Light Adventure
TREKKING TOURS

Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hill tribes 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 hill tribe settlements for overnight stays. The best guides are hill tribe 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 hill tribe villages. There are severe penalties for such usage. Valuables, such as passport, jewellery 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 hill tribe beliefs and religious symbols and structures. 
b) Dress modestly. Hill tribe 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. 

Average costs per person, for treks of 4-6 persons, are likely to be as follows: 
Treks 
2 days & 1 night/1,200 baht 
3 days & 2 nights/1,800 baht 
4 days & 3 nights/2,200 baht 

The latest Exchange rates

Such costs include guide, transportation, full board & lodging, inclusive of travel by elephant back, rafts or other modes. 

Check directly with the Chiang Mai TAT office for current information.

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 hill tribe settlements.

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