Hilltribes Immersion & Nothern Lifestyle

Leave the lodge using an authentic ex-cart and start trekking towards the Akha Outpost, a typical style Akha house located at the peak of mountain. Cycle back to our cosy and welcoming Khum Lanna, a beautiful house, built in teak wood and surrounded by rice fields – Khum Lanna. Complete your trip by learning the secrets of the world-famous Thai cuisine!
 

DAY 1:  CHIANG MAI – LAHU OUTPOST (L, D)

• Pick up from hotel in Chiang Mai by local truck, 09h00 morning arrival at the Lisu Lodge. Traditional welcome drink will be served. Then, drive by local open-air truck to the area of Pha Mieng. Start walking along jungle trails to the remote village of Hmong Pha Mieng (1.5 hrs). Meet the inhabitants of this small hill tribe in a jungle. Enjoy a picnic lunch amongst the trees.
   
• After lunch, walk to the top of the mountain (1.5 hrs), where the Red Lahu Village of Pha Daeng is located. Continue walking along a mountain ridge to the Lahu village of Kup Kap (1 hr) from where you can see a spectacular view overlooking the Mae Taeng district and Chiang Mai town glittering at night. Beyond the mountain peaks on the west, the mountainous lie stretching towards Burma.
   
• Dinner and overnight at Lahu Outpost, a typical hut of basic comfort (basic equipments provided; mat, mattress, pillow, blanket, mosquito net. Two western toilets and one shower for sharing).

DAY 2:  LAHU OUTPOST – LISU LODGE (B, L, D)

• After breakfast at the Outpost. Walk 2 hours downhill passing the clear pool of Huay Sadhan waterfall. Experience a 45-minute inflatable raft down the river and end up at Thai village. Short transfer to the Elephant Camp Picnic lunch will be provided here. Afternoon, enjoy an-hour elephant riding through the beautiful mountainous jungle to end up by the river where you will have a short drive to an Akha village for a visit and talking with shaman. From there, return transfer to the Lisu Lodge.
   
• Upon arrival, a traditional welcome drink will be served. Check-in your room.
   
• Guided by our Lisu people you will take a walk through the village; start from Ton Lung temple to view the herbal garden then continue to visit the Lisu village families with a stop for a cup of tea at the shaman’s house where you can chat with Lisu shaman or talk about his life, believe, curing and the tradition. Continue to visit the cultural centre or so called the ‘museum’ created by the villagers. Inside you will find a display of typical items from the Lisu as well as the Akha tribes.
   
• Time at leisure until Thai dinner with traditional Lisu dance show.

DAY 3:  LISU LODGE – AKHA OUTPOST (B, L, D) 

• Breakfast at the Lodge.
   
• In the morning, experience an ox-cart ride through farmlands and orchards to the Thai village of Baan Pang Mai Daeng to end up at Lisu Lodge as a circle route (about an hour).
   
• Leave Lisu Lodge to Palong village in Chiang Dao. Picnic lunch will be provided en route.
   
• Walk uphill about 3 hours to Akha Outpost. Check-in at Akha Outpost, the non-tourist area with spectacular view, looking north to the valley far below to the mountain peaks stretching towards Burma and Laos in the east.
   
• You can help your guide prepare a dinner.
   
• Dinner and overnight at the Akha Outpost. (A typical hut of Akha tradition Basic equipments provided; mat, mattress, pillow, blanket, mosquito net. Two western toilets and one shower for sharing).

DAY 4:  AKHA OUTPOST – KHUM LANNA (B, L, D)

• Breakfast at the Akha Outpost. Start walking downhill passing by the waterfall to Akha village. Short drive to Khum Lanna. Upon arrival, a tasty herbal or fruit juice welcome drink from the garden around the house will be served. Check-in your room. Farmer shirt will be provided for guest use during the stay by Khum Lanna.
   
• 10:00 hrs Enjoy preparations for Lanna country-style BBQ lunch Start by a garden tour around the house; collecting different seasonal herbs, vegetables, and fruits for cooking. Learning how to ride a water buffalo and do the actual riding.
   
• 11:00hrs. Get your free sample of our “Khum Lanna Thai Recipe Book” before the first Thai cooking class begins. Share an informal Lanna country-style BBQ lunch that you have prepared with your host. Get an introduction to Thai language (which will prepare you for your market shopping next day)
   
• Enjoy a Thai Lunch at Khum Lanna.
   
• In the afternoon, we provide you with the one hour activity of guided Biking around the Khum Lanna.
   
• Late afternoon at leisure until the second Thai cooking class in the early evening.
   
• Enjoy the fruitful of your labors with a full 4-course sit-down Thai dinner with your host and friends. Watching a million stars in front of a campfire in the garden or on house’s veranda and terrace.
   
• At leisure until dinner which was prepared by yourself in the afternoon. Overnight at Khum Lanna.

DAY 5:  KHUM LANNA – CHIANG MAI (B, L)

• 05:30hrs. Coffee/tea will be brought to your room for your wake-up call before the Sunrise biking along the rural country road via San Kwang village to Phrao to visit an early local market where local coffee will be served . With the help of your guide you may buy local cookie and buy your flower garland for the temple offering on the way back.
   
• Then walk to visit the farmer tools shop and rice shop, talk with the owner and learn more about the rice legends and differences & properties of the varieties of rice. Your local escort will translate. Bike back to Khum Lanna with a stop to visit Wat Pa Gee Pay respect to the Buddha image under the sacred tree Continue biking to Khum Lanna along the local canal with a stop to see the rice fields and get more information about the rice-growing process and the place of rice in Thai life.
   
• Refreshment or shower before breakfast served at 09:00 hrs.
   
• Biking to see the beehives on the sacred tree at Ban Nam Phrae and get information about the usefulness of bees and the reason of local conservation.
   
• Continue biking to Wiang Phrao Wung Hin (the ancient city which aged 30 years old prior to Chiang Mai city). Visit a temple and Phra Chao Lan Tong, the most significant Buddha Image of Phrao district. Here, King Mengrai had accumulated the villagers and trained them as soldiers to protect the city from invaders.
   
• Biking to Wat Tham Dork Kum and visit different positions of stucco and the big reclining Buddha image Picnic lunch will be provided on the top of the mountain, the viewpoint where you can see Phrao district and Khum Lanna. Biking back to Khum Lanna Refreshment and check-out. End of the Experience and transfer to Chiang Mai.