Community Immersion with the Karen People
Our program Community Immersion with the Karen people takes place in a remote village of the Karen tribe. The group will spend three nights in a village house. During our stay, we will be engaged in a project. We will construct something that benefits the community. This could be a children’s playground, a water container or anything else. We have worked closely with this community in the past. The program is a sample program and will be adjusted accordingly.
Community Immersion with the Karen People
Day 1: Chiang Mai
The first briefing
In the afternoon or evening, your guide will give a short lecture and briefing about your community immersion with the Karen people. This briefing will take place in a meeting room at the hotel. He will introduce you to the Karen people and brief you on the program of the coming days. You will receive some printed information about the culture, traditions and language of the Karen. He will address subjects such as do’s and don’t s during your stay in the village, dress code and so on. Overnight in the hotel in Chiang Mai (booked on own)
Day 2: Chiang Mai – Doi Inthanon – Karen Village
Doi Inthanon, the roof of Thailand
Your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel at 0800. Our destination is one of the Karen villages in the Doi Inthanon area. We will stop on the way to visit Doi Inthanon National Park. We will drive up to the summit of Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain. Along the way, we will visit the thundering Vachirathan waterfall. After a brief forest walk around the summit, we will descend. Next stop will be at the two pagodas that were erected in the honour of the King and Queen of Thailand. We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch, we will continue to the village.
Teaching English to local schoolkids
Upon arrival at the village, the group will meet a representative of the village. He will bring us to a school where we will spend time teaching English to Karen students. This evening, the host will start to prepare dinner. You are welcome to help them with cooking as well. In the evening we will practice some Karen language. A local priest will perform a typical Karen welcoming ceremony.
Overnight in the village
Day 3: Karen Village
Working on the project and free time
Rise with the roosters. Your guide will prepare a hearty breakfast. After breakfast, we will walk or drive to the location of our project. We will spend the morning working on the project until it is time for lunch. After lunch, there will be a guided walk for those who are interested. The Karen people have beautiful textiles. The women are very good weavers. We will introduce you to their techniques. You can try some weaving as well. You can also spend some free time walking around in the village on your own or work on your journal. Overnight in the village
Day 4: Karen Village
Working on the project and free time
After breakfast, we will walk or drive to the location of our project. We will spend the morning working on the project until it is time for lunch. We will finish the project today. This afternoon we will visit a waterfall or any other sites that are in the area. Tonight there will be a farewell dinner. After dinner, we will have an evaluation session. There will be presentations and discussions until it is time to sleep.
Overnight in the village
Day 5: Karen Village – Bamboo Rafting – Chiang Mai
Farewell and bamboo rafting
Enjoy an early breakfast. Then we will say goodbye to our hosts and thank them for the unforgettable time we have had. We will leave the village and drive to the bamboo rafting camp in Mae Wang. We will have lunch before enjoying a relaxing and, at times, exciting bamboo raft trip for about 45 minutes on the Wang River. After this, we board our trekking truck for the drive back to Chiang Mai. On the way back we will stop at a beautiful market before we drop you off at your hotel or guesthouse. We hope you enjoyed our Community Immersion with the Karen people trip!
End of the program
Transportation in a local trekking truck
English speaking guide
Three overnights in the village
Four lunches, three dinners and three breakfasts
Drinking water
Visit Doi Inthanon National Park
Bamboo rafting
Entrance fees
Limited medical insurance
Personal expenses
Tips
Short sleeve shirts for the day time (bring a spare one, just in case)
Long sleeves for the evening (especially in the winter Nov – Feb it can be a bit cold)
Shoes with good grip (especially in the raining season from May – October)
Swimwear or bathing suit
Towel
A cap
Sunscreen
Flip flops
Sunglasses
Your toiletries
Personal medication
Fully charged batteries or even an extra battery for your camera.
1000-1500 Thai Baht per person in small (not bigger than 500 Thai Baht and plenty of 100 Thai Baht notes). It’s for souvenirs, drinks and tips.
