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Chiang Mai trekking - Northern Thailand hill tribe

Bamboo rafts and hill tribes

Chiang Mai trekking: Three day jungle trek

Route: Chiang Mai - Hill tribe trek - Mountain village - Elephant ride - Bamboo rafting - Chiang Mai

This is our shortest ‘real’ jungle trek, and one of our most popular modules, featuring plenty of trekking through spectacular nature, an elephant ride, bamboo rafting and mountain village stays. Trekking from Chiang Mai, you’ll stay in two different mountain villages with traditional hilltibes like the Akha, the Palong, the Lahu or the Karen, giving you an idea of local life in the mountains.

Your Chiang Mai trekking adventure begins and ends in Chiang Mai. All transport is included, along with the meals and accommodation. The quoted price also includes your english-speaking guide, who will prepare all of your meals during the trek. You'll need to be reasonably fit to try our Chiang Mai trekking trip, because there are some occasional tough uphill sections on the route.

Click here to read a few customer comments about our 3-day Chiang Mai trekking trip.

Duration	Three days / Two nights Departs Tuesday and Saturday	Accommodation	Very simple overnight accommodation with the hilltribes. Comfort level 1 (see accommodation).
Price	£85 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Transport, english-speaking guide, lunch and dinner on Day 1, all meals on Day 2, breakfast and lunch on Day 3.
Transport	Local bus, elephant, pickup truck, bamboo raft, and air-conditioned minibus.	Excludes	Drinks and other meals, excursions and entrance fees not listed in the daily itinerary.

Day 1: Chiang Mai trekking - mountain village

Today you'll leave your hotel at around 8.30-9am in a săwngthăew (converted pickup truck taxi) and head for the starting point of our Chiang Mai trekking tour (about a 3 hour drive). On the way, you'll stop at a local market, where you have time to browse whilst your guide makes his last-minute purchases for the group. You'll continue the drive far into the mountains, until you come to the starting point for your trek. This first hike takes you steeply uphill on overgrown jungle paths for about three hours to a hilltribe village where you will stay overnight. Your guide will cook you a tasty and well-earned dinner, as you relax after your energetic day. The accommodation is very simple, a wooden hut (just like the locals) with a mat on the floor along with a mosquito net.

Chiang Mai trekking - Hill tribe children

Day 2: Trekking and hill tribe village

After breakfast, you'll set off for your first hike of the day, a 2½ hour trek to a beautiful waterfall, where you can spend time relaxing. After a good rest you will start the next 3 hour hike which leads slightly downhill through tropical scenery into flat paddy fields. You'll have lunch along the way, as you head towards another hilltribe village where you'll spend your second night. There are wild mushrooms and herbs on your Chiang Mai trekking route, but be sure not to try any without the guide's approval!

When you arrive at the village you can rest for a while or spend some time playing football with the children. Your guide will prepare your evening meal, and you'll stay in very similar accommodation to your first night.

Day 3: Bamboo rafting - End of Chiang Mai trekking

After breakfast this morning, you'll take a short hike (about one hour) to a Karen hilltribe village and elephant camp. Now it's time to climb on top of your elephant, and let your new mode of transport do the hard work. You'll be amazed by the way the elephants tackle the tricky paths, and you'll get a great view of the forest with its waterfalls and rapids.

After an hour, you'll be brought to a Lahu village. Next, you'll travel by săwngthăew to a riverside camp where a bamboo raft will be waiting for you. You'll take your place on the raft and the helmsman will float you peacefully down the river - a real highlight of your Chiang Mai trekking adventure. Along the way you'll see wild banana trees and small villages alongside the river. At the end of your rafting you'll have lunch, and after a good rest you'll be taken back to Chiang Mai, which will take about two hours by săwngthăew.

Your arrival time back to Chiang Mai cannot be guaranteed, so we don't recommend that you attempt to continue your journey immediately by overnight sleeper train or by flight. It's far better to spend a night in Chiang Mai, enjoying a hot shower and a soft bed while you unwind after your Chiang Mai trekking adventure. This can be arranged for you, just let us know on the quote request form.

What to take:
• Boots and a sleeping bag (sleeping bags can be rented locally for approx £2)
• Rucksack, torch and water bottle
• Shorts and long trousers, long and short sleeved tops, raincoat and socks
• A hat or cap, sun cream and insect repellent with DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide)
• Comfortable shoes (hiking boots not essential, but not sandals)

Click here for more information about trekking in Thailand.

Chiang Mai Trekking - Accommodation (click to enlarge)

Click here for the quote request form

Click here for more Northern Thailand Chiang Mai tours

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