Amazing Eco Trek - 3 Days 2 Nights

The three-day Amazing Eco Trek is the complete program: three days of walking in the Karen hills of the Doi Inthanon area, two nights in hill tribe villages, a waterfall to swim in every day, an afternoon with elephants and a bamboo raft on the final day. It is for reasonably fit travellers who want to slow right down and see how life works in the mountains, and who are fine with basic accommodation.

Day one is the classic day trek: pickup in Chiang Mai between 08:00 and 08:30, a drive into the hills, a jungle hike to a waterfall for a swim and lunch, and on to the first Karen village for the night. On day two you walk to another waterfall in the morning, then reach a Karen village where you meet the elephants, feed them by hand and help bathe them. After lunch there is a second waterfall before you settle into your second village night. Day three takes you out on foot past a waterfall to a Shan village for lunch, then onto a bamboo raft for the ride down the river, and back to Chiang Mai around 16:00.

Both nights are in village houses: mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, shared rooms and simple washing facilities, with dinners cooked by your hosts. Pack light because you carry your own bag. Bring a flashlight, a warm layer for the evenings and a dry bag for the raft.