Trekking Tours

Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes live throughout northern Thailand's mountains. They share animist beliefs and honour numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship rituals, games, dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.
Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors through forested mountains and high valleys and meadows, and include visits to remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements for overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe youths who customarily speak English, Thai and at least three tribal dialects.

Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat, elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination of two or three modes of transportation.

Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around companies offering such tours for the best conditions. All treks must be registered with the Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers' protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by this law. Visitors are welcome to enquire from the Tourism Police to confirm which tour companies have negative or bad reputations. Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs' such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin, both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe penalties for such usage. Valuables, such as passport, jewelry and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or guest house while you are trekking upcountry

Wear sensible clothing to protect your limbs and sleep under a mosquito net at night. Malaria is a real threat, and sensible precautions should be taken to avoid it.

Visitors should remember to
a) Respect hilltribe beliefs and religious symbols and structures.
b) Dress modestly. Hilltribe people are generally modest. Inappropriate attire may offend them.
c) Ask permission before photographing someone. Some villages do not permit photography.
d) Avoid trading western medicines and articles of clothing. Contributions to their welfare, items such as pens, paper, needles, thread, cloth and material used for embroidery are perfectly acceptable.

Trek prices are determined by the duration of the trip, transportation modes, meals available and the size of the trekking party.

Kamphang Hot Spring

This has been developed, with joint cooperation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and San and San Kamphang Cooperative, into a new recreational area of San Kamphang. It covers the distance of approximately 20 kilometers from Chiang Mai city. To reach the place, there are two routes; the first one runs along Chiang Mai - San Kamphang - Teak Sprout Producing Station - Hot Spring (You will pass by Meung On Cave that is 4 kilometers away from the Hot Spring) while the other route runs along Chiang Mai city - San Kamphang - On Lui village - Hot Spring. For those who want to go there by bus, the terminal is at Chang Puak Terminal

Four-Wheel Drive Safaris

This popular new activity features exciting trips by Land Rover between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, taking five days and four nights, or Chiang Rai and Ken Thun in Myanmar, taking three days and two nights. Much of the journey is along dirt roads and tracks so that visitors can witness out-of-the-way areas. Accommodation is in forest lodges or basic hotels.

Bird- Watching

Although bird-watching has been a popular activity among Thais for many years, it is only relatively recently that overseas visitors have recognized the potential of this fascinating pastime. In total, almost one thousand different species of birds - some local, others migrating here- have been spotted in Thailand. Most of Thailand's national parks offer good opportunities for bird-watching such as Khao Yai National Park, Kaeng Krachan in Petchburi and Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai province.

Four-Wheel Drive Safaris

Each morning, at Km 10 on the Mae Rim-Samoeng route, trained elephants demonstrate their formidable and highly-valued forestry skills from 9.30 until 11.00 AM, at the Mae Sa Elephant Training Centre. The centre is some 30 kilometres from town. Admission is 80 baht per person. A jungle tour on elephant back, lasting more than two hours through adjacent forests, is offered after the show and costs 250 baht per person. Elephants can also be seen at the Pong Yaeng Elephant Centre at KM 19 on the same route.

Taeng Dao Elephant Camp

This riverside enclave, at KM 56 on Highway 107, features daily shows of elephants at work, from 9.00 AM until 10.00 AM, and from 10.00 AM until 11.00 AM, and offers elephant rides, and opportunities for bucolic river-rafting through largely pristine and tranquil forests, or jungle treks to neighbouring hilltribe settlements.

Local Culture

Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes live throughout northern Thailand's mountains. They share animist beliefs and honour numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship rituals, games, dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.
Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors through forested mountains and high valleys and meadows, and include visits to remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements for overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe youths who customarily speak English, Thai and at least three tribal dialects.

Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat, elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination of two or three modes of transportation.

Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around companies offering such tours for the best conditions. All treks must be registered with the Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers' protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by this law. Visitors are welcome to enquire from the Tourism Police to confirm which tour companies have negative or bad reputations. Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs' such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin, both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe penalties for such usage. Valuables, such as passport, jewelry and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or guest house while you are trekking upcountry

Thai Etiquette

What is considered polite in your country is probably considered polite in Thailand, too. However, there are a few cultural pitfalls, mainly social and religious taboos, the breaking of which can cause offense. For example, Thais revere their royal family. Even social malcontents, Who ignore legal and community standards, refuse to tolerate a faintly implied slur on the monarchy. Outward expressions of anger are regarded as crude and boorish. Visitors who remain calm and smile will find all sorts of doors opened to them. Visitors should dress neatly in all religious shrines. They should never go shirtless, or in shorts, hot pants or other unsuitable attire. Shoes should be removed when entering a private Thai home, a Buddhist temple chapel, any of the Islamic community's mosques.

Each Buddha image, large or small, ruined or not, is regarded as a sacred object. Never climb onto one to take a photograph or do anything which might indicate a lack
of respect. Public displays of affection between men and women are frowned upon. Westernized Thai couples may hold hands, but that's as far as it goes in public.

It is considered rude to point your foot at a person or object. Thai is regard the head as the highest part of the body, literally and figuratively. Therefore, they do not appreciate anyone patting them there, even as a friendly gesture.

Thai is customarily ask questions which are regarded elsewhere as being personal. If the visitor is asked, 'Where are you going?' or 'How much do you earn?' such questions are asked in a friendly manner and signify genuine interest. Joking answers such as, "I'm not sure" or "Never enough!' are perfectly acceptable.