Educational Tours

Student with tribal woman weaving — The student with tribal woman weaving at Palong village

Educational tours are our specialization. Over the years, we have gained a lot of experience with groups from international schools and universities. We are developing more tours.

We offer tours that include teambuilding construction activities in ethnic minority communities. These tours usually take four or five days. In consultation with the community, we select a suitable project. We will make a plan and buy construction materials. Students will learn about the villagers’ customs, religion, traditions, and way of living during their stay in the village.

Students doing construction work — Construction work

Usually, we will organize activities at the local school. Most ethnic minority groups have their specific language. We will teach students a couple of words in the local language. We will let students taste the local delicacies and show them how they are prepared.

Short educational tours

We also organize shorter educational tours that don’t include construction. These tours take at least two days and one night. We hold several activities, such as language class, a local welcoming ceremony, a visit to the local temple or church, a meaningful visit to a school, including some teaching and other interactive meetings with villagers. We usually include a local cooking class as well. Before we forget: our educational tours commonly feature activities such as trekking, cycling, and rafting as well.

Kids in traditional dress in front of a blackboard — Palong Kids with a blackboard at Mae Chon

We will also focus on the way of living of a community. Depending on the season, we will let students participate in agricultural activities such as rice planting and harvesting. Tree planting in the rainy season is also an option. We will pay attention to communities’ history and issues concerning ethnic and indigenous groups such as land ownership, education, healthcare, discrimination, and legal status. Some villages, such as the Dara-ang (Palong or Palaung) and the Hmong, offer opportunities to learn traditional weaving or batik techniques.

Educational experiences in Chiang Mai

As Chiang Mai is typically the place where tours start and end, we can include some educational trips. These can be an introduction to Buddhism, a Thai cooking class, a market tour, or a bicycle tour to the ruins of Wiang Kum Kam and the historical McKean Center.