TTTK02 - Tribal Culture of Chiang Dao Join in Tour - 3 days
Highlights:
An unforgettable jungle trekking. Experience the life of various hill tribes and enjoy the beautiful countryside. Enjoying with elephant riding and bamboo rafting.
Difficulty Level:
This three-day hilltribe trek will take you into the mountains of Northern Thailand. This trek is a small group trek that departs every Tuesday and Saturday. Departures are guaranteed with a minimum of 2 persons. Maximum group size is 10 persons to limit the impact on the village.
In the next three days you will learn about the flora and fauna of Northern Thailand and about the mountain dwellers who call these foothills of the Himalayas their home. You will learn about the traditions and life of the various tribes inhabiting this area, the Karen, Lahu, Palong and Akha. Most of these tribes migrated into Thailand from the surrounding countries. Your experienced guide knows this area as the back of his hand and will tell you about the flora and fauna. If you are interested in Thai cooking, you can join our guide with preparing dinner and he will teach you how to cook real Thai food. Enjoy the local hill tribe lifestyle, your guide can tell you many stories about their lives.
Departure Time:
9 am
End Time:
4 - 5 pm
Transportation:
trekking truck
Accommodation:
hilltribe house
Itinerary:
Day 1: Chiang Mai- Palong village
Meals:
Lunch
Dinner
Description:
Your trekking guide will pick you up around 09:00 at your hotel or guesthouse. You will drive to the North into the mountains. On the way, you'll stop at the Mae Ma Lai market. Your guide will do some shopping for the coming days. He will take you along and will explain about the different ingredients used in the Thai kitchen. After that, drive to Keng Keud, enjoy an elephant ride.
Then, continue to a riverside camp on Tang River where a bamboo raft will be waiting for you. Your helmsmen will maneuver the raft through the gentle rapids. Enjoy you raft before we have lunch.
After lunch we will make a short ride to an Akha village. We will start our trek with the first hike to the Palong village Pang Deng Nai, which is part of one of the Royal projects. Here the guide will explain about this interesting agricultural project. After this visit we will start trekking to Pang Hoo, another Palong village where you will stay overnight. There are only a handful of Palong villages in Northern Thailand. The Palong tribe only recently moved from Myanmar to Thailand, they wear a distinctive costume mostly in red, with rattan hoops worn around the waist.
Your guide will introduce you to the Thai kitchen and will explain you about all the different herbs we use for the Thai dishes. After that you can help him to cook the dinner. After dinner he will take you to one of the local houses to tell you the stories about the daily life of the Palong and about the history of the village.
Day 2: Palong village
Meals:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Description:
After breakfast this morning we will start trekking through the forest for about 1.5 - 2 hours to a waterfall where you will have time for a refreshing. Enjoy a delicious picnic lunch at the waterfall. After lunch we will continue our trek through the forest about 3-4 hours to another Palong village. Your guide will take his time to explain you about the natural environment. We walk out of the forest into the rice fields to Palong village Huay Pong.
Once we have arrived in the village you can rest for a while or spend some time playing with the children. Your guide will prepare your evening meal for you all, and if you like you can join him to prepare dinner. At the campfire after dinner, it’s time to share some more stories with your guide and the local Palong people.
Day 3: Palong village – Chiang Mai
Meals:
Breakfast
Lunch
Description:
After the sounds of nature and the locals woke you up, your guide will prepare breakfast. After breakfast we will trek about an hour to a Karen village Thakilek. After that drive to the restaurant where we have lunch. Drive back to Chiang Mai by truck. On the way back we will make a stop at an orchid nursery.
Included:
- Transportation by pick up truck
- Accommodation in the local Palong and Lahu village
- All meals on trek
- English speaking guide
- Elephant riding (about 40 minutes)
- Bamboo rafting (about 45 minutes)
- Insurance
Not Included:
- All drinks
- Personal expenses
- Tips
Things to Bring:
- Short sleeve shirts for the day time (bring a spare one, just in case)
- Long sleeves for the evening (especially in the winter Nov - Feb it can be a bit cold)
- Shoes with good grip (especially in the raining season from May - Sep
- A cap
- Suncream
- A small towel
- Flip flops
- Sun glasses
- Your personal toiletries
- Personal medication
- Fully charged batteries or even an extra battery for your camera.
- 1000-1500 Thai Baht per person in small notes (not bigger than 100 Thai Baht). This is for souvenirs, drinks and tips.
Notes:
Due to weather conditions and other conditions on the ground we might have to adjust the itinerary of this trekking. If it is necessary to adjust the program we will always make sure that the quality of your experience and your personal safety are safeguarded.
Please respect local customs and traditions. We will give you a document named "code of conduct in the village". Read it before you go on your trek. Dress conservatively in the village. Please refrain from or, at least minimize, the intake of alcoholic beverages while you are in the village.