Northern Thailand and Hilltribe Trek
My G Adventures tour in Thailand was by far the best tour I’ve been on thus far! Hands down. We went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and did a hill tribe trek through the jungle of the Mae Tang district.
A river in Karen Village.
Every part of the trip went so smoothly; from my pick up at the airport and hotel transfer to handling all the transportation and accommodation, not having to worry about the small details made my trip so much more relaxing, which is exactly what I needed for Spring Break! My CEO (tour guide) also was so helpful in answering all our questions, whether it was about the trip or about the local culture, and helping us plan our free time. Art pointed us in the best directions for food, how to spend our time, and always went out with us for dinner. It was really fun getting to know my tour guide really well as I didn’t feel like that was something I had always gotten to do on previous tours.
Me and my fabulous CEO, Art.
Not only was everything handled smoothly, but I really felt like I got my money’s worth. Obviously the accommodation was basic (we stayed in a hostel, a hotel, and home stays in the villages), but a decent number of meals were provided, I got authentic experiences and not just the touristy ones and I think that really is something worth paying for! Several activities were included in the trip cost such as the entire jungle trek and when they weren’t, our CEO helped us organize activities with locals he knew so that we wouldn’t get ripped off!
I honestly had such a blast on the hill tribe trek, and that was such a unique experience that I’ll always cherish. Taking the overnight train and waking up to watch the sunrise, exploring temples on our free time, seeing our local guide fashion walking sticks from bamboo with his machete, hiking through the jungle, seeing rice patty fields, encountering water buffalo, helping the family we had a homestay with in the village cook dinner for everyone, learning how to make spring rolls and a bamboo basket (which I got to take home!), seeing how a bamboo raft is made, and then going on those very rafts the next day for 4.5 hours through calm waters and fast rapids, laughing as almost everyone fell off at least twice, and having the most incredible new friends to share these experiences with made this tour the trip of a lifetime.
While the trip was only 8 days, I felt like I got to see and do a lot with that time and the money I spent so it was definitely worth it. And I highly recommend both this tour and G Adventures if you are looking for an adventurous, authentic time in Northern Thailand!