 |
Trekking
Tours
Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes
live throughout northern Thailand's
mountains.They share animist beliefs and honour
numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe
has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship
rituals, games, dances, agricultural customs,
puberty rites, languages or dialects, aesthetic
values and hygienic habits.
Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days,
take visitors through forested mountains and high
valleys and meadows, and include visits to
remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements for
overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe
youths who customarily speak English, Thai and at
least three tribal dialects.
Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes
by boat, elephant-back, horse-back or jeep,
frequently a combination of two or three modes of
transportation.
Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around
companies offering such tours for the best
conditions. All treks must be registered with the
Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers'
protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by
this law. Visitors are welcome to enquire from
the Tourism Police to confirm which tour
companies have negative or bad reputations.
Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything
from 'soft drugs' such as marijuana to 'hard
drugs' such as opium and heroin, both during
travel and at hilltribe villages. There are
severe penalties for such usage.
Valuables, such as passport, jewllery and money,
should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or
guest house while you are trekking upcountry.
Wear sensible clothing to protect your limbs and
sleep under a mosquito net at night. Malaria is a
real threat, and sensible precautions should be
taken to avoid it.
Visitors should
remember to
a) Respect hilltribe beliefs and religious
symbols and structures.
b) Dress modestly. Hilltribe people are generally
modest. Inappropriate attire may offend them.
c) Ask permission before photographing someone.
Some villages do not permit photography.
d) Avoid trading western medicines and articles
of clothing. Contributions to their welfare,
items such as pens, paper, needles, thread, cloth
and material used for embroidery are perfectly
acceptable.
Trek prices are determined by the duration of the
trip, transportation modes, meals available and
the size of the trekking party. Average costs per
person, for treks of 4-6 persons, are likely to
be as follows.
Treks
2 days
& 1 night/1,200 baht
3 days & 2 nights/1,800 baht
4 days & 3 nights/2,200 baht
Such costs include guide, transportation, full
board, lodging, inclusive of travel by
elephant back, rafts or other modes. Check
directly with the Chiang Mai TAT office for
current information.
|
|
 |
|
