Day 1: Chiang Mai- Palong village

Rubber boat rafting and local market

Your guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel at 0800. You will drive to the north into the mountains near Chiang Dao for your two-day Palong Hill tribe trekking. Here you can find more about the history and background of hill tribe trekking in Chiang Mai. First, we will stop at a local market. Your guide will do some shopping for the coming days. He will take you along and will explain about the different ingredients he will be using for dinner. Then, continue to a riverside camp on the Taeng River where you will experience an exciting whitewater raft trip by rubber boat. After this, we will have lunch in a local restaurant in Chiang Dao. After having filled our stomach, we will continue to the Palong village near Chiang Dao where we will start trekking.

Trekking and village overnight

The trail has a few steep hills, but most of it is relatively easy. We will walk for about two hours through the forest. We will invite you to recognise wild ginger, rattan and the pitcher plant in the woods and your guide tell you all about bamboo and its many uses. Late in the afternoon, we will reach our final destination of today, the Palong village Mae Chon. There are only nine Palong villages in Northern Thailand. They migrated from Myanmar to Thailand in the mid-1980s. The women wear a distinctive costume mostly in red, with rattan hoops and the silver belt worn around the waist.

After arrival in the village, you can relax, explore the village or learn some Thai cooking by helping your guide prepare the dinner. He will explain about the typical herbs and ingredients. After dinner, you will meet some of the villagers, and you will learn about the turbulent history of this village. Overnight will be in a bamboo house next to a village house. You will sleep on a mattress with a mosquito net. We provide a sleeping bag or sheet. You can compare it to camping…..

Day 2: Palong Village – Chiang Mai

Textiles and agriculture

After the sounds of nature and the locals woke you up, your guide will prepare breakfast. The second day of your Palong hill tribe trekking starts. After breakfast, your guide will show you around the village. He will explain about the village shrine and the ‘huja rawl’, the ‘village heart’. We will visit an exciting textile weaving project where local women produce beautiful sarongs and shoulder bags. Next, we will visit the garden of Sukhum, where lots of different fruits and vegetables grow.

After this, we will say goodbye to the villagers and start trekking for about one hour to a Lahu village. Here we will visit a fascinating spirit temple and a blacksmith. After this, we will continue hiking for one to one and a half hour to a Karen village where our vehicle will be waiting for us.

Chiang Dao Cave

Drive to the foot of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. It is the third highest mountain in Thailand and dominates the landscape. At The entrance of the cave, we will enjoy a late lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, we will visit the famous Chiang Dao Cave. We will spend some time in this beautiful limestone cave. Return to Chiang Mai where your Palong Hilltribe trekking ends. We will drop you off at the hotel between 1600 and 1700. Thanks for travelling with us!

Timeline	Day 1 08.00 – Departure from hotel 09.00 – Visit a local market 09.15 – Drive to the White water rafting camp 09.45 – Arrival at the camp 10.00 – Start bamboo rafting 10.40 – Finish the rafting trip 11.00 – departure to Chiang Dao 12.00 – Lunch at a local restaurant 13.00 – Start hiking about two to three hours 16.00 – Arrival at Palong village where we stay overnight 16.30 – Visit around the village 17.00 – Help your guide cooking dinner 18.00 – Dinner at the village before free at leisure Day 2 08.30 – Walk around the village 09.30 – Start hiking about 1 hours to Lahu village 10.30 – Visit Lahu village and spirit temple 11.00 – continue hiking for 30 mins to Karen village 11.30 – Visit village 11.45 – Depart from village 12.30 – Lunch at local restaurant 13.30 – drive to visit Elephant Poo Poo Paper Camp 14.30 – visit Elephant Poo Poo Paper Camp 15.00 – drive back to Chiang Mai 16.00 – drop off at the hotel
Included	English speaking guide Transportation by AC minibus Accommodation in a local house One breakfast, two lunches and one dinner Drinking water during meals Coffee and tea Rubber boat whitewater rafting (about 30 mins) Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park Chiang Dao Cave Limited medical Insurance Use of sheetbag or sleeping bag Use of Mosquito net Use of Backpack (on request) Toilet paper & Soap Towel A flashlight is provided in the village
Not included	Other drinks except water during meals Personal expenses Tips
Things to bring	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 – Sep) A hat or cap Raincoat Sunscreen Flip flops Sunglasses Your personal toiletries Personal medication Fully charged batteries or even an extra battery for your camera. 1000-1500 Thai Baht per person in small notes (not bigger than 500 Thai Baht and plenty of 100 Thai Baht notes). This is for souvenirs, drinks and tips.
difficulty	Intermediate

Due to weather conditions and other conditions on the ground we might have to adjust the itinerary of this trekking. If it is necessary to adjust the program we will always make sure that the quality of your experience and your personal safety are safeguarded.