Northern Minorities 5 days tour

Destination: Chiang Rai/Eco-lodge

Descriptions: This perfect trip is specially designed for who wants to know more about the Northern Thailand’s culture. Discover Thailand’s most progressive hill-tribe cultures and diverse regions and the rural charms of traditional Northern Thai life. Stay at eco lodges and luxury home-stay experience. Celebrate heritage, food and lifestyle. Gain an experiential understanding of Thai ‘country’ cuisine, through a special cooking class, beginning in the market, followed by a class on the essentials of ‘iconic’ Thai dishes.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, G=Guide

Day 1: Arrival at Chiang Rai (G)

Arriving at the airport, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. The rest of the day will be your own. You’ll spend the night in Chiang Rai.

Day 2: Chiang Rai/Eco–lodge (B, L, D, G)
After breakfast, you’ll transfer from Chiang Rai to the lodge. After enjoying your welcome drink, you will be informed by means of a Video presentation about the various tribal people residing in Thailand, with the main focus on the Hmong and Lahu tribes, for them being your hosts at Lanjia Lodge. Another presentation will give you insights on the various activities affecting the lives of people living by and from the Mekong River over decades ago. You will also have the chance to see the famous Giant Catfish (locally known as Pla Buek), the world’s largest freshwater that can still be found in the Mekong.

In the evening, enjoy a sumptuous dinner with local delicacies, followed by a performance of both, Hmong and Lahu music and dances. You will stay overnight at Lanjia Lodge.

Day 3: Meet Shamen/Boat Cruise/Village Walk (B, L, D, G)
Prepare yourself for an adventurous day with an early-morning breakfast in the lodge. A local guide will then guide you through the Hmong and Lahu village adjacent to the lodge, called “Baan Kiew Karn”. You will learn about the many traditions, beliefs and the daily way of life of these two tribes, and also enjoy a hands-on experience of the local Batik making, which you will be taught by an extremely skillful Hmong woman. Afterwards, the Shaman of the village will be pleased to answer all your questions regarding the local belief in Shamanism.

Later, you will be transferred to your local truck to the close-by village of Baan Muang Karn, from where you will board a local boat and cruise down the famed Mekong River to the city of Chiang Khong. Today lunch will be served in a local restaurant right by the river. After lunch, your guide will walk with you through parts of this charming border town, where you will visit two temples on the way, before heading to the village of Ban Had Krai, where you will meet with local fishermen who have seen and caught the famed Giant Catfish, and who will be pleased to share their unique stories with you.

As a last stop before arriving back to the lodge, you will visit the temple Wat Phra That Jom Meng on a mountain top with a most scenic view over the Mekong River basin and Laos.

Arrive back in the lodge in time to relax and prepare for another meal showcasing the unique flavors of the local cuisine. You will stay another night at Lanjia Lodge.

Day 4: Waterfall/Chiang Rai (B, L, G)
After breakfast, you will take a local truck and visit a small waterfall, where you have the opportunity to swim in your own pool in the middle of a tropical forest. You will then have a wonderful picnic lunch brought to you by your local guide for you to enjoy, before returning to the lodge in the early afternoon, but not before visiting an Organic Tea Farm. Here the farm  produces the famous Oolong tea,  said to have an array of healing effects on your body.       You’ll then have time for refreshment at Lanjia Lodge, before being transferred back to Chiang Rai. Overnight in Chiang Rai.

Day 5: Chiang Rai departure (B, G)

After breakfast, you’ll be free until your driver arrives to take you to the airport for your departure flight.

Price in US$ per person:

Our price includes:

• Breakfast and accommodation sharing a twin or double room.
• Pick-ups and transfers by private air-conditioned car as specified in the itinerary above
• Travel by private, air-conditioned car with an experienced, safe driver.
• The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary except leisure time
• Boats cruise as programme.
• Meals, as specified, in the good local restaurants, picnics where suitable restaurants are not available.
• Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the programme.
• Cold water and towel during the trip

Our price does not include:

• International flight tickets and airport tax.
• Visas
• Other meals not mentioned.
• Drinks, gratuities, tips and personal expenses.
• Insurance.