Itinerary

Meals included: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

Day 1 Mae Hong Son & Caves (L,D)

• Guide pick up at guests in Chiang Mai.
• Afterwards, take an overland trip to Mae Hong Son, passing through one of the most beautiful mountain highways.
• Enjoy the beautiful scenery and having lunch break in Pai district.
• Afternoon continue the trip to visit one of the largest caves in the North of Thailand at Nam Lod Cave. The cave contains three main chambers. First is The Giant Pillar cave with a height of 21 meters. Second is the Doll Cave which contains intriguing stone formations that look like dolls. The doll cave also contains a very old wall painting which is around 2,000 years old. Next. we take a bamboo raft from the Doll Cave and then climb up to see the final cave called the Coffin Cave. It contains ancient wooden coffins that are around 2,000 years old.  Then we return to the entrance.
• Late afternoon, arrival in Mae Hong Son and check in at the Fern Resort.
• Free at Leisure – time to relax.
• Evening: dinner at Fern Restaurant in town.

Day 2 Hike (B,L,D)

• Today we will hike for 4.9 kilometers. Duration: 5-6 hours.
• Early Morning start, pick up from your hotel and transfer to the trailhead by 4wd.
• Visitors have to hike up and then down into the valley of Ban Nam Hoo.
• Some of the trail is very steep terrain and has a narrow path. Visitors must take care as they walk through the different layers of forest.
• Your Karen guide will teach you about the evergreen forest and mixed deciduous forest. The villagers try to preserve them.
• Visitors will hike up the steep mountain to around 1,650 meters, the highest point is 1722 meters above sea level.
• Pass through wild orchids up to the mountain top. Enjoy the beautiful scenery at the summit.
• Huai Hee village is reachable by road but very remote. Despite this the village was the first one to successfully set up community base tourism (CBT).
• They supplement their income by introducing visitors to their relationship with the surrounding ecosystem. Their livelihood remains primarily based on rotational farming on the surrounding mountain slopes. With more than 200 years of settlement history, the population of the village is less than 150 people.
• Visitors have to stay in pairs with their home stay family.
• Overnight homestay with Karen Family.

Day 3 Hike (B,L,D)

• Today’s trek distance is 10.5 kilometers and takes around 5-6 hours.
• After your breakfast, meet the guide and spend the morning exploring more nature in this beautiful conservation area.
• During your trek learn how the Karen live and take care with their use of the natural resources.
• Then reach your destination at the highest point in Mae Hong Son “Doi Pui” at 1,722 meters above the sea level.
• Local Karen jungle lunch (prepared by your host family)
• Continue and enjoy your trek through the wild orchid conservation area.
• Late afternoon return to the village.
• During your stay you might like to learn how the Karen cook their rice.
• Afterwards, relax and have dinner.
• Enjoy talking with the family. (Translator is provided) then good night.

Day 4 Long Hike (B,L,D)

• Trek distance today is 11-12 kilometers and takes around 7-8 hours.
• Early morning start. After breakfast say goodbye to the villagers and start walking along the gravel road for 1 kilometer.
• Now we trek 17-18 kilometers along the trail walk to Ban Huai Tong Kaw.
• We will first descend into a river valley and then climb back up into the steep mountains.
• Ban Huai Tong Kaw is a  good place to experience Karen culture.
• Huai Tong Kaw can be reached by road but the village has tried to preserve their traditional knowledge. The village is still home to blacksmiths, herbal gurus, spiritual leaders, ritual singers and Sword dancers.
• A highlight of this village is a waterfall which is about 150 meters high.
• After dinner enjoy a sword dance at the village center.
• Get back to your home stay for bed time.

Day 5 Hike (B,L,D)

• Trek distance: 11-12 kilometers. Duration: 6-7 hours trek
• Hike down into the Valley of Mae Samad River.
• Visit the biggest waterfall in Mae Hong Son.
• You will encounter many river crossings. The terrain is very steep in parts. Be prepared to get wet as you must wade through water up to 1 meter deep.
• Huai Kung is a small Buddhist village that consists of approximately 10 households with no direct road access. It is situated nearby the Mae Samad River.
• Locals call this village “Baan Lek Nai Pa-Yai”. It is means small village situated in the ancient forest.  Its remoteness limits the number of tourists that pass through and the associated tourism income. The villagers are, therefore, dependent on fresh water fishing and hunting game. They also cultivate some rice paddy. They are experts at gathering forest products for their food security.
• Huai Kung Village is a very good place for swimming.
• Expect to be served a lot of fish.
• Overnight with a Karen Family.

Day 6 Trek (B,L,D)

• Trek distance: 9-10 kilometers. Duration: 5-6 hours. This is a more relaxed hike down into the valley of Mae Samad River.
• You will encounter many river crossings and steep terrain. Expect to get wet again.
• We will hike through primary jungle and mixed deciduous forests. They contain an abundance of teak trees, bamboos, and red woods.
• It takes about 4-5 hours to hike to Pa-Bong Village.
• We will then drive back to the Fern Resort. The journey takes about 30 minutes.

Please note: during June-November the trail from Ban Huai Goong will be switched to the trail that leads to Ban Nam Hoo Hai Jai. This is because the water level is too high.

Day 7 Visit Temple (B,L)

• Today we will visit Wat Phra That Doi Kong Moo. It is a beautiful Shan style temple located on top of a hill.
• Get a great view of the town in the valley below.
• Another nice temple is Wat Jong Kum-Jong Klang located by the lake. It presents the beautiful architecture of the Shan people. The roof edge is decorated with hand-crafted zinc sheets.
• We will also visit a mini-museum which contains a selection of very old carved wooden dolls from Myanmar.
• Lunch at a local Thai restaurant.
• In the afternoon we will transfer back to Chiang Mai by minibus.
• End of program.

What’s included?

• One English speaking tour leader
• Transfer from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son (6-7 people per car)
• Accommodation in Mae Hong Son (Fern Resort twin room with ABF) 2 nights
• Entrance fee to Nam Lod Cave and the Longneck Karen village at Ban Huay Seau Tao
• Round trip 4wd (6-7 people per car)
• 4 nights homestay with Karen family (2-4 people per family), mattress, pillow, warm blanket and mosquito net
• Toilet (squat toilet) and shower usually outside (warm water not available)
• Meals (B,L,D) total of  meals 17
• Local guide from community
• Tour activities
• Drinking water and snacks
• Vat 7% (Tax)

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