Experience the hills of northwestern Thailand through eyes opened by the unsurpassed knowledge of our local expert, Chan. Explore the flora and fauna along the route and visit tribal communities that live deep in this mountainous region close to the Burma border.
A life-long resident of Mae Hong Son, Chan has an intimate knowledge of Thailand's northwestern hills. He is an experienced guide, an accomplished, self-taught naturalist and a talented cook. Chan also speaks fluent English.
Walks will follow the complex network of pathways used by local tribespeople, climbing from the verdant rice paddies of the valleys along rivers and streams and up into tropical montane forests. Along the way you can discover the unique flora, including many varieties of wild orchid, observe the fauna, and stop and bathe at waterfalls and in river pools. You will get the chance to visit the remote Karen hill tribe villages and taste rural Thai cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients and on an open fire, the way it should be.
At times you will come across viewpoints with breathtaking vistas, and at other times you may wish to just stop and soak up the natural peace of these stunning, remote northwestern hills of Thailand's Mae Hongson Province.
Village encounters will enable you to discover the traditional way of life lived by the people in the forest for generations, their herbs and hunting methods, the various fruits of the forest and how the locals cultivate the land. Chan's vast knowledge of the region's flora and fauna will help you to observe nature rarely seen by the untrained eye. He can answer your questions and point out details of the environment while you breathe the fresh mountain air and stretch your legs in one of the most unique and untouched regions of Thailand.
Late afternoons will find you arrive at a hill tribe village or a forest campsite for your overnight stay. Chan will personally prepare your delicious Thai meal, comprising several dishes, over an open fire. He will explain how the people, who have lived in the area for over 200 years, make their tools, husband their animals and produce their food. Chan's relationship with the hill tribe people is genuine and has been developed over his lifetime of visiting them. That is obvious in the way he and his guests are genuinely welcomed in each hill tribe village.
Chan's Nature Walks are designed with your interests in mind and you can customise how your would like your trek to be, whether it be a day's nature walk or a rigorous week-long trek, visiting several remote villages of the Karen, Hmong and Lisu tribes.
Notes
This trek can be incorporated into a Symbiosis tailor made holiday to Thailand that can be adapted and tailored to meet your dates, preferences and passions. Please contact one of our bespoke holiday planners to create the ideal itinerary for you.
10 Day Mae Hongson / Pai Circuit with Rafting
Sample 10 day itinerary
Day 1: Bangkok ~ Chiang Mai ~ Mae Hongson [B]
After breakfast, take a taxi back to the Airport in time to board the Thai Airways flight TG106 to Chiang Mai, departing at 1025 and arriving 1145. Connect to Nok Air flight DD943 departing at 1320. Arrive Mae Hongson airport at 1400 where your guide, Chan, will meet you and escort you to your guest house, located a 10 minute walk from the centre of town, to check in. Remainder of the day to relax or to explore this sleepy provincial town surrounded by forests and mountains. For dinner, wander into town where there are plenty of local eateries. The Fern Restaurant is renowned for its excellent food so if you wish to try it out, better on a weekday than on a Friday when it is likely to be packed with Thai tourists coming up from Chiang Mai.
Day 2: Mae Hongson [B]
Day free to enjoy Mae Hongson. If you like, I can ask Chan to arrange a short elephant safari for you, some bamboo rafting on the Mea Hongson River, or a visit to one of the refugee camps on the Burma border for an encounter with the “Long Neck” women of Burma’s Karenni Padaung tribe. In the evening you could wander into town where there are a couple of great little pubs and a gallery cum café owned by an accomplished local photographer who speaks excellent English. Overnight at Sang Tong Huts.
Day 3: Trek Day 1: Mae Hongson ~ Ban Hua Nam [B, L, D]
Early morning breakfast at the Guesthouse where Chan will meet you. Then set off by car to Chan’s home, located in a beautiful area of rice paddies surrounded by mountains and national park. Take a look around his garden which is full of native plant species that he has carefully cultivated.
The trek starts from here with a hike up a river known as the Mae Hongson creek. In parts you will need to walk through the water so best to wear lightweight training shoes that dry quickly. As you go, learn about the plants and wild life along the riverside. See waterfalls, high gorges, giant vines and very tall trees. Around noon take a rest and a picnic lunch on the riverbank.
In the afternoon arrive at the ethnic Karen village of “Ban Hua Nam”. Meet your hosts and enjoy the afternoon learning about their ways of life in the mountains.
In the evening see the brilliant, clear night sky and the stars. Spend the night in the village sleeping on floor mats in simple wood and bamboo houses. Mosquito nets will be provided.
(Walking time around 5-6 hours)
Day 4: Trek Day 2: Ban Hua Nam ~ Ban Huai Pomfat [B, L, D]
Early morning enjoy a local style breakfast before starting the hike higher up into the mountains following a rough trail. Chan will help you learn about the native trees and plants and the wildlife in highlands, and you can enjoy the spectacular mountain views. It is long up hill climb but you can take your time to rest and to explore Bamboo forests and Oak and Cycad trees. When you reach the top, the scenery makes it all worthwhile.
Picnic lunch at the top before descending through pine and oak forests to at a second Karen village, “Ban Huai Pomfat” where there are lots of domesticated animals, buffalos, cows pigs, chickens and many dogs. Karen people mainly farm rice and arable, including pumpkin, cucumber, basil, chilli, tapioca and yam. Other vegetables they collect from forest. They also hunt wild meat. Learn about the local Karen culture during your stay with them at their homes.
(Walking time around 6-7 hours)
Day 5: Trek Day 3: Ban Huai Pomfat ~ Lisu Village [B, L, D]
Morning, after enjoying breakfast in the village and as the sun begins to clear the early morning mists, hike to the higher lands of the ethnic Lisu people, passing through tribal farmlands and evergreen forests. Take a look at how local farmers till their land using ancient methods of slash and burn, cultivating dry and wet paddy. Chan can also teach you about harvesting the forest, collecting wild edible plants and edible creatures.
Late morning you will pas through the Karen village “Ban Pakar” where you can take a break and meet the local people. Tourists do not often come this way - maybe only once every two years or so - so your visit will be a highlight for them.
Afternoon continue hiking uphill back into the land of the Lisu people, once prolific producers of opium. See how very different the culture and lifestyle of these people is from the Karen. Sleep over night in a Lisu house.
(Walking time around 5-7 hours)
Day 6: Trek Day 4: Lisu Village ~ Ban Hua Ha [B, L, D]
After breakfast in the Lisu village, set off along rough dirt roads, built by the government to try to bring the cash crop market to the tribes in replacement of opium, taking some short cut trails through Oak, Chestnut and Pine forests.
In the afternoon hike down to “Ban Hua Ha”, home of the ethnic Hmong people, another great opium producing tribe. Nowadays the Lisu and Hmong produce cash crops such as rice, potatoes, carrots, cabbages and kidney beans, and only very old people who are acknowledged to be opium addicts are allowed to grow a small amount poppy for personal consumption only. Sleep overnight at the Hmong village.
(Walking time around 6 hours)
Day 7: Trek Day 5: Ban Hua Ha ~ Pai [B, L]
Late morning, after wondering around village, board a 4x4 truck and set off along dirt and rough mountain roads through Karen, Hmong and local Thai villages to Pai, a drive of around 2-3 hours. Remainder of the day to explore this buzzing tourist town with its many restaurants and bars. Overnight at Rim Pai Cottages or similar.
Day 8: Rafting Day 1: Pai ~ Jungle Camp [B, L, D]
After an early breakfast, together with Chan you will be picked up by staff from the Thai Adventures Rafting Company to drive to Ban Maung Pam, the start point for your rafting adventure. Once briefed and kitted out, board your white water raft and start padding down the Pai river, passing through Pai Gorge, past waterfalls and the jungle. There are many rapids interspersed by stretches of more gentle brown water. Dinner and overnight at a forest camp by riverside
Day 9: Rafting Day 2: Jungle Camp ~ Mae Hongson [B, L]
A second full day adventure rafting on the Pai River, winding though forested mountains, arriving back at Mae Hongson in the afternoon. Bid goodbye to the rafting guides and follow Chan back to Mae Hongson to check back in to your guesthouse.
Day 10: Depart Mae Hongson [B]
After breakfast, return to the airport for your flight back to Chiang Mai and onward journey.
