This short trek gives us a taste of life in remote villages in Thailand's mountainous north. We visit regions that are home to Lahu, Lisu and Akha people. Staying in simple village huts, our hosts will explain to us their traditional way of life. Our meals are freshly prepared by a local family, from produce grown 'in their backyards'. We enjoy a relaxing ride on a bamboo river raft, as well as take an elephant ride through the jungle.
We contribute around US$3 to the trust for every client who travels on the hilltribe trek. The trip also includes visits to Chiang Mai and the River Kwai, and is a great introduction to the country. You travel with a Thai tour leader, which adds immensely to your understanding of the culture, and in this way you are also helping local farming communities, where the families of many of our leaders live.
This trip is focused on respecting and benefiting the local people and the environment of this country. On this trip you will be lead by an experienced local leader passionate about their country's history, heritage and natural beauty that will help you to get 'under the skin' of their country and see it through the eyes of a local. This trip stays at locally run accommodation; we eat at local restaurants and travel on local transport. This ensures the financial return to the local economy opens up training and employment opportunities - and allows for informal and meaningful interaction between our travellers and local people.
We are constantly seeking new and innovative ways of neutralising our impact on the environment. We will become the first Australian adventure tour operator to offer a voluntary carbon offsetting option on the land component of all its tours, as well as the accompanying flights. Our Community Trust provides funds for local community projects and initiatives that promote responsible and sustainable tourism development in the destinations in which we operate. First and foremost, but not exclusively, the Trust supports projects and initiatives that advance education and employment within the tourism and hospitality industry. The Trust operates on a not-for-profit basis, with every cent of funds donated by us, our staff and our travellers, going to the nominated projects.
The maximum group size on all of our adventures is 16 passengers – with exception of some African trips (24 max) and in the Polar Regions, where our ship carries a maximum of 110 passengers. Travelling in small groups ensures we make significantly less impact on the natural environment, as well as breaking down many of the communication barriers presented by a larger group.
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