Thailand Trekking
The mountainous region of Northern Thailand. Here you can see the most spectacular scenery ever. The mountains seem to be constantly shrouded in mist lending a mystique, the valleys are colorful.
The people that inhabit the hill of Northern Thailand have long been a curiosity for visitors to the Kingdom. Most of them made long treks from Tibet, Burma, Yunnan, Laos and Vietnam to settle in the relative calm of Thailand, bringing with them different languages, costumes and cultures.
In the northwest corner of Thailand, near the junction of the Burmese, Thai and Laotian borders, live Thailand's celebrated hilltribes.
A visit to this land offers a unique cultural odyssey. In their remote mountain retreats, the people live in a world without laws, taxes, or governments. While in recent years the hilltribes have been increasingly drawn into the modern world (so me villages now have electricity, and a motorbike or truck is occasionally seen in larger settlements), there are still many village tribes that retain their ancient culture relatively intact.
Living apart from the lowland Thais, these migratory peoples seem trapped in a time warp stretching back to the middle ages and still practice traditional forms of agriculture and cling to their tribal traditions in the face of intruding 21 century.
The center for hilltribe trekking is the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, a day's bus ride from Bangkok. Following a ride by long-tail boat or bamboo raft to the trailhead, you will hike about 15 miles each day.
Lunch will be served up in one village and dinner cooked at your evening's destination. As you will stay inside village huts, you only need to take a day pack with your own personal gear. In the winter, however, it is advisable to bring a sleeping bag.
The thatched walls of the huts provide no insulation against the cold night air, and you will be provided with the thinnest of blankets.
To see these fascinating peoples you can choose one of the trips by elephant, on foot, by mountain bike or motorbike.
