Private Tour: 2-Day Authentic Hill Tribe Villages and Karen Hill Tribe Homestay
4.5
Private Tour: 2-Day Authentic Hill Tribe Villages and Karen Hill Tribe Homestay
By Thailand Hilltribe Holidays Private Tours
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About
Lowest price guarantee
Ages 0-99
Duration: 7–10 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- Professional local guide and driver
- Transport by private vehicle, 4x4
- Meals at home stay
What's not included- Petrol: Pay at the pump, approximately 2,200bt
- Home stay accommodation: 500 baht/night/adult and 250 baht/night/child under 16 years (including meals)
- Food: For meals taken outside of homestay, it's customary to pay for guide and driver when eating together. They will take you to try local food at local restaurant. 50bt/ head
- Optional Activity (Elephant Camp 1,600bt/person,Bamboo rafting 1,400bt/raft, Insect Zoo 200bt/adult)
- Gratuities
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
- Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 9179P9- We cannot guarantee what you will see/do in the village, as the tour follows the natural rhythm of village life. But you will have the chance to meet villagers, be invited into their homes and to see how they live
- You will travel with a local hill tribe guide, who opens up cultural doors for you in a respectful way
- The itinerary is an outline only, and the activities and order may change, this flexibility gives us more opportunity to explore the local way of life, instead of a fixed program. You can discuss the plan with your guide, and he can customise it accordingly.
- The tour includes an overnight at a hill tribe home stay in a village. Conditions are basic, with no electricity, no hot shower and simple bedding on the floor. Bedding and mosquito nets are provided. You are welcome to bring your own sleeping bag
- You can request overnight at a local guesthouse instead
- You pay for the home staydirectly to the host family, so they benefit directly from your visit
- Activities are subject to change based on weather, events and other local factors
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 9179P9
From
$201.61
per adult
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Tania L0 contributions4d/3n hill tribe tour - amazing memories with a wonderful tour companyWe had a wonderful tour and had many memorial experiences including meeting authentic hill tribe villages and people. The White temple and Elephant Sanctuary were also incredible experiences. Our guide Hanee and driver Ron were amazing and went out of their way to accommodate and be flexible with my elderly father. What I loved most was that we were helping local villages directly and they are being looked after by this tour company.Written November 1, 2024
- X3593BHbrendad0 contributionsUn unforgettable family adventureTaking this tour was the best thing that could have happened to us during our 2-week trip to Thailand. We spent 4 days with our 4-year-old daughter, who genuinely loved and enjoyed every minute of this tour through the beautiful landscapes of some hidden corners of northern Thailand. Everything was well-organized and our guide Tony was a very pleasant and knowledgeable guide, with kind manners and a big heart—qualities that are particularly important when you travel not only to visit places but to connect with local people and offer them concrete help, something Thailand Hill Tribe Tours promises to do without disappointing expectations. We had unforgettable human experiences. For instance, I will never forget the evening spent with a family of refugees from Myanmar, cooking dinner together while our daughter played with the village children. A magical evening, filled with songs accompanied by guitar and small stories. Overall, the trip was a window into other worlds, a very diverse tour that fascinated both us adults and our little girl. The experience of playing in the mud while planting rice in a local farm’s rice fields, then preparing lunch together, climbing a sticky waterfall deep in the forest, meeting a Kayan family with whom we shared lunch and the art of weaving, visiting the magical temples of Chiang Rai, exploring street markets, and eating hot pot on the banks of the Mekong... these are just some of the highlights from this beautiful, ethical tour that respects local minorities. It’s a style of travel that not only creates great memories but also helps the local population. Bravo, bravo, bravo to everyone, and a huge thanks to Tony, who took care of us the whole time and won over our daughter’s heart; to our driver Pet, always kind and helpful; and to Melissa, who, from the very first contact, was present, responsive, and prepared, making sure we could experience all of this!Written September 29, 2024
- Lesman E0 contributionsTrip to North ThailandThanks for the great experience to North of Thailand. Children were very happy to play with elephants, dive into hot springs, learn how to plant the rice and stay overnight at long neck village. Team was very pleasant and flexible for any ad hoc requests. Defiantly will come back!Written September 2, 2024
- codit20140 contributionsWonderful tourWe had a wonderful time with this tour and I would highly recommend Thailand Hillside Holiday for a tour. Melissa was very communicative and really helped cater to what we were hoping to get out of the day. We spent part of the day visiting an elephant home, which was an incredible experience to be up close with the elephants. The rest of the day we visited the the Hilltribe villages and were able to meet tribal villagers from the Lisu tribe and were invited into their homes to ask questions and have tea (via our interpreter guide) and learn about their culture, their farming, (and their escape from Myanmar from one). Our guide was kind and extremely helpful along the way. She provided a lot of information and knowledge about the people we were visiting. This was a very meaningful day for us…and our kids. We were even able to visit a school; visiting the kids and seeing how they sustain themselves was incredible. Thank you for meaningful experience in Thailand.Written August 24, 2024
- J2782AVchristianm0 contributionsMarvellous and Astonishing ExperienceWow-what a difference a visit can make... In case of our 9-day-trip through the North of Thailand with Pat nearly everything made a difference. More than just a holiday we really did dive into different ways of life, got in touch with so many Locals along the way. Both, our curiosity, but more so the warm, welcoming, open minded and simply friendly-familiar way we were confronted with every day made this journey unforgettable. It's the music, the laughing, cooking together,... If You want to learn something about the people in Northern Thailand, at the same time maybe become Just a tiny part of supporting their progress/development and their presence in our minds - AND have just an undescribable, astonishing holiday for All (we are a family of 5 - 83, 47, 47, 10&8 years old) - That's a must for You! Dear Mel and Pat! thank you so much for bringing us so close to your country! You are right… the people are the stars!Written August 17, 2024
- 619federicav0 contributionsAmazing one day tourMe and my boyfriend booked a one day tour to the local hill tribes and it was probably the highlight of our vacation in Thailand. Our guide, Hanee, was such a knowledgeable, fun and easy going person. She made our day much brighter with her laughter, teaching us about the local ways, letting us taste things at the markets we visited and answering to all the questions we had about Thais and their lives. The visit to the local villages was just incredible. Being able to hear the stories of Myanmar refugees, their resilience and strength was touching and mind-opening. The lunch at the Lisu village was delightful and the scenes/panorama and people we were able to soak in and meet will be forever in our hearts. I would highly recommend booking this tour and will probably book the two-day tour next time we'll be in Chiang Mai. Yes, it is a little more expensive than the average tours/experiences you can have in Thailand but the price is so worth it and the whole tour is tailored on your needs and what you want to see during the day.Written August 10, 2024
- terrik8560 contributions1-Day Hillside tour with younger childrenWe did a one day Hillside Tribe Tour with Hanee. She was so great explaining everything to us which was unique to each tribe. We have two younger children and believe this experience was incredible for them. They got to interact with the local village children. Even if they couldn’t speak to each other due to language barriers, they were still able to play and have fun. We also helped prepare lunch with the tribe. This was fun for the kids to see where the food came from and how to prepare it. We also enjoyed the side adventures to the hot spring, sticky waterfall, buying some food at the local farmers market. We would recommend this tour for families with young children. Hanee was also very accommodating and interactive with our children as well.Written July 16, 2024
- dmunassi0 contributionsGREAT COMPANY! AND HANEE IS A GEM OF A GUIDE!GREAT COMPANY! GREAT GUIDE! Our family of four contacted and made our own unique private tour option. The price was not unreasonable for the level of service provided. Hanee was our guide. She was absolutely wonderful! Flexible, knowledgeable, and of course with the Thai charm and hospitality that makes this country famed for travelers! Highly recommend Hanee! Word of caution for Bangkok (NOT for this company at all) , we had serious hit/miss issues with tour guides not speaking English (but Hanee was again great as was our contact at Thai Hilltribe Tours named Melissa! We just repeatedly booked Hanee all week for other tours in Chiang Mai. I would ALWAYS recommend getting a DIRECT trusted name (like Hanee) or using concierge with local connections, not just reading on this site. There's too many people who dont have the heart to leave bad places the reviews they deserve.Written July 3, 2024
- LenAndEvMilton0 contributionsSo disappointing that we bailed outMy husband and I signed up for the 4 day/3 night private tour, expecting it to be one of the highlights of our 2+ weeks in Thailand. We booked the tour five months in advance and provided Melissa, our tour coordinator, with some info about our interests and the things we hoped to learn about. The guide and driver picked us up at our hotel on the first morning and, right away, the vibe was bad. Kwan, the guide, did not greet us, introduce herself or the driver, or even smile. She asked us where we were planning to go, since she apparently had not been briefed on the itinerary for the tour or our particular requests. I brought up the Hilltribe Holidays web site on my phone to show Kwan the itinerary. Her English was very rudimentary, so all of this negotiation was next to impossible. I asked her if she even worked for Hilltribe Holidays and she mumbled something I couldn't understand. Kwan also appeared actively sick. She was taking medicine and had tissues rolled up and stuffed in each nostril. (Later that day, she would not be able to finish a cave walk with us and the staff at the cave would have to tend to her.) In the car, she was sending texts and eating out of a private stash of snacks. We felt like we were taking a moody teenager on a car trip that she didn't want to go on. Almost immediately after the trip started, we began texting and calling Melissa with our concerns. She eventually acknowledged that Kwan was a fill-in guide that she had only used a few times before. She didn't explain why we didn't get a regular staff guide and said that there was no way to get a new guide now -- that we either had to stay with Kwan or quit the tour. We decided to push on, since we had nowhere to go for four days if we didn't and we really wanted to see Northern Thailand. During the course of the first day, we visited some very interesting places, including visiting the Lisu village. However, Kwan barely spoke to us. She provided zero context for what we were doing -- no background on the geography, politics or economy of Northern Thailand, nothing about the history of the hill tribes. Even when we asked her direct questions, she didn't have the English skills to answer them. At one point, she was sound asleep in the front seat while we were in the back seat using our phones to figure out where we were and to read about the area. (We were on the Myanmar border, next to the Mekong River, but she didn't point that out.). The next day, Kwan napped as we passed temples, a big military installation, and some local markets -- all things we were interested in learning about. Meanwhile, the driver was as friendly and helpful as he could be, but he didn't speak any English at all. By the end of the first day, we had hit the wall. Melissa had called Kwan several times to coach her, but that only seemed to make Kwan more unfriendly to us. Melissa told us that Kwan was insulted that we thought she was sick and that we were wearing masks in the car. We spent that night in Chiang Dao and quickly threw together a new plan to end the tour and spend the next several nights on our own in Chiang Rai. We spent day two with Kwan and the driver, travelling to Chiang Rai and seeing some of the planned sights along the way. Again, we saw great stuff, but we could have had an equal or better experience with just a driver and a guide book. Melissa told us that we didn't need to pay for the remaining days of the tour, but she kept our payment for the first two days. She didn't offer to help find or pay for our unexpected hotel stay in Chiang Rai. The last contact we had with Melissa is when we sent her a picture of Kwan asleep in the front seat, and she didn't respond. It's been two weeks now and we haven't received an apology. I'm happy to report that we took many other tours in Thailand that were wonderful. Thai people are remarkably hospitable and warm. I don't think that our Hillside Holidays experience is at all reflective of Thai tourism in general. We had an absolutely wonderful time in Thailand and would return tomorrow if we could.Written March 7, 2024
- borisw2860 contributionsBeyond incredibleThis trip was exactly as advertised. No, it was actually even better than I imagined! If you are ready to open your eyes, open your heart and open your soul, book this trip! I booked the 4d/3n tour which consisted of the following: departure from Chiang Mai up to the north to Myanmar then following the border until the Golden Triangle (Chiang Saen) then going back to Chiang Mai through Chiang Rai. The trip was done with car with numerous multiple stops at small authentic villages, scenic spots to admire the landscape, magnificent buddhist temples, local restaurants that sell you food that you cannot find anywhere else and some optional activities. As the name of the company suggests, this is a truly real and authentic visit of Northern Thailand, far far far away from the destruction and hideous fakeness of mass tourism. This tour shows you the true underlying beauty of Thailand and its many different people. The first stop was at a small elephant camp that was owned by a family. If you are mindful about elephant well being, it was absolutely delightful to see happy and free elephants and their caring owners. The first night was spent at a small christian baptist Lisu village. The host family’s daughter, Martha, is an absolutely incredible human being with a heart of pure gold. Meeting her and dancing/singing with her at the mass will definitely be a memory that I will treasure forever in my heart! The second night was spent at Massu’s homestay, a Karen long-neck woman that is as beautiful as the rice fields surrounding her home. I definitely recommend doing the short hike with a guide proposed, especially if you arrive around the time of the sunset. The last evening was spent at a really comfy hotel in Chiang Saen, nearest village to the Golden Triangle. Seing the sunrise over the Mekong river is also one of the surprise highlights of this trip (that is not mentioned in the description). Despite being touristic, both the Black House and White Temple of Chiang Rai are definitely not overrated and impressive feats of architecture! Discovering the incredibly hauntingly beautiful contemporary art of Chalermchai Kositpipat there was another divine surprise! At last, we had a final stop at a remote Lahu village in the jungle that was the best possible way to end the trip. You could not get more authentic than this and the local guide was eager to share his knowledge with you. Not for the faint of heart but I would have actually loved to stay one night there too despite the really harsh conditions. Do not be turned off by those difficult living conditions. As my guide Pat said: “we are rich with our land, we are rich with our hearts, we are only poor with money”. It was overall a truly humbling human experience that taught me kindness and generosity. Be curious, be respectful and be present with the locals, they will fill your heart with unconditional joy in return and show you the hidden diamonds that their culture is hiding. I am now really sad that the tour has ended and wished I booked the 9 day tour instead! The additional 15 000 baht given by Melissa to pay for the food/accommodation/activities/fuel was a good approximation but I honestly stopped counting at some point and paid for everything (and more) willingly and without any regrets. Life is not about money and hoarding money for yourself is the greatest offense you can commit to yourself and to others. I want to thank again and wish a long, happy and prosperous life to Pat the wise and humble guide, Melissa the quick and responsive communicator, Martha the pure gold hearted Lisu girl, Massu the beautiful long neck Karen woman and all the other people I met along the way. Would 10/10 recommend this trip but Tripadvisor only has 5 stars.Written February 27, 2024
- JakubHlavac0 contributionsGreat experience for the kids. Would do it again, and recommend to any family.W didi 4 days/3 night tour with home stay. Starting at Chiang Rai, ending in Chiang Mai. It was wonderful experience!!! Seeing golden triangle, night with the long neck tribe, elephant sanctuary, monkey cave, tiger kingdom any many more. Kids (8y and 6y) had great time, really nice and authentic experience. Guide and drive were excellent. It would be mistake to visit Thailand and skip northern part. We combined it - 4 days at north and 7 days in south at Krabi, and it was ideal.Written February 26, 2024
- maaykem20240 contributionsToo expensive for what it isMy partner and I did the one day tour and had a good day, but we don’t feel 8500 baht (€220) was worth it. We had read a lot of positive reviews but they unfortunately didn’t match our experience. The drive up north was more than twice as long (2,5 hours) as we expected from the e-mail (1 hour) and we took two fun stops on the way, at a bamboo sticky rice production and at a local coffee place. (Rice+coffee was 200 baht) We made lunch and walked around town with Martha, a young girl living in a hill tribe, who was just lovely and her English was great. She gave us a lot of insights on what her life is like and she introduced us to new foods and different ways to eat veggies that we already knew. She took us inside the gardens and houses of her neighbours who were weaving baskets, making brooms and sorting beans. We spent a little less than 4 hours with her. (Payment for cooking and eating with Martha was 800 baht) We visited a limestone waterfall on the way back which we had all to ourselves so that was fun. (Entrance fee 100 baht) So far it wasn’t bad, but the drive back was pretty rough for us. Our guide, Pat, brought fermented soy crackers to give to villagers and with the temperature rising, the car had a really strong, fermented smell. We stopped at a two villages but all we did there was watch Pat and our driver hand out the soy crackers, we were feeling really confused and awkwardly stood by. Some villagers seemed happy with the gift, but others seemed as confused as we were. We didn’t get to see much of the villages nor have interaction with locals but we were happy that at least the source of the smell had left the car. (We payed 900 baht for gas) All in all we spent 12 hours, the driver drove us places and our guide Pat explained a few things but most things we could have figured out ourselves. After a week we are still feeling confused about the base price, it’s a lot of money, especially in Thailand. (Base price for the tour 6500 baht) I wanted to understand what the pricing is based on, so I sent an email explaining our disappointment and asked for a breakdown on the price, but it’s been a week and I did not receive a reply.Written January 30, 2024
- Abbie K0 contributionsOur gracious guide to the hill tribes!We cannot thank Hannee enough for her insightful guidance, good humor & keen eye during our tour. She really knows her stuff, is a superb communicator with everyone she meets and is a terrific ambassador to Thailand. We’re happy to recommend her to the world.Written January 15, 2024
- 727chenge0 contributionsAuthentic & inspiring experienceWe had the 3D/2N Hilltribe Stay tour with our 7 year old son and we truly loved every minute of it. We stayed with the Karen Long Neck tribe for 1 night and also visited the local farms and villagers, while the entire time we were guided by locals of the tribes and villagers that thoroughly explained what we were seeing and experiencing. Each of the tribe people that we visited generously welcomed us into their lives. The stories about how they endured through hardships and difficulites was eye opening and extremely inspiring. We really appreciate the fact that this tour provides visitors the opportunity to humbly learn about the real life of the local tribe people, and at the same time, the tour also creates work opportunities for those beautiful tribe people in a very respectful way.Written January 1, 2024
- 202felicityf0 contributionsUnforgettable experience - highly recommend!We had the most amazing 5 day tour with the Thailand Hilltribe holidays team. We were traveling with our 3 year old daughter and were a bit nervous about how it would go but we learned so much and had the most wonderful time with our very knowledgeable guide Hannee and wonderful driver Boi. Both of them were so patient and thoughtful in how they designed the tour for our family and finding child friendly stops along the way. We had the opportunity to meet and stay with people who we would never have the opportunity to meet otherwise. Hannee helped us understand where and who we were visiting. She clearly has a good relationship with the wonderful Hilltribe hosts and our visit is one way to support them. Thank you so much to Melissa for all the help beforehand and most of all to our amazing guide and driver.Written December 30, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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SofiyaM
16 contributions
We did 2 days, 1 night hill tribe tour out of Chiang Mai. This tour was a total rip off and scam for what it was.
Our guide, Surachai, had absolutely no knowledge about the areas he was showing us. If I had a question, he would point out to the official short description of the place in English. When I asked him about the war between Thailand & Myanmar, he suggested to read it in a book.
We would’ve been better off with just a car and a driver for the day.
He was also pretty useless organizing our meals.
Both, me & my partner were feeling uncomfortable in the first village we visited. The residents of that village would not respond to our hello and even turn away from us. We were clearly not welcomed. On the first day we also visited a cave & a sticky waterfall. All of it could’ve been done on our own, as no explanations or history of the places were given to us. At the waterfall the guide climbed it himself and was obstructing my photo shot! Very unprofessional.
Our overnight guesthouse was clean, but had uncomfortable bed & unusable pillows. Never again I will agree to someone else booking a place to stay. Good lesson.
The plan for the second day was to visit long neck tribe village & hmong people village. We were brought in the middle of nowhere and offered a walk in the forest and our guide’s village, instead of walking in a long neck village, as I expected from the tour description.
When asked the guide, why it’s a different village, he said long neck tribe is actually just one family, and we will stop there later.
At that point we were so dissatisfied with the trip, we just asked to take us back to the city. Then suddenly the guide remembered another, “touristy” long neck village we could visit… really?
For some weird reason, they had to stop in 2 different places “to pick up their backpacks”. Why their backpacks were not with them in the morning, if they were leaving back to the city with us?!
Suspicious.
To be fair, the driver was nice and polite. His car, however was untidy and not cleaned, unlike any other drives we took while in Thailand for a month.
Oh, and they made us to pay for the full tank of gas, when we know we only used half at most.
Feel scammed and extremely disappointed. Don’t use this company. There are many other much better once.
Our guide, Surachai, had absolutely no knowledge about the areas he was showing us. If I had a question, he would point out to the official short description of the place in English. When I asked him about the war between Thailand & Myanmar, he suggested to read it in a book.
We would’ve been better off with just a car and a driver for the day.
He was also pretty useless organizing our meals.
Both, me & my partner were feeling uncomfortable in the first village we visited. The residents of that village would not respond to our hello and even turn away from us. We were clearly not welcomed. On the first day we also visited a cave & a sticky waterfall. All of it could’ve been done on our own, as no explanations or history of the places were given to us. At the waterfall the guide climbed it himself and was obstructing my photo shot! Very unprofessional.
Our overnight guesthouse was clean, but had uncomfortable bed & unusable pillows. Never again I will agree to someone else booking a place to stay. Good lesson.
The plan for the second day was to visit long neck tribe village & hmong people village. We were brought in the middle of nowhere and offered a walk in the forest and our guide’s village, instead of walking in a long neck village, as I expected from the tour description.
When asked the guide, why it’s a different village, he said long neck tribe is actually just one family, and we will stop there later.
At that point we were so dissatisfied with the trip, we just asked to take us back to the city. Then suddenly the guide remembered another, “touristy” long neck village we could visit… really?
For some weird reason, they had to stop in 2 different places “to pick up their backpacks”. Why their backpacks were not with them in the morning, if they were leaving back to the city with us?!
Suspicious.
To be fair, the driver was nice and polite. His car, however was untidy and not cleaned, unlike any other drives we took while in Thailand for a month.
Oh, and they made us to pay for the full tank of gas, when we know we only used half at most.
Feel scammed and extremely disappointed. Don’t use this company. There are many other much better once.
Written February 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. We receive mostly very positive feedback about Surachai as a guide, so I was very surprised to hear that you were dissatisfied with him and the tour. It should be noted that our strong points as a tour operator lie in showing you the local way of life through hands-on activities and cultural immersion experiences with the hill tribes. We feel these are things that you cannot do by yourself, whereas history and facts can always be looked up independently. Your guide was probably climbing the waterfall, to encourage you to join in, and to show you how to do it (leading by example). I’m sorry if he obstructed your photo.
Surachai made numerous attempts to engage in conversation with you, and to be friendly to break the ice – this is crucial to opening up experiences with him and the villagers (which is why most guests book our tours), but he felt that this was difficult as there was no reciprocation.
When you decided on the morning of the second day that you were not happy with the tour and wanted to return straight to Chiang Mai, I had offered to talk to you on the phone to try and rectify any problems and straighten out the rest of the trip for you, but you were not interested in talking and had already made up your minds. This is a shame as there was a lot you could have experienced on the second day which may (or may not) have changed your opinion about this trip.
We specialize in getting off-the-beaten-path and visiting authentic hill tribe villages, hence you were ‘brought into the middle of nowhere’, and invited to visit your guide’s village – this is a unique cultural opportunity to meet and talk to Karen hill tribe villagers. When Surachai found out that you wanted to visit a Long neck village, he offered to take you to visit a tourist one. This is because all of the Kayan Long Neck tribe in Thailand are refugees here, and hence live in ‘set up’ villages. There are no ‘real’ Kayan Long Neck villages in Thailand. However, we are helping one Kayan Long Neck Lady and her family, and have helped set up a homestay for them. This is where we take our visitors to, and most are very happy to have a one-one interaction and experience here, without lots of people around.
During the planning and booking process, I usually provide a link to the guesthouse/accommodation so that you can see for yourself the standard of it. My apologies if I did not send you this link. Note that most accommodation in rural areas here will have Thai style mattresses and pillows which are hard (unless you are staying at a 4-5 star resort).
Yes your guide and driver left their bags in another place, because the original plan was to go on a short trek (that does not start and end at the same place), so because you suddenly changed your plans on that morning, they had to return to get their bags. I’m not sure what could be suspicious about this?
Our policy is to start with a full tank of gas, and end with a full tank of gas. That way you only pay for what you have used. The distance on this 2d/1n round trip, will use at least one full tank, so I’m not sure how you could conclude that you only used half.
I’m sorry that you were disappointed with this trip. Regrettably we were probably not the right fit for you as travellers. However we do try to be as upfront and clear about our offerings, so that our guests have the right expectations beforehand. Most of our guests are very happy with the non-touristic and authentic experience they get to have with their guides and the Long Neck host family. Unfortunately in this instance, this was not the case. Thank you for leaving your feedback and review.
Written February 28, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ester C
1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Family
We booked a trip with this company before travelling to Thailand. The owner, Melissa, replied to us straight away and was very informative but also pushing a lot to get a deposit for the booking. We trusted them as they had a lot of good reviews and I paid the 6.500 bahts that she asked for. This is a lot of money in thailand, to compare a full meal for the 4 of us is costing on average 500 bahts. Once in Thailand, my child got a tummy bug and informed Melissa that we would like to cancel the trip and get a refund. As she states in many websites and in some other reviews, their notice period is 24h. We informed her 2 days before but she replied to us that she was not going to refund the money. Therefore we said that we were going to take the trip as we didn’t want to waste that huge amount of money. They never showed up in the airport and never returned our money.
Just to inform, once in thailand you realise that what they offer is the same than many other local companies. But instead of paying over 17.000bahts with them, it justs costs around 2000 bahts per person with all inclusive.
Stay away from this company.
Just to inform, once in thailand you realise that what they offer is the same than many other local companies. But instead of paying over 17.000bahts with them, it justs costs around 2000 bahts per person with all inclusive.
Stay away from this company.
Written August 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sara a
1 contribution
Aug 2023
Great Experience to really dive deep into the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand. I spent three days with a fried traveling around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai province (3d/2n Authentic Hilltribe Tour). The local guide Surachai and the driver Chalerm gave us an authentic insight about the local life and tradition. They were really kind with us and supported all our needs and requests.The overall trip was quite flexible and tuned on the way to our interests. Highly recommended to people looking for an authentic tour far away from touristic sites.
Written August 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tourist66538440050
Singapore25 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
We loved our trip with Pat, the beauty of Northern Thailand and getting to know kind and welcoming locals. A highlight was trekking with Jakur. He was poor, but opened his home and his heart to us. He proudly showed us around his village and then the surrounding farm and bushland on a 3 hour hike. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, engaging the kids thoroughly and showing great respect for nature and the spirits. We loved him.
We also enjoyed our stay at Masu's homestay. She is of the long neck culture, a gentle and kindly spoken lady with beautiful children. Her cooking was amazing and we loved sleeping in a simple bamboo hut. My son enjoyed feeding the chickens and we all loved visiting the markets with Masu.
Next stop, a village with many Myannar refugees. I was grateful to Matha, who was a beautiful, gentle soul, and shared her story of escaping Myanmar so openly with our children. We all learned a lot from this trip and feel more knowledgable and connected to Thailand due to this authentic tour.
We also enjoyed our stay at Masu's homestay. She is of the long neck culture, a gentle and kindly spoken lady with beautiful children. Her cooking was amazing and we loved sleeping in a simple bamboo hut. My son enjoyed feeding the chickens and we all loved visiting the markets with Masu.
Next stop, a village with many Myannar refugees. I was grateful to Matha, who was a beautiful, gentle soul, and shared her story of escaping Myanmar so openly with our children. We all learned a lot from this trip and feel more knowledgable and connected to Thailand due to this authentic tour.
Written September 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anh N
1 contribution
May 2024 • Friends
Easily the highlight of our entire Thailand trip, which included Phuket and Chiang Mai. Pat and Melissa were great with communication from the start, dating from planning 2-3 months prior, leading up to the day, and morning of upon pick-up at our hotel. Pat was very accommodating and resourceful. His friendliness made us feel very welcome and we felt safe all throughout the tour. The homestay itself exceeded our expectations as again, everybody was very welcoming. The space itself was very peaceful. The food provided by the 2 tribes (including Longneck) were some of the most simple, yet authentic and tastiest food we had on our trip. You could tell that everyone wanted to make sure that we were having a good and comfortable experience considering the differences in culture and language. I would recommend this tour to any of my own friends who are looking for a unique experience outside the usual tourist experiences in Thailand so long as you are open-minded to getting to know various different cultures, and willing to do something that may be outside your everyday comfort zone as far as traveling and lodging. Thank you Pat and Melissa for making this such a great and smooth experience!
Written May 31, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claire
30 contributions
We loved our authentic home stay experience. Thank you for arranging everything Melissa and a big thank you to our private guide, Pat for his insights, knowledge and big, generous heart. I love that he is trying to change lives through training and teaching. Our driver also provided excellent, kind service. The highlight was being able to meet Masu and her beautiful family. We loved speaking with her and getting to know them. Her story is heartbreaking. And she served incredibly delicious food which we all thoroughly enjoyed. Your tour was exactly what we wanted…exploring and meeting people off the tourist path and not going to a “human zoo”. The home stay was a deeply meaningful experience for my kids as well. We included the elephant sanctuary and we also really enjoyed the waterfall stop! Thank you again!!
Written June 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pau-Ling B
10 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Wonderful trip with my kids. Guide was so good. Showing us life as a local. We stopped often to see interesting non touristy places and ate like locals.
We particularly enjoyed meeting the ‘lisu’ and Karen people and seeing their way of life. The home stays were our highlights.
Our guide was warm and enjoyed showing us his country. He was genuine in his desire to help support these small communities.
Highly Recommend.
We particularly enjoyed meeting the ‘lisu’ and Karen people and seeing their way of life. The home stays were our highlights.
Our guide was warm and enjoyed showing us his country. He was genuine in his desire to help support these small communities.
Highly Recommend.
Written July 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kenny316
Minneapolis, MN59 contributions
We had a very authentic and personalized trip connecting w/ various local people which makes for an awesome experience. Pat, our guide, was so passionate about the local community that it felt more like a social friend connection rather than a tour. In fact we saw no other tourists and his ability to connect and communicate with numerous families across a variety of villages provided a unique insight we have rarely witnessed. I hope this caring approach never ends … thank you for sharing this beautiful aspect of Thailand culture!
Written March 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deb
1 contribution
Apr 2022
An incredible and authentic experience! My friend and I spent one night in a Karen household and visited other villages/communities along the way. We came out of the trip with so much first hand knowledge and appreciation. We spent an afternoon in the forest learning about local flora and their traditional uses, which was fascinating!
Pat was a fantastic guide and was able to facilitate warm and welcoming interactions with local people. Our driver, Boyh (spelling?), kept us very safe on the roads and I felt at ease in his hands!
We wish we could have stayed longer, it was such a memorable part of our time in Thailand!
Pat was a fantastic guide and was able to facilitate warm and welcoming interactions with local people. Our driver, Boyh (spelling?), kept us very safe on the roads and I felt at ease in his hands!
We wish we could have stayed longer, it was such a memorable part of our time in Thailand!
Written April 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so glad that you could have this up close and personal experience with the hill tribes, and learn so much from this :) Our aim is to show travellers the real northern Thailand and its beautiful hill tribe minority cultures in an ethical way (with road safety being a priority). Thank you for travelling with us as your visit supports the minority groups here directly. Thank you for leaving a review and we hope you can visit again !
Written April 18, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jordan Y
9 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
I did an outstanding 3D/2N tour with this company, which I chose after reading reviews of all the daytrips available. Everything went as expected; there were no surprises. I discussed my concerns about phony Hilltribe villages and sham elephant sanctuaries with Melissa beforehand and Hilltribe Holidays delivered exactly what was promised--the genuine article in both cases. My guide Tae and driver Owen were such a great team I thought they were old friends; they'd never worked together before but their expertise and professionalism made for a smooth trip. Two days would have been enough in retrospect, but I highly recommend the company and their services.
Written January 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience