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Three-day northern Thai adventure

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Private trip Customizable trip Operated by Next Step Thailand Difficulty level 4 Authentic level 4 Children over 10

Northern Thai Adventure – Chiang Dao Cave, White water rafting, Elephants, Trekking

If you are looking for an authentic northern Thai adventure, then we recommend this trip. The whole trip runs at your own pace and you have a chance to spend time with the elephants and explore local gems, like Chiang Dao cave and wonderful waterfalls along the way. You learn how to make your very own bamboo raft and take it for a ride down the Mae Taeng river. What’s really unique about this trip is that you get a chance to spend one night at a Lahu village and one night at a Karen village.

Chiang Mai city

  Pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai city

Mae Taeng

Bamboo rafting and white water rafting in Mae Taeng

Chiang Dao

Visit caves and trekking in Chiang Dao

Three-day northern Thai adventure itinerary

This is a great tour for rainy and cold seasons, but due to long treks, hot season (March – May) is not suitable. We can still organize this tour during hot season if you are comfortable with long treks in hot weather.

Day 1

We pick you up at 8 AM and drive towards Chiang Dao. We make a short stop at the local market before our Thai adventure truly begins. Here we can stock up on supplies and it is also a good place to get a raincoat, toilet rolls, torch and some gifts for kids in the village.

Next stop is a real hidden gem, newly discovered Chiang Dao cave. We spend about 45 minutes winding our way through underground word. It’s very beautiful but not for the claustrophobic!

After caving, we have a lunch break, and then head off into the jungle for a 3 – 4 hour trek to a local Karen village. In the village, you can join your guide when he prepares your dinner. He can teach you to cook some traditional Karen dishes!

Day 2

We wake up early and explore the Karen hill tribe village. Your guide can answer any questions you might have about the lifestyles of this community. After breakfast, we go for a one to two hour trek to another Karen hill tribe village in the area where we have a lunch break.

After lunch we trek to a local elephant camp where you get your own elephant to bathe and feed. After about an hour with the elephants, it’s time to start walking again.

We trek for about one hour until we reach a Lahu hill tribe village where we have dinner and spend a night with the villagers.

Day 3

After breakfast, we construct our own handmade bamboo rafts and board them to raft for about two hours, passing many local villages along the way. (Please note that bamboo rafting is not always possible, sometimes the river can be too dangerous. If your guide assesses that rafting is not safe, you trek instead.)

After we disembark, it’s time for a lunch break, and after lunch, we wrap up our northern Thai adventure in a very fun way – we go white water rafting down Mae Taeng river rapids! Now it’s time to return to Chiang Mai with wonderful memories of our Thai adventure!

If you are booking this tour for March, April and May, white water rafting will be substituted with canoeing.
Pick up and drop off
Pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai city is included in the price for this trip. Pick up and drop off locations include accommodations in Chiang Mai city (15 km area around the old city centre), Chiang Mai airport, Chiang Mai train station and bus stations.  
If you would like us to pick you up outside of Chiang Mai city, for instance in Mae Rim, Sankampaeng and similar, additional charges might apply, please enquire about options.
Accommodation
One night in a Karen village and one night in Lahu village. This is a great opportunity to experience the life in tribal villages, but there are no frills for tourists.
Meals
You will have lunch and dinner on the first day of the trip, breakfast, lunch and dinner on the second day and breakfast and lunch on the third day. Dishes are traditional northern Thai, each meal consists of several courses. Bring along some snacks for between the meals, you might not be able to buy any during the tour. If you have any kind of dietary restrictions, let us know in advance, and we will make sure to provide suitable meals for you.
Guide(s)
Your private guide will be with you at all times, from pick up to drop off. He is local and speaks good English and will be able to tell you a lot about local plants, animals, culture and traditions. He will also adjust trekking route and difficulty according to your wishes, but please let us know in advance how long and difficult you would like your trek to be, so we can prepare a suitable route. Depending on the size of your group, you will have additional guide’s assistants with you.
Insurance
In accordance with Tourism Authority of Thailand regulations, we provide accident insurance for every traveller for the duration of the booked trip.

Solo traveller

Price for a solo traveller on a private trip
$500
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Two travellers

Price per person for a private trip for two
$350/Person
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Three travellers

Price per person for a private trip for three
$300/Person
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Four+ travellers

Price per person for a private trip for four or more travellers
$250/Person
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All prices include: transportation, driver, private guide, lunch and dinner on first day, breakfast, lunch and dinner on second day, breakfast and lunch on third day, accommodation, white water rafting, bamboo rafting, trekking, elephant camp fee, insurance

Prices do not include: water, drinks, personal expenses, any activities not mentioned in the itinerary

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