admissions, guides and gratuities.

ALL PROFITS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF PHD STUDENTS FROM ASIAN COUNTRIES STUDYING MYCOLOGY.

Tentative reservations can be held until the lists approach full and then a deposit of 500 $us will confirm a reservation.

We are located in the rain forest about 1 hour from Chiangmai and have been studying the mushrooms in the region since 2002. June is the best month for mushrooms and you can expect lots of variety. We have more than 100 forest tree species in the 100 hectare plot and this supports a great diversity of mushrooms. They will literally be growing outside your chalet. The PhD students at the Centre have discovered more than 20 new species in Agaricus and 11 in Lactarius, so it would be likely that you will collect fungi that are new to science.

Thailand has a tradition of eating wild mushrooms and during the season these are sold at road side stalls. They can usually be purchased for less than US$1 for a packet which contains enough mushrooms for a tasty meal. Edible mushrooms include Boletes, Amanita’s, Russula’s, Lactaria’s and many other delights. But of course the fun will be in picking your own in the forest. We have lots of local knowledge in our workers from the local village as to what is edible – they have been collecting and eating fungi all their lives.

When staying at the mushroom research centre you will be able to mix with PhD students carrying out various mycological research. You can participate in one of the projects that involves collecting larger fungi in several different plots. The Centre is fully equipped with microscopes, has a good laboratory, drying facilties and probably the best mycological library in Asia.

One area of the Centre is set aside for cooking. Thai cuisine uses a lot of mushrooms and they can be cooked in a variety of ways. We will have an English speaking Thai cook on site during the tour and she will teach you to cook Thai dishes using mushrooms from the market, mushrooms cultivated at MRC and also those you picked.

We will not only collect mushrooms around the research centre, but have discovered many sites within one hour of the Mushroom Research Centre that are flush with mushrooms. These will also include high altitude sites and different forest sites.

The tours will mostly concentrate on mushrooms but we will also take you to some local tourist attractions. This will include temples, elephant riding and a local hot spring. We will also take you to see tea being produced in a sustainable manner and local whiskey production. We can offer other sightseeing tours as extra for those requesting this.

There is a large lake overlooked by a restaurant serving delicious food and drinks. Next to the lake there is a small swimming pool and there are canoes available and fishing gear.

Accommodation is in lovely wooden chalets set in the forest amongst the wildlife.

The old city of Chiang Mai is an interesting hours journey away and a great place to visit with its multitude of golden temples, busy markets and historic buildings as well as more modern music, arts and dining venues throughout the old town and along the Ping river.

All in all this is the perfect place to cultivate your interest in Mycology as well as a peaceful place to relax with plenty to do in any spare time left over.

Please use the links at the bottom of this page and journey through our extensive websites devoted to our Asian mycology projects and particularly the Mushroom Research Centre. You will find many pictures of the facilities at the centre as well as the restaurant and accommodations. You may also be interested in the "International Journal of Fungal Diversity and Fungal Succession" , the "Asian Mycological committee" and "The Asian Freshwater Fungi Research Group."

Contact:

Map:

Further Information:

* The Mushroom Research Centre

* The Mushroom rainforest resort including details of how to get here

* The International Journal of Fungal Diversity and Fungal Succession

* The Asian Mycological Committee

* The Asian Freshwater Fungi Research Group