Hill Tribe Trek Northern Thailand

Holidays to Thailand are full of different opportunities. Part of one of the best holidays I have ever had was when I went on a hill tribe trek in Northern Thailand.

The hill tribes are fascinating and friendly people who each wear a distinct tribal costume. The seven main groups of hill tribe people are the Karen (the largest), Lisu, Hmong, Lahu, Yao, Lawa and Akha. Several of the groups are still nomadic and certainly don't pay to much attention to the border between modern day Thailand and Myanmar. Some of their origins can be traced to India and China. Each group has their own language and customs. To visit them and see their way of life is a truly unique experience and one that I think you should consider on any holiday you might take in Thailand.

So what can you expect on a hill tribe trek?

Treks usually start from Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai and most companies offering such adventures rate the physical effort as moderately difficult and the possible culture shock as moderate. In the latter case I assume they mean showering in cold water in a mud hut and squatting over a hole in the ground for your toilet. Hill tribe treks are usually 3 days and 2 nights but you can go for longer. Independent travel is not encouraged.

Well from my own experiences I would say that the trek is only more difficult on the first day when you climb up towards the area of the hill tribe villages, part of this, on my trek was through jungle, so despite the physical effort it was quite exciting. Since you are expected in most cases to carry your own pack (porters are available from the different villages), I would suggest you travel light with just two sets of clothing , one to wear in the day and one to sleep in. OK you might hum a bit towards the end of the trek, but everyone is the same so you don't notice!

Since you are going to get wet it makes sense to ensure you keep your sleeping clothes in a waterproof container. Putting on damp or wet clothing in the morning is no great hardship but not having something dry to sleep in is. Incidentally it can be quite cold in the evenings so a lightweight fleece is a good travelling companion. Sturdy walking boots are a must but can be hired in Thailand, incidentally the Thais have a novel way of cleaning them for you at the end of your trek- but I will let you discover that for yourself.

During my hill tribe trek we stayed in two different villages one Karen and one Akha. We were welcomed in both villages. At the Karen village the people dressed in traditional dress and put on a mini craft market so we could buy home made trinkets while in the Akha village local children dressed in traditional costume and danced for us before we hit the hard wooden floor of the sleeping hut.

Living conditions on the trek were basic, communal huts, with no electricity, were used for sleeping. The toilet was a thatched hut with a hole in the ground, by the way take your own toilet paper or do your ablutions hill tribe style. Well you know what your left hand is for don't you?

There are many hill tribe support groups and an excellent hill tribe museum and shop next to the Cabbages and Condoms restaurant in Chiang Rai. I love the tag line for the C&C restaurant it reads "our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy." In the museum you can buy hill tribe products, the money going back to the people who made the products to help them improve their lives.

Would I recommend a hill tribe trek in Northern Thailand? Yes, definitely and by the way I was 59 years old when I did mine although I don't think I look it in the group photograph!

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Here are some photographs of the Akha Hill Tribe:
Akha Hill Tribe market
Akha Woman Traditional Dress
Akha Children Dress