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Trekking in Thailand Thailand Travel Plan offers Chiang Mai tours under the leadership of an English-speaking guide in the following hiking programmes:Elephant trekking in Thailand with our 'Culture and elephants of the north' module: 2 days, caves, elephants and rafting and 1 night with the mountain people. Suitable for anyone with reasonable fitness and an adventurous spirit! Chiang Mai trekking with our 'Bamboo rafts and hill tribes' module: 3 days with a group on foot, by boat and elephant to a variety of mountain tribes, spending 2 nights with the locals. Good fitness required. 4 Day Thailand trekking with our 'Remote hill tribe adventure' module: demanding, 4-day hike with your own guide to mountain tribes, 3 nights with the local population. Good fitness required. This journey is for those who want to go deep into the area and learn more about the mountain people and their traditions. |
Trekking Thailand: Condition
For short hikes, reasonable physical fitness is required. This means that they are suitable for almost anyone. For hikes longer than three days, an adventurous nature and good physical fitness is required. During a hike on your Thailand trip, you'll be walking through the wilderness with a rucksack. This will mean a fair amount of sweating and in the rainy season, (or if you are unlucky enough to catch a cloudburst) you could get a little wet! The facilities are basic (to say the least), and the overnight accommodation while visiting the mountain people (on a wooden floor with a sleeping mat) is not everyone's cup of tea.Trekking Thailand: Day tripping in jungle Every day you will walk through a piece of the North Thailand wilderness; up and down hill. During these parts of your Thailand trip, you'll come across all kinds of jungle (for example, a bamboo forest). The views are fantastic but make sure you take into account that you’ll have to cross streams... |
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Evenings in the mountain villageApart from the daily physical demands of trekking Thailand, an essential part of the hiking trip is to soak up the village life. In the evening, you can relax and watch your guide prepare your evening meal (and help, if you feel inspired), or take a walk around and watch all the evening activities, mainly those of the chickens, dogs, pigs, cows, that roam around freely. Here and there you will see village residents going about their last evening chores and the village children playing volleyball with a ball made of rushes. You can always have a chat with the locals using the guide as an interpreter. Your guide not only knows the region like the back of his hand, he also knows the local languages of the different mountain people and will be on hand to tell you everything about them. |
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During your trekking Thailand adventure, your guide will prepare simple but tasty meals, which will give you a good insight into- as well as a taste for- Thai food. Whilst trekking Thailand, you'll sleep in a wooden hut in the village, sometimes on a flexible bamboo floor (as one of your hut-mates moves, so you move with them), sometimes on a hardwood floor. As your accommodation will be quite basic, you'll find that there's usually only a spring or a water pump to wash with (or sometimes a small river). Trekking Thailand: Personal experience Some people find going into a village a bit voyeuristic. We've never had a problem with this; we've never felt hostility and above all, our local agent ensures that Thailand Travel Plan avoids villages which have been heavily visited by other groups during the hikes. The agent also ensures that the group remains small, a maximum of 10 people. |
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ConclusionThough our trekking Thailand trips don't offer any electricity, running water, à la carte dinner menus, TV or Internet access, we do aim to offer you an unforgettable experience in the seemingly endless lush greenery of Northern Thailand.It's important to mention that although our daily programmes are an indication of what you can expect whilst trekking in Thailand, it is possible that the routes of the hikes can change. Though this is sometimes unavoidable, we do try to retain the unique charm and character of the hike. |
| What to take with you on the your trekking Thailand trip: • cotton sleeping bag (blankets are available locally) • sleeping mat, mosquito net, and sometimes a sleeping bag (all three are available for hire from our local agent) • rucksack (day sack) • short- and long-sleeved shirts • shorts and long trousers • poncho or waterproof jacket and trousers, backpack cover • water bottle (can be borrowed on location) • torch • insect repellent • hat or cap • sun block cream • enough camera film rolls or spare SD card • if necessary travel sickness tablets for a somewhat rough ride in a pickup truck • earplugs (think about the excited pigs when they get their food first thing in the morning, or your snoring travel companions) • sandals • toilet paper |
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If you regard a comfortable bed as necessary whilst you're trekking Thailand, then you can take a self-inflating sleeping mat with you. Remember that you whatever you take; you’re going to have to carry on your back. You can leave some of your baggage behind in the hotel that we booked for you in Chiang Mai. You can lock your valuables away in the safe. Good quality, well broken-in shoes, with a good tread, are an absolute must. Toilet paper and other day-to-day essentials are not always available for purchase en route. |
What not to take on your trekking Thailand trip: |
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The seasons
The best time of year for trekking Thailand is from November to February. The weather at this time is nice and relatively cool with little or no rain. The next best period is June or July, the beginning of the rainy season, when the unpaved roads are not yet turned into a mud bath. The next best period is between March and May; no rain, dry and hot, because there's less foliage it's not so green. See the chapter on climate.
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Click here to see all of our bite-sized Thailand tours
Click here to see our Northern Thailand Chiang Mai tours
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