Duration
3 days / 2 nights
Price Per Person
Interests
Tribal
Destinations
Thailand

This three-day Tribal Chiang Mai itinerary may be short in length, but certainly not in adventure or culture. Enjoy a rare glimpse into different communities dotting Thailand’s beautiful Northern mountainside. With rafting, trekking and relaxing in store - you can have it all!

This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.

Highlights

  • Cultural Patchwork: Thailand's highland ethnic groups are unique in dress, beliefs, and customs, as travellers will discover with visits to Hmong and Karen communities.
  • Waste Not: Chiang Mai's playfully named Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park recycles elephant excrement into paper products.
  • Rose of the North: The cultural capital is known for its blooms and travelers will encounter one of its most prized blossoms with a trip to an orchid farm.

Day-by-Day

Day 1

Chiang Mai

The guide and driver will meet you at your hotel early this morning. Drive to the largest Hmong community in Northern Thailand where very few visitors frequent. Along the way, stop and visit the Tribal Museum for an introduction to hilltribes in the area. Enjoy the scenic mountain route, passing vegetable plantations and farms belong to the Hmong hilltribes. Make stops to meet the locals in the Baan Mae Khi and Nong Hoi Mai villages, plus a few more, before enjoying lunch with a view of the lowlands. The last stop of the day is at the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Camp. Elephant dung is literally turned into paper at this environmentally-friendly location! Return to your hotel in Chiang Mai for the evening.

Hotel Options
Why We Love This Hotel

Individuality: The 137 Pillars House is a recently opened, renovated, historically colonial boutique property of select suites.

Added Extras: Guests receive complimentary breakfasts, soft drinks and beer from the mini bar.

Location: Situated in one of Chiang Mai’s most stylish areas, by the Ping River and near unique art galleries, antique shops, coffee houses and just a stone’s throw from some of the cities most up-market nightlife venues.

See Hotel
137 Pillars House Preferred Hotel
Why We Love This Hotel

Location: The vast resort grounds comprise verdant rice terraces and lush landscaped rainforest gardens over looking a stunning Thai mountain range in the distance.

Dining: Four superb restaurants and a handful of bars in beautiful locations serving Thai, Italian and international cuisine, as well as afternoon tea, signature cocktails and fine wines.

Facilities: Guests may enjoy plenty of world-class facilities including an award winning spa, fitness center, infinity pool, tennis courts, cooking school, library and children’s clubs.

Privacy: The hideaway resort is situated away from the hustle of Chiang Mai city, yet within easy reach of the areas attractions. There are five daily shuttle services to the city center.

See Hotel
Four Seasons Chiang Mai Preferred Hotel

Day 2

Hilltribe Village

Start your adventurous day off with a ride in a 4X4 luxury vehicle to Chiang Dao. The first stop is at a local market where you can learn about the ingredients used to make the food that will fuel your trek. Continue onward to Phrao where you will start a 2-hour trek uphill towards the Karen village, the tribe famous for their neck-stretching tactics. Continue your trek on a relatively easy journey to the Palong Village Pang Daeng Nai. Meet your host family and settle in for the evening. You can learn to cook with the host family, relax, and explore the village.

Hotel Options
About

A homestay with a host family in their village provides first-hand insight into their lives and the innerworkings of the village. For your comfort, the family may supply a simple mattress, mosquito net, pillow, and fresh sheets and blanket.

This accommodation has been personally vetted by the Remote Lands team and is the best available in the area. More information on this property is available on the “Hotels” tab at the top of the page.

Hilltribe Village
Hilltribe Village

Day 3

Departure

Wake up in nature at your local host’s home and enjoy a tasty breakfast prepared hot and fresh just for you. Depart the village and drive back to Chiang Dao. Step off land and onto an authentic bamboo raft along the gentle rapids for a scenic river voyage. Disembark and have lunch before visiting the expansive Chiang Dao Cave. While less than 1 km of passage can be visited, over 2 km has been surveyed and about 11 km of additional passage is believed to exist. Return to Chiang Mai for the evening, stopping at an orchid farm en-route to enjoy the fragrant bloom, a sweet end to a short and fulfilling trip.

Suggested Hotels For Day 1

137 Pillars House
Preferred Hotel

137 Pillars House

Located in the heart of Wat Gate, an area in Chiang Mai that was formerly designated to foreigners by the government, 137 Pillars House sits idyllically along the Ping River, adjacent to Wat Gate Khar Rham Temple. Combining the regality of traditional Thai elegance with modern luxury, this boutique hotel offers amenities including high-speed wireless internet access, laundry service, a 24-hour on-call medical professional, babysitting services, a spa, outdoor swimming pool and a fitness facility. The Dining Room offers classic Thai cuisine, one of the many dining options offered at the hotel. 137 Pillars House is approximately 25 minutes by car from Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX).

Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Preferred Hotel

Four Seasons Chiang Mai

The Four Seasons Chiang Mai blends with its natural surroundings seamlessly, with trees growing between and around the resort, overlooking terraced rice fields and the mountains of the Mae Rim Valley. The resort has 64 boutique pavilions, each with a private veranda, as well as 16 private luxury residences. The Sala Mae Rim serves Thai cuisine and offers sweeping views of the valley below, and the Terraces have international dishes with a view of the Doi Suthep mountain range. The hotel has a health club with state of the art equipment, including a sauna, herbal steam room, whirlpool, cold plunge pool, 20-meter infinity edge swimming pool, a business center and wi-fi access. There are also mountain bikes available for use, along with maps of trails through the surrounding forest. The Spa at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai has seven treatment suites with rain shower massage tables and private herbal steam rooms. Professional spa therapists can help you choose the best treatment package for your needs. The hotel is 25 minutes from Chiang Mai International Airport.

Suggested Hotel For Day 2

Homestay

Homestay

A homestay with a host family in their village provides first-hand insight into their lives and the innerworkings of the village. For your comfort, the family may supply a simple mattress, mosquito net, pillow, and fresh sheets and blanket. If needed, a sleeping bag will be provided. The houses are typically stilted with a bamboo floor which can be surprisingly comfortable. The facilities are basic but clean.

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