Trails of Northern Thailand
If aching muscles, hearty meals and sleeping in the corner of a bamboo hut sound like your idea of a good time, this itinerary is for you.
Built around a hard, five-day trek through the remote and mountainous scenery of northern Thailand, with stays in Akha and Karen hilltribe communities along the way, this adventurous itinerary eschews Thailand’s traffic-choked cities in favour of its jungle-tangled hinterlands.
Pricing
Key facts
Transport in detail
This trip includes three transfers by private car with an English-speaking guide, each one a couple of hours. For the rest of the time, you’ll be getting from place to place on foot!
What's great
This itinerary includes stunning areas of northern Thailand little visited by tourists
It’s a fantastic trip for anyone who loves the outdoors
You’ll get to spend time with the Karen and Akha ethnic minorities and learn about Thailand’s hilltribe cultures
It’s easily extended with some beach time if you’d like a few days in the sun
Things to consider
We’re sure we don’t need to say this, but you’ll need to be fit and love hiking to enjoy this trip
You’ll get to know a small section of northern Thailand, but you won’t tick off any major cities or landmark sites
You’ll need to be OK with staying at very basic rural accommodation during the trek
The experience
This trip focusses on trekking in a small area of northern Thailand. Not a hiker? We can design trips around any interest or hobby. Just ask.
Day 1-3
Chiang Mai
A far cry from the mile-a-minute energy of Bangkok, Chiang Mai is Thai city living at its chilled-out finest. A full-day tour will ensure you check off its top sights — but you’ll also explore areas little visited by tourists, travelling by boat, bike and rickety songtaew truck to quiet neighbourhoods, local markets, riverside villages and suburban temple ruins. After you’ve got a sense of the city, head into Sri Lanna National Park and explore its seven-coloured springs, fruit orchards, reservoirs and waterfalls, stopping for lunch at a rafthouse in between bikes, hikes and kayaks. Don’t wear yourself out too much: this just a warm-up for things to come!
Highlights
Explore Chiang Mai by songtaew pick-up truck, longtail boat, samlor trishaw, and tuk-tuk
Cycle among the ruins of Wiang Khum Kham, a lost city rediscovered beneath a Chiang Mai suburb in 1984
Climb the “sticky waterfalls” of Sri Lanna National Park, where limestone deposits prevent algae growing for naturally non-slip rocks
Kayak on the beautiful Mae Ngat Dam Reservoir
Day 4-8
Mae Wang District (Chiang Mai)
Welcome to the main event: a five-day trek through jungle-covered mountains. Swing by a buffalo market to stock up on food, then head into the wilderness — following streams, picnicking by waterfalls, spotting birds and wildlife, and passing small farms tended by local communities. Each night will be spent in a different hilltribe community, where you’ll get to meet people from the Akha and Karen minorities, learn about local cultures and customs, try home-cooked traditional food, and sleep surrounded by the sounds of the jungle. Don’t expect any luxuries beyond a cold shower and a hot meal — but after a hard day of trekking there’s not much more you need.
Highlights
Trek through the foothills of Doi Inthanon
Experience traditional hilltribe life as you stay with members of the Karen community
Discover waterfalls hidden deep in the forests of northern Thailand
The finer detail
What's included
- Breakfast every day
- Ten lunches: one during the tour of Chiang Mai; one on a floating raft house in Sri Lanna National Park; five during the trek; one during the tour of Chiang Rai; one homemade lunch during the trip to Suan Pa village; one you’ll make yourself during the cookery class of Akha dishes
- Four dinners: all hosted by the homestays during the trek
- Four full-day experiences: explore Chiang Mai by public transport & bike; waterfalls and scenery of Sri Lanna National Park by foot, bicycle & kayak; day at the Akha village of Suan Pa; day at the Akha village of Hloyo with a cookery class
- One half-day experience: Chiang Rai’s temples & monuments
- 5-day guided trek in Mae Wang District with homestays
- All entrance fees to sites included in guided experiences
- All internal transport & accommodation
Logistics & journey times
Day 1:
Car transfer from Chiang Mai airport to city (10 minutes)
Day 4:
Car transfer from Chiang Mai to Huay Teun (2 hours)
Medium grade trekking Huay Teun to Khun Na Sa (4-5 hours)
Day 5:
Hard grade trekking from Khun Na Sa to Khun Puay (7-8 hours)
Day 6:
Medium grade trekking from Khun Puay to Khun Wang (5-6 hours)
Day 7:
Hard grade trekking from Khun Wang to Ban Pa Mon (6-7 hours)
Day 8:
Medium grade trekking from Ban Pa Mon to Ban Mae Sapok (5-6 hours)
Car transfer from Ban Mae Sapok to Chiang Mai (2 hours)
Day 9:
Car transfer from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai (3 hours)
Day 12:
Car transfer from hotel to Chiang Rai airport (25 minutes)
What's not included
- International flights
- Any meals not mentioned
- Entrance fees to any sites not included in guided experiences
- Tips for guides & porters