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Private Tour: 2-Day Authentic Hill Tribe Villages and Karen Hill Tribe Homestay
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Ways to Experience Thailand Hilltribe Holidays Private Tours
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Reviewed September 3, 2013

My husband and I have just returned from a fantastic trip with Pat and Winai. We visited the golden triangle hill tribe villages and elephant camp. Pat's philosophy and thoughts on the future of the hilltribe people were really thought provoking. He and Winai were very knowledgeable about the culture, traditions and farming techniques and plants and traditional medicine.Our accommodation was fine and we thoroughly enjoyed the northern food and were very pleased when Pat announced that we really could say that we could manage medium hot and spicy! It was fun purchasing gifts for our family from the different hill tribe groups and knew we were getting traditional products rather than mass produced souvenirs. Winai is an excellent driver and we felt very safe the entire trip. From our initial enquiry on the internet with Melissa until our most enjoyable dinner with Pat and Melissa on the last night back in Chiangmai our private Hilltribe tour was better than all our expectations.

Date of experience: August 2013
2  Thank wildonaldson1
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.
Reviewed August 20, 2013

If you want to really experience the hilltribes of Thailand then this is the tour for you. I had Piak show me around for two days and it was just fantastic (although he went above and beyond the two days/one night I booked!).
It started with a trip like a local through the Mae Sariang markets and then we headed off to the hilltribes. Here I felt like a friend visiting friends, not a tourist. At each hut we visitied, I was invited to share with the people and be a part of their family. Piak and I trekked through the hills (and the rain!) seeing some amazing jungle and where the locals live. I met so many people and learned why Thailand is the land of smiles!
The best part was Piak changed the tour as we went, making sure we did what I was interested in. We went to markets, temples and schools. I was very excited to talk to school kids and try and teach some English. Overall, the experience was one I will never forget and is worth the time and effort. It's not about relaxing in a resort- this tour is about getting to know the real Thailand and experience it completely.

Date of experience: June 2013
2  Thank broderickjm
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.
Reviewed August 12, 2013

My fiancé and I did a private tour through the hilltribe villages of Mae Sariange. We had Piak (PK) as our tour guide for the day. He was a very thought provoking tour guide that has grown up in the villages all his life. We started the day by learning about sustainable agriculture (one of Piak's passions). Then we went to visit his family and got to meet his children. We brought some gifts for his children and spent an hour or so playing with his daughter and many of her friends. We ended up making an art project with the kids from the stickers and postcards we brought. It was really nice to be treated as members of the family and to see how grateful and useful the people in the villages are. It was a good lesson to see how anything can be put to use in the home. They are definitely not wasteful people. Then we explored a Shan community and had a very good lunch. On the way we happened to see a rocket launching festival and since we were interested we got to hang out and participate in the event for awhile. That was one of my favorite things about the tour. The schedule consistently changed as Piak came to understood you and your interests more. Afterwards we went to visit a Lisu village where our whole perception of a hilltbe was changed. We had come to think that many of the villages had no formal religion, but believed in spirits. However, Piak showed us how the reality was much more complicated. He talked to us about former Christian missionaries, and how many of the people believed in a combination of religions such as Christianity or Buddhism and superstitions. Our guide also enlightened us on the politics of Thailand, their school system, and the constant changes that are being made, and the changes that still need to be made. He was one of the most passionate and inspirational people we meet during our travels. He really has a dream for his country and his people and loves sharing it with others. Since Piak saw we had a love for children he made sure the family we stayed with overnight would suit our interests. He choose to bring us to a family that had three children. Since we are both teachers we loved teaching the children new games and looking at the work the children are doing at school. Cooking over the open fire in the home of the Lisu family was one of the most memorable moments for us and showed us how to make the most of family time. The whole experience really showed us how to be more useful of our environment and how to simplify your life for greater happiness. I only wish we could've made as much of an effect as the family made on us. If you want to take yourself out of your comfort zone and really learn about yourself and what's important than this company would be a great fit for you.

Date of experience: July 2013
1  Thank ascianna
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.
Reviewed August 1, 2013

My daughter and I had w wonderful time with pat and his driver and a lovely special passenger. We traveled to great heights, saw beautiful countryside, met interesting local people, learned about their farming, their crafts. We partied at a wedding in a small hamlet, ate delicious local food-best free range chicken ever!

Date of experience: April 2013
Thank Susan l H
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.
Reviewed July 24, 2013

We recently completed the above tour in late June 2013 . First up special thanks to our tour guide Ae & driver Goh. Ae was both super informative and very knowledgeable as well as having a great sense of humor . highlights were many and varied - in no particular order - food fantastic - plenty of times eating with the locals at local prices - hill tribe villages visited were an eye opener - people very happy with their way of life and super friendly - long neck village and the Lawa tribe village where we had a home stay were exceptional

The home stay definitely took us out of our comfort zone but we are so glad we did it . Jom & Noi were great hosts and the privilege of having dinner and breakfast with them and chatting whilst they were cooking was awesome . Their children were very well behaved and special thanks to Anne (13 years old) who took us on a tour around the village whilst trying to improve her English We enjoyed sharing a Singha with them and I even had them trying Bundy Rum

Goh was a terrific driver and even though his English wasn't great we had no problems communicating with him

Accommodation .whilst not 5 star in the country towns was ample to our requirements . Pai was a beautiful town and it is easy to see why it is a favorite with the Thai people in summer .

All in all we can't speak highly enough about this trip and as well as our recommending to many people in Australia we wouldn't hesitate to suggest to any one out there if you're looking for a holiday thats a little different and that you would enjoy immensely this is the one .

Date of experience: June 2013
1  Thank connexion_13
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.
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