2 Days Authentic Hill Tribe Tour

Highlights

Experience the hill tribe way of life. This tour will include: Cultural immersion, Village life, Hill tribe Homestay, Nature & Scenery, Local agriculture, Village artisans and handicrafts.

Description

Get off-the-beaten-path with us to visit authentic hill tribe villages in northern Thailand. The hill tribe villages we visit are non-touristic and we are the only group to visit there. As we only visit in small private groups, the experience is kept highly authentic and personalised. Enjoy an intimate cultural immersion experience with the hill tribes, learn about and share daily life in the village, in a natural and ethical way.

Authentic Hill Tribe Tour Northern Thailand

OUTLINE ITINERARY

This is a private tour so we can customise the itinerary and it is flexible. This is a sample itinerary only.

DAY 1
Pick up from hotel in Chiang Mai - optional visit to an elephant sanctuary and/or bamboo rafting - continue our journey north to Thaton - On the way we will stop to explore local life (roadside markets, areas of natural beauty etc.) - visit a Kayan Long Neck tribe family - You will have the chance for cultural immersion and to learn about their way of life as refugees in Thailand - Option for short trek with the Karen hill tribe to learn about how they use local plants and herbs from the forest, and how they farm - enjoy preparing a traditional dinner together from fresh and local ingredients - O/n at our Kayan Long Neck Tribe Homestay or at a local guesthouse.

DAY 2
Depart the homestay - Drive up Doi Angkhang mountain, a cluster of peaks and valleys that form a mountain range that borders Myanmar - Enjoy the stunning vistas on the way up. Doi Angkhang is home to colourful minorities such as the Palaung and Lahu hill tribe - Visit their villages, where these ethnic groups still live in bamboo stilt houses and believe in the spirit world - You will have the chance to talk to them and learn about their culture and way of life - Visit an outlook point which overlooks the mountainous Thai-Myanmar border - Descend Doi Angkhang, option to visit a terraced-limestone waterfall where you can play in the cascading waters - Visit a Lisu hill tribe refugee family, optional short trek with the Lisu hill tribe to learn about how they live and farm - drop off at hotel in Chiang Mai.

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Optional visit to elephant sanctuary
Optional short trek through forest and farmland
Visit a waterfall
Help to prepare a traditional dinner

TESTIMONIALS

"Amazing Experience"

Pat and his team drove us around Northern Thailand with a 2 nights at 2 different homestays. We explored markets, tasting different fruits, visited Tribes, learning about traditions and lifestyle and they included bamboo rafting a waterfall for the kids. Pat was very flexible with the tour. The homestays were a great experience, the families were very accommodating, with enough food to feed the tribe. Our family gained so much, highly recommend this experience (Kelly, Australia, Visited April 2018)

"Unique Experience"

It’s not every day you get to experience life in a small Karen Hilltribe Village of thirty. From our basic accommodations to the openness of our host it was a very unique experience. I had a very enjoyable time with my guide Winai who shared my passion for photography and took me to many interesting places such as Baan Tong Luang Village. I watched him cut bamboo in the forest to make sticky rice for our breakfast treat. His English is excellent and I highly recommend him as a guide. I count myself extremely lucky to have had my schedule work with their availability. My only regret is having such a short time. They offer other longer adventure treks which I would have loved to experience. The office was prompt in responding to my emails and extremely professional. Highly recommend!
(Linda, Vancouver, Visited February 2018)

"Local Living"

We had this trip in the beginning of January (2018) and we must say that it was the best thing of our holiday. The guide (Pat) knew the places where were no tourists. That's why we had an excellent opportunity to observe real local living. We went to see for example poor hmong tribe, local school and hot springs. The best thing of trip was an unforgettable night with karen tribe family, where we lived together with water buffalos, roosters, chickens, pigs etc. Then we ate local food and had sticky rice from a bamboo. If you want to get rid of big tourist groups and experience local living, you should definately have this trip! (Oskari, Finland, Visited January 2018)

DETAILS :

This tour starts+ends in Chiang Mai. We can pick up+drop off at your hotel/airport/train station in Chiang Mai. If you require pick up from another location please contact us.
The itinerary is an outline only, and not fixed, this leaves opportunity to explore local life along the way.
Optional overnight at a Kayan Long Neck Tribe Homestay. Conditions are basic (very little electricity, no hot showers, sleeping in a bamboo stilt hut) or guesthouse accommodation is also possible.
This tour can be customised. Please contact us for more details.

ETHICAL FACTOR :

- We follow village life, rather than village life following us, so we cannot guarantee what you will see and do in the village. But you will have the chance to meet villagers, be invited into their homes and to see how they live in an ethical and respectful way.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM :

- Option to go on a short trek with our village trekking guide. S/he can show you the local ecology, and how the hill tribes live with nature. This is part of our sustainable tourism policy, to provide training and a livelihood to villagers.
- The homestay costs are payable directly to the host family. We encourage 100% profits to go directly to the locals that provide any services along our tours.