Guide Training Immersion 4-Days
Thailand, Ko Phra Thong – Baba Ecolodge – November, 2026
- November 25, 2026
- to
- November 29, 2026
- Enrollment Open
An opportunity to connect with other guides from other cohorts and learn from the shared experiences.
If you have completed at least module 4 and submitted the corresponding assignments, of the six-month remote Forest Therapy Guide Training you’re eligible to apply. Completion of this immersion and the six-month training fulfills the requirements for full Certification. When space is available, ANFT-trained guides who have completed training in any past cohort can also participate. Please note that priority goes to students who need to take the immersion to get fully certified. Therefore, when you apply, you’ll be put on a waitlist until three weeks before the start of the immersion.
A 4 day in-person gathering, with 1 or 2 trainers, and people from different cohorts where you will have the opportunity to apply what you learned, experience in-person forest therapy walks and simply connect and share experiences and stories with other guides.
In this immersion, you will:
- Get a hands on experience of what you learned
- Get to know trainers personally
- Get to know other guides and connect
- Learn from shared experiences with other guides
- Deepen into the practice
- Get the opportunity to ask specific questions that might come up
Once you complete this four-day immersion, your certification will be moved from provisional to permanent. You have two years after you complete the six month core training course to complete an immersion. It will help to give you a sense of the community of guides that has grown and is active throughout the world.
About the Venue
Baba Ecolodge
Baba Ecolodge is an eco-resort located on the unspoiled Ko Phra Thong
Island in the south-west of Thailand on the edge of a national park.
Located at the Andaman Sea, the resort offers both a private 12-kilometre beach fringed by coconut trees and a virgin jungle, and a calm protected bay with shallow clear water. At the end of the bay, you find a system of small mangrove streams that takes the mind to an Amazon adventure. Additionally, just a few steps outside of the resort, you will find Thailand’s only savannah. This unparalleled hidden gem is only accessible by longtail boats from the mainland.
Wildlife and nature are abundant at Baba Ecolodge. Some of the most popular wildlife that shares the environment includes the crab-eating macaques, beautiful hornbills, tugae lizards, green turtles and white-bellied sea eagles.
The wooden bespoke and traditional villas have been created in harmony with the natural features of the resort, seamlessly blending into the surrounding environment. All the villas offer private gardens and elevated wooden decks for relaxation, either hidden under the lush tropical canopy or directly facing the calm Andaman Sea.
Some eco-friendly features of the resort include:
• Conscious avoidance of air conditioning. Instead, the houses are constructed traditionally to make the most of the sea breeze. This is supplemented at night by ceiling fans.
• Conscious avoidance of televisions but sunsets provide the best early evening show you could wish for.
• Minimised change of linens and beach towels (every third day) unless you request otherwise.
• Hot water for showers (only for selected villas) derived solely from solar panels.
Soak yourself into ultimate unregulated freedom – a haven of natural serenity in which to reconnect with the rhythms of the earth.
Lodging
Accommodation fees are in Thai Baht. The USD equivalent that is provided below is an estimate only and is based on current conversion rates at the time of publishing. Visit www.xe.com for the latest conversion rates.
The accommodation fees are per person. It includes *(BOLD) 4 nights of lodging with breakfast and a celebration dinner* and is in addition to the tuition paid to ANFT. The fees range from about THB 6,000 – THB 30,000 ($185 – $930) per person, depending on the type of villa/room.
Participants must stay on-site.
Accommodation are spacious traditional Thai villas with ample privacy. Each villa is unique, and they range from private one-bedroom beachfront villas to shared luxury forest canopied family villas with private rooms. There are rooms with king- or queen- sized beds available, suitable for participants travelling with a spouse or partner who will not be participating in the immersion.
The villas and rooms will be offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once you register for this immersion, you will receive more information about the different villa and room types. You will also be connected with the resort manager who will personally assist you on your accommodation bookings.
More about the villa options and pictures here (https://www.boutiquehoteldirectbookings.com/hotels/BabaEcolodge?src=hws).
*(Italicise or bold) To enjoy the preferential rate of accommodation that we have secured, participants are reminded to book their accommodation following the instructions from the trainers after enrolment. They should not book their accommodation directly with the resort.*
Participants are welcome to book extended stay at these preferential rates.
Camping is not allowed.
Meals
Breakfast is included with all accommodation. A celebration dinner on Day 3 is also already included with the accommodation.
Lunch, dinner and drinks are served at the resort and will be ala carte, i.e. you will order from the day’s menu. Full board option (lunch + dinner) at a preferential rate of THB 1,500 per pax per room night is also available. You can decide on this when you are at the resort. Fees of your meals and drinks will be charged to you, and you will settle these fees directly with the resort upon check out.
The kitchen prepares a new menu every day based on seasonality and availability, and will be able to cater for special dietary requirements including vegetarians and vegans.
There will be complimentary drinking water, coffee and tea provided in each villa.
No cooking is allowed.
There are no shops or grocery stores on the island. You can bring along snacks and drinks to the resort from the mainland, but be sure to store them properly during the day to avoid incidences with monkeys and other wildlife. You are also reminded to bring any plastic waste back to the mainland with you.
Additional costs to consider
• Ala-carte lunch, dinner, drinks (or full board)
• Longtail boat transfers to/fro the resort.
• Car transfers to/fro Phuket or Ranong to the pier.
Payments during your stay at the resort is by Visa, MasterCard or cash (Thai Baht only). Debit cards are not accepted.
Other activities available at the resort include yoga classes, massages and day trips to the surrounding islands. There is also complimentary use of snorkeling and kayaking equipment.
Transportation
The group will travel together on car and boat transfers which will be pre-arranged (additional costs of transfers will be shared equally among trainees using the transfers).
In a nutshell, there are 3 segments in getting to Baba Ecolodge / Ko Phra Thong:
1. Arriving into Thailand (Phuket or Ranong)
2. Car transfer to the Kuraburi Pier
3. Boat transfer to Baba Ecolodge
Arriving into Thailand (Phuket or Ranong):
Nearest international airport: Phuket International Airport
Nearest domestic airport: Ranong Airport
Car transfer to the Kuraburi Pier:
From either Phuket or Ranong airports, you will travel up to 3 hours by pre-arranged private car or taxi to arrive at the Kuraburi pier.
Boat transfer to Baba Ecolodge:
Transfer to longtail boats will be arranged. The boat ride takes approximately 90 minutes, with beautiful scenery of the sea, islands, jungles and mangroves. Chartered boats will be shared by trainees and will be scheduled to depart from the pier between 10.30 am – 1 pm on 25 November 2026. Fees for the boat will be shared by participants – about THB 400 per pax ($13) for a one-way trip, if shared by 7 people.
When you book your accommodation with BABA Ecolodge, the resort manager will arrange the timing of the boat ride with you. If you prefer the resort to arrange airport transfers for you, you can inform them at the time of booking too.
When you enroll for this immersion, you will receive a detailed information kit and recommendations for the different transportation options.
Schedule Details
Arrival
Arrival and registration: 25 November 2026, between 1 pm – 4 pm.
Welcome circle: 25 November 2026, begins at 4 pm.
Departure
Closing and check out: 29 November 2026, by 3 pm.
General Notes
Cooking in the villas is strictly prohibited.
Pets are not allowed.
The head is considered a special and spiritual part of the body. Touching anyone on the head is offensive; including children.
Please dress suitably. There is no special dress code and beachwear is normal attire, but please consider that others live here. Please wear cover-ups when going to the beach, and also at the Clubhouse.
Please reduce your waste and re-use containers such as water bottles. Also take away with you any waste that cannot be recycled.
Cancellation Policy (for the venue):
Cancellations made 30 days in advance of the check-in are cancelled without charge but minus any bank charges or fees.
For cancellations less than 30 days in advance of check-in, 20% of the total stay can be refunded.
Tuition
The tuition for the four-day immersion is 495 (USD). Wait to pay until you are ready to register for a specific immersion. You will have two years from the completion of your core guide training to do the immersion.
Immersion tuition does not include transportation, lodging or camping fees and food. These expenses are separate from the program costs for the four-day immersion and are the responsibility of the trainee.
IMPORTANT: Please wait until you receive enrollment confirmation before booking travel and lodging.
Tuition figures are subject to change.
Training Team
- Youmin Yap
- Youmin is one of Southeast Asia's pioneer certified Forest Therapy Guides. She trained with Cohort 18 in 2017 and has since been offering the practice on a full-time basis. Currently based in Singapore, Youmin founded Xiu Nature Connections to offer forest therapy experiences with the intention to ignite the importance of deep restorative rest and deep connections for the wellbeing of stressed-out and disconnected city dwellers. In her practice, Youmin has partnered and worked with several organizations including designing and hosting of community nature programs for the National Parks Board of Singapore, wellness workshops for spas and resorts such as Museflower Retreat and Spa in Thailand, staff wellbeing events for companies such as GIC Singapore, wellbeing support programs for community groups such as Singapore Cancer Society, introductory workshops for related industries such as the Department of Tourism of Philippines etc. Her work has also been shared at various international conferences. On the invite from the National Parks Board Singapore, Youmin published an article on "Urban Forest Therapy". Youmin holds a degree of Master in Science in life sciences from the National University of Singapore, and a postgraduate diploma in education from the National Institute of Education Singapore.
- Amanda Yik
- Amanda’s deep connection with nature has supported her through life’s many challenges, including multiple career transitions and critical illness. She felt called to be of service to the earth in 2006, but it took her many years and a winding path before encountering Forest Therapy, a practice that deeply resonated with her calling. Having trained as part of Cohort 18, Amanda has been an ANFT Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide since 2017, when she founded Shinrin-Yoku Hong Kong, through which she has offered more than 200 forest therapy and nature connection experiences, on- and off-line, to support busy urbanites on bodyful and soulful journeys of homecoming through reconnecting with nature. Amanda is particularly called to support people in transition and those facing chronic stress, and she collaborates extensively with the corporate sector, environmental and conservation organizations, the social service sector and educational institutions. Amanda is honoured to be a mentor for guides-in-training, and the first Asia-based ANFT trainer. She is also an International Coach Federation Certified Professional Coach for Transformation and long-time yoga, mindfulness and tai chi practitioner.
Certification Pathway
STEP 1
6-Month Remote Training
You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls with the support of your trainers, fellow students, a very user friendly learning platform, many self exploration and nature connection activities that are done outside. After completing this training you get a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide. To view the available trainings scroll down
STEP 2
4-Day In-Person Immersion
After completing module 4 you can apply to attend a 4-day in-person immersion, for hands on forest therapy guiding experience with trainers and fellow students. You have two years time to complete this step.
STEP 3
Get Your Certification
After completing the 6-month remote training and the 4-day in- person immersion, you will receive your permanent certification as an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide and be part of the largest Forest Therapy Guide Community Worldwide.