Charity treks in Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Golden Triangle |
| departures: | 2010: 14 Jan, 18 Mar, 17 Jun, 8 Jul, 25 Nov |
| price: | From £375 deposit + £2750 fundraised (55% to charity) (11 days) inc UK flights. Self funders - £375 deposit + £1334 (inc £100 to charity) |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Trek through the Thai Hill Tribe region of the Golden Traingle and raise money for your favourite charity at the same time as taking part in an amazing adventure! Highlights include:
Your trekking challenge takes place amongst the spectacular mountain scenery of northern Thailand, within the Golden Triangle region close to the borders of Laos and Burma. The area is named ‘Golden’ because of the massive wealth generated by the widespread cultivation of opium poppies in this mountainous area and ‘Triangle’ because of the junction of these 3 countries.
Formerly a wild region of jungle and mountains controlled by warlords, bandits and their private armies, the Thai part of the Golden Triangle has now been brought under the control of the government, the opium crops destroyed and this beautiful region opened to tourism. The fertile valleys are home to Thai and Shan settlers whilst the surrounding rugged mountains are inhabited by numerous ethnic minorities or ‘hill-tribes’ such as the Hmong, Lahu, Lisu, Akha and Karen peoples.
On this trekking challenge you will stay overnight in tribal villages and experience the very traditional way of life that still exists in some of the more remote of North Thailand’s mountain villages.
Starting in Chiang Mai, the scenic route heads north to the small border town of Tha Ton. This picturesque village is situated on the banks of the Mae Kok River some 3kms from the Burmese border. A short road journey down the Mae Kok Valley takes you to Ban Pathai from where your mountain challenge begins with a boat journey through some stunning mountain scenery to the trekking point at a riverside, Karen hill-tribe village. You can warm up with an elephant tour of the surrounding area and then it’s a climb on foot to the remote Lahu village of Ban Yafu.
You will trek through spectacular mountain scenery to the Akha Village of Ah Yea. A fascinating introduction to Akha culture with the friendly inhabitants more than happy to show you around their village and explain some of the aspects of their culture and lifestyle in this still very traditional village.
Your trek continues through bamboo forest and terraced rice fields, across streams and up and down hillsides to the Lahu and Akha village of Ban Law Sa. There are numerous waterfalls and streams to cool down in and spectacular mountain views as you continue to the rarely visited Akha village of Ban Par Leai situated deep in the jungle. There is also the chance to walk around the village of Mae Salong to see the colourful morning market and truly spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
Finally, the expedition ends at the northern-most point in Thailand, for a day tour of the area and a visit to the meeting point of Thailand, Laos and Burma before returning to Chiang Mai for a well-earned day’s rest and recovery!
what this trip includes
International flights to and from Thailand, all internal transfers, all meals and drinking water with meals and during trekking (unless otherwise stated in the itinerary), all accommodation, group first aid supplies, an English speaking expedition leader, a full local support team of guides and drivers, relevant back-up facilities, a T-Shirt, US$20 to the local community project, and discount from Nomad Travellers Stores for personal equipment. There are no single person supplements. We also make a contribution through Climate Care to offset the equivalent CO2 emissions of your international flight. Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | International Departure. Meet at the Airport for your flight to Thailand. Our representative will be there to assist you with the check-in and any last minute questions. |
| Day 2: | Arrival in Chiang Mai. The flight arrives in Bangkok, where you will change planes for your internal flight to Chiang Mai, capital of Northern Thailand. With a population of about 250,000 it charms many passing travellers with its traditional wooden houses, quiet leafy gardens and elegant temples. A heaven for handicraft shoppers, you can find beautiful silks, woodcarvings, jade and silver jewellery. The rich cuisine, friendly people and riverside bars all add to the city’s allure. After the transfer to your hotel you will have the afternoon at leisure to recuperate by the pool or explore the local markets before your challenge begins. Overnight in hotel. If you want to leave any shopping here or extra luggage you can as you will return here on Day 9. |
| Day 3: | Tha Ton. After breakfast, you will transfer by minibus to the small border town of Tha Ton - some 170kms north of Chiang Mai on the Burmese border. A stop on the way to visit the fascinating cave temples at Chiang Dao before checking out the spectacular views at Tha Ton Pagoda situated high on a mountain top straddling the border. In the evening you will stay overnight in a comfortable riverside resort in Tha Ton village – your last experience of ‘Western’ comforts before heading off for the rugged mountains and remote villages. |
| Day 4: | Lahu Village – 5hrs trekking. After breakfast you will be transported by pick-up truck to the Mae Kok River from where you will travel by boat for 2hrs through stunning mountain scenery to your trekking point at a riverside Karen village. The Karen people form by far the largest hill-tribe group in Thailand with a population of about 500,000. Warm up with an elephant back tour (approx. 45mins) of the surrounding area, then it’s a stiff, climb on foot to your first night’s stop at the remote Red Lahu village Ban Yafu, situated at 1,300m (4265ft). With a population of about 82,000 the Lahu are the third-largest hill-tribe group. Originating in the Tibetan highlands they migrated to southern China, Burma and Laos centuries ago; but only since the end of the nineteenth century did they begin to enter Thailand from northern Burma. Village houses are built on high stilts with walls of bamboo or wooden planks, thatched with grass. While subsistence farming is still common, sustainable agriculture – plantations of tea and coffee – is becoming more prevalent, and cash crops such as corn, coffee, tea, oranges, ginger and so-on have taken the place of opium. The tribe is famous for its richly embroidered shoulder bags (yaam), which are widely available in Chiang Mai. The Lahu tribe in Thailand is further split into sub groups consisting of the Red, Black and Yellow Lahu – named after the predominant colours of their traditional costumes. Overnight in communal village stilt house. |
| Day 5: | Waterfalls and Ban Ah Yea – 7hrs trekking. You can enjoy fantastic early morning views from the mountain top village before departing along a small trail to some waterfalls where you'll break for a swim. You will continue on to a nearby elephant camp for lunch and afternoon trek to the Akha village of Ah Yea. The Akha people, a Sino-Tibetan group originally from China’s Yunnan region, migrated through Laos and Burma into areas of North Thailand during the last few decades due to political strife in China and more recently Burma. The poorest of the hill-tribes the Akha are less open to change than other tribes, and have maintained their old agricultural methods of shifting, or slash and burn cultivation. The women wear distinctive and elaborate headgear – framing the entire face, it usually features white beads interspersed with silver coins, topped with plumes of red taffeta and framed by dangling hollow silver balls and other jewellery or strings of beads. The rest of their heavy costume is made up of decorated tube-shaped ankle-to-knee leggings, and a loose-fitting black jacket with heavily embroidered cuffs and lapels. The Akha of Ah Yea village are from the subgroup Padu Akha and through contact with missionaries in Burma during earlier times have adopted Christianity in place of their animist beliefs. The very friendly villagers are more than happy to show you around their village and explain some of the aspects of their traditional culture and way of life. Overnight in the village in a communal bamboo long house. |
| Day 6: | Ban Law Sa – 5-6hrs trekking. From Ah Yea village you can just make out to the south, on top of a high mountain, your next destination – the village of Law Sa but it will take you all day to reach it! A tough climb across streams and through bamboo forests and terraced rice fields, will take you to the spectacularly situated village of Law Sa. A mixed Black Lahu and Akha village, the Black Lahu minority originated in Tibet and have migrated down through Burma over the last 100 years or so to settle in the relative tranquillity of Northern Thailand. Formerly opium poppies were their main cash crop until the Thai government recently introduced crop substitution programmes so fruit and tea are now more commonly seen in the region. Unlike their cousins the Red Lahu of Ya Fu village the Black Lahu have frequently adopted Christianity. However Law Sa’s remoteness and inaccessibility means that it remains one of the most traditional of the region’s villages and facilities are correspondingly ‘basic’. Overnight in Ban Law Sa village in local accommodation. |
| Day 7: | Par Leai – 7hrs trekking. The incredible mountain views continue on your fourth day of trekking to the traditional and rarely visited and very picturesque Akha village of Ban Par Leai, situated deep in the jungle. Par Leai is an animist Akha village and tradition mean separate bamboo sleeping quarters for males and females. Overnight in local village building. |
| Day 8: | Mae Salong – 5hrs trekking. An early start for the last leg of the trek with another steep morning climb from Par Leai village taking you high up onto a ridge to a Thai army checkpoint where transport will be waiting to take you on to the mountaintop, Yunnanese settlement of Mae Salong. Settled by fleeing Kuomintang soldiers during the civil war in China this spectacularly situated village (at 1,400m/4593ft) still has a very Chinese feel to it, surrounded by cherry orchards and tea plantations. There will be time to relax at the resort with a well earned dip in the pool before a stroll around the picturesque village where you can partake of a tea tasting in one of the town’s Chinese tea shops. Oolong is the region’s speciality but numerous other tea varieties are grown as well as coffee. Tonight you will enjoy some well deserved comfort after the mountains’ rigours at a charming ridge-top resort with real beds, hot showers and a swimming pool. |
| Day 9: | Golden Triangle. Before breakfast you can walk around the village to see the colourful hill-tribe early morning market and views of the valley and mountains. You will continue by minibus (6-7hrs) to the Northernmost point in Thailand, right across the Sai River from the Burmese trading post of ‘Takhilek’, and on to the Golden Triangle itself – the meeting point of Thailand, Laos and Burma at Sob Ruak. You will visit the Opium Museum and some local temples before returning by road via Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. Overnight in hotel. |
| Day 10: | International Departure. Your challenge ends with a day at leisure in Chiang Mai before an evening return flight to Bangkok and on to London. You can either relax by the pool, wander the streets and markets of the Old City, or various options can be arranged for the more energetic; with due notice we can arrange for you to enjoy a Thai massage (£4 per hr), an inexpensive 1-day Thai cookery course (approx £12) or a day tour of the surrounding area including the botanical gardens, orchid farm and elephant camp (£15). Overnight, on your flight. |
| Day 11: | Arrive Home. The flight arrives back in London. |
Additional optional extension available to go to koh chang or koh samui.
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
 Our responsible commitment extends to helping the local communities we visit. We employ local guides, porters and other essential support staff, and use locally owned accommodation. We donate approximately USD$300 per trek to The Pattaya Orphanage Trust. Over 30 years ago, a baby was left on the doorstep of a catholic priest in Pattaya, Father Ray Brennan, and he took it in. The Pattaya Orphanage, and all the additional projects like The School for Blind Children, grew from this single act. The Orphanage currently loves and cares for 60 babies under the age of one. It is also home to almost 120 other children and young people between the ages of one and twenty plus, who have all come to the orphanage for many different reasons. The aim of the orphanage is to provide a loving family environment for children who have known very little stability and security in their short lives. Everyone who visits the Orphanage comments on the laughter and the warmth they find there. As well as caring for their emotional needs, the orphanage takes care of the practical aspects of their upbringing. All of the children attend school and 18 of the older children are now at university, which is a source of immense pride to all at the orphanage. We have supported the orphanage for many years and have organised visits to the orphanage after the participants have completed the main trekking challenge so that participants can see firsthand where their hard earned fundraised money has gone. As a company we have also drastically reduced the carbon footprint of our UK operations, and are making a huge effort to do so in their destination countries too. We are also investing to offset the emissions from the international flights required to take part in our challenges. We also provide travellers with a responsible tourism policy detailing ways in which you can be an ethical traveller. From packing conscientiously to advice on local customs & environmental awareness overseas to maintaining contact with your new international friends upon your return – our policy is a comprehensive document providing all the info you need to trek, climb of cycle responsibly. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |