DirectRooms.com – Cruise the waters in Prachinburi during rafting festival between 8 and 12 July 2011

Between 8th and 12th July 2011, the Kaeng Hin Poeng Rafting Festival is a good time to visit for people that are new to rafting but also want more excitement compared to other times of the year when the waters are calmer. Experienced guides will feature in each rubber dinghy for the event and attendees are able to cruise or race down the Sai Yai River.

Running through the Khao Yai National Park the river has picturesque surroundings but the water also presents a tough physical challenge. The currents generally flow at level three or five and once people have learnt the skills there's also an amateur race for new crews.

For people that like to keep their feet firmly on the ground, there is also a music competition with local bands playing live. The som tam contest is another activity not to be missed where competitors will be seeing what level of intensity they can handle and who has the greatest resistance.

Som tam is made from papaya before it has a chance to ripen and this is shredded into a salad with things like crab, fish sauce, and chillies are then mixed in to create varying degrees of spiciness. For the contest the person who can devour the most chillies with the salad will then be declared the winner.

Lek Boonlert, marketing head at DirectRooms.com commented: "It will be common for people to visit Ayutthaya while taking in the festival and finding an Ayutthaya hotel will be harder during this already popular time of year."