Lisu Lodge
Trekking - Lisu, Lahu, & Akha Villages and a Thai Cooking Course
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Day 1. Lisu Lodge - Lahu outpost
Morning departure from Chiang Mai to Lisu Lodge. A traditional welcome drink will be served. Drive by local open-air
truck to the area near Pha Mieng. Walk along the jungle trails to the remote village of Hmong Pha Mieng. Meet the
inhabitants of this small hilltribe village in the jungle. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the forest. After lunch walk to the
Red Lahu Village of Pha Daeng, on top of the mountain. Continue walking along a mountain ridge to the Lahu village Kup
Kap. A spectacular view awaits you, overlooking the Mae Taeng district and Chiang Mai town glittering at night in the
distance. Beyond the mountain peaks to the west lies Myanmar (Burma). Dinner and overnight at the Lahu outpost in a
typical Lahu house. Accommodation is simple: mattress, pillow, bed linen, blankets, towels, mosquito nets, etc. Two
Western-style toilets and a communal shower are provided.
Walking distance: About 12 - 15 km / 4 - 5 hours.
Difficulty: Medium grade walking, mainly uphill.
Day 2. Lahu outpost - Lisu lodge.
Breakfast at the Outpost. Then, walk 2 hours downhill passing the clear pool of Huay Sadarn Waterfall. Experience a
45-minute inflatable raft trip downriver to a traditional Thai country village. Short transfer to the Elephant Camp,
where a picnic lunch can be enjoyed in this remarkable setting. In the afternoon, enjoy an hour of elephant riding
through the beautiful mountainous jungle down to the river where you will take a short drive to an Akha village for a
visit and chat with the shaman (spirit doctor). From there, return transfer to Lisu Lodge. A welcome drink will be
served before checking into your room. Then you will receive a briefing and orientation for you to select your
activity for the following morning.
Guided by a Lisu villager, walk from Ton Lung temple to visit the herbal garden. Then continue through the village with a stop for a cup of tea at the village shaman’s house. Chat with the Lisu shaman and learn about his life, beliefs, curing rites and Lisu traditions. Visit the cultural center and ‘museum’ created by the villagers. Inside you will find a collection of typical household items and tools from the Lisu as well as well as the Akha mountain peoples. Time at leisure until Thai dinner with a traditional Lisu dance show. Overnight at Lisu Lodge.
Walking distance: About 3 - 4 km / 1.5 - 2 hr.
Difficulty: Hard grade walking, mainly down hill.
Day 3. Lisu lodge - Akha outpost.
Breakfast at the Lodge. In the morning you can choose from the following one-hour activities: a) Guided biking tour
around the Lisu Lodge area; b) Steam bath; c) massage; d) ox-cart ride through farmlands and orchards to Baan Pang Mai
Daeng village. Leave Lisu Lodge and head to a Palong village in Chiang Dao. A tasty picnic lunch will be provided en
route. Walk uphill about 3 hours to Akha Outpost. Set in an isolated area with spectacular views: looking north down
into the valley far below or to the west, the mountain peaks stretching into Burma; and finally in the east: the Lao
PDR.
For dinner, help your guide whip up a tasty, wholesome mountain meal. Dinner and overnight at Akha Outpost, modeled on a typical Akha house. Basic amenities are provided: mattress, pillow, bed linen, blankets, towels, mosquito nets, etc. Two Western-style toilets and a communal shower are provided. If time allows then you can book a second 1-hour activity at a small charge or go on a freestyle biking tour (not guided, but with a road book of recommended itineraries).
Walking distance: About 10 - 12 km / 3 – 4 hr.
Difficulty: medium grade walking, mainly up hill.
Day 4. Akha outpost - Khum Lanna
Breakfast at Akha Outpost. Start walking downhill passing by the waterfall to another Akha village. Take the short
drive to Khum Lanna, where you will be be greeted by local Lanna people. A tasty welcome drink (herbal tea or fruit
juice from the garden) will be served prior to the briefing and orientation when you will choose your afternoon
activity. Khum Lanna will provide Thai farmer shirts for guest use during their stay. Enjoy preparation for Lanna
country-style BBQ lunch with a garden tour around the compound; collect different seasonal herbs, vegetables, and
fruits for cooking. Learn how to ride a water buffalo and then do the actual riding.
Get your free sample of our “Khum Lanna Thai Recipe Book” before the first Thai cooking class begins. Share an informal Lanna country-style BBQ lunch that you have prepared with your host. Get an introduction to Thai language (which will prepare you for your market shopping the next day). Enjoy a satisfying Thai Lunch at Khum Lanna.
In the afternoon you can choose from the following one-hour activities: a) guided biking tour around Khum Lanna; b) fruit or vegetable carving; c) artificial flower and carved candle making; d) local style personal herbal steam bath; e) hot-pressed herbal massage (consisting of 8 kinds of herbs: ginger, zingiber, lemongrass, plantain, tamarind leaves, soap pod, camphor and Aom Kiew). Same as on day 3, if time allows then you can book a second 1-hour activity at a small charge or go on a freestyle biking tour (not guided, but with a road book of recommended itineraries). Late afternoon at leisure until the second Thai cooking class in the early evening. Enjoy the fruits of your labors with a full 4-course sit-down Thai dinner with your host and friends. Watch a million stars beside a campfire in the garden. At leisure until the scrumptious dinner which you prepared already in the afternoon. Overnight at Khum Lanna.
Walking distance: About 7 - 8 km / 2 - 2.5 hr.
Difficulty: easy grade walking, mainly down hill.
Day 5. Khum Lanna.
Early morning coffee/tea will be brought to your room for your wake-up call before the sunrise biking along the rural
country road via San Kwang village to Phrao to visit an early morning local market where local coffee is available.
With the help of your guide you may buy local cookies and flower garlands for the temple offering on the way back.
Walk to visit the farmer’s rice and traditional tools shop, chat with the owner, and learn more about the rice legends and differences & properties of the varieties of rice. Your local escort will translate. Bike back to Khum Lanna with a stop to visit Wat Pa Gee. Pay respect to the Buddha image under the sacred tree. Continue biking to Khum Lanna along the local canal with a stop to see the rice fields and get more information about the rice-growing process and the place of rice in Thai life. Upon return, refreshment or shower before a local Lanna-style breakfast, which is set on the riverside. Then, enjoy some light biking to the rural village down the road. See the incredible accumulation of beehives on the sacred tree at Ban Nam Phrae and get information about the need for bees and the reasons for local conservation. Continue biking to Wiang Phrao Wung Hin (the ancient city 30 years older than Chiang Mai) to visit a temple and Phra Chao Lan Tong, the most significant Buddha Image in the Phrao district. Here, King Mengrai (1259-1317) assembled the villagers and trained them as soldiers to defend the city. Bike to Wat Tham Dork Kum and visit different Buddha stucco figures and the huge reclining Buddha.
Picnic lunch will be provided on the top of the mountain, which has a fantastic overview of the entire Phrao valley and Khum Lanna. Bike back to Khum Lanna. Refreshment and check-out. End of the Experience.
Note: This tour is also available in 1, 2, 3 and 4 day versions.
17,620 Baht per person (€ 390 / U$ 560 / 2p)
(price for the 5 day tour)
or via the Booking form
START: Day 1 in Chiang Mai
END: Day 5 in Chiang Mai
TOUR INCLUDES:
REMARKS:
