 Chiang
Mai Activities and Top things to do guide
 Meo,
Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes live throughout
northern Thailand's mountains. They share animist beliefs
and honour numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe
has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship rituals, games,
dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or
dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.
Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors
through forested mountains and high valleys and meadows, and
include visits to remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements
for overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe youths
who customarily speak English, Thai and at least three tribal
dialects.
Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat,
elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination
of two or three modes of transportation.
Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around companies
offering such tours for the best conditions. All treks must
be registered with the Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers'
protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by this law.
Visitors are welcome to enquire from the Tourism Police to
confirm which tour companies have negative or bad reputations.
Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs'
such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin,
both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe
penalties for such usage. Valuables, such as passport, jewelry
and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or
guest house while you are trekking upcountry
Wear sensible clothing to protect your limbs and sleep under
a mosquito net at night. Malaria is a real threat, and sensible
precautions should be taken to avoid it.
Visitors should remember to
a) Respect hilltribe beliefs and religious symbols and structures.
b) Dress modestly. Hilltribe people are generally modest.
Inappropriate attire may offend them.
c) Ask permission before photographing someone. Some villages
do not permit photography.
d) Avoid trading western medicines and articles of clothing.
Contributions to their welfare, items such as pens, paper,
needles, thread, cloth and material used for embroidery are
perfectly acceptable.
Trek prices are determined by the duration of the trip, transportation
modes, meals available and the size of the trekking party.
This has been developed, with joint cooperation of the Tourism
Authority of Thailand and San Kamphang Cooperative, into a
new recreational area of San Kamphang. It covers the distance
of approximately 20 kilometers from Chiang Mai city. To reach
the place, there are two routes; the first one runs along
Chiang Mai - San Kamphang - Teak Sprout Producing Station
- Hot Spring (You will pass by Meung On Cave that is 4 kilometers
away from the Hot Spring) while the other route runs along
Chiang Mai city - San Kamphang - On Lui village - Hot Spring.
For those who want to go there by bus, the terminal is at
Chang Puak Terminal
 This
popular new activity features exciting trips by Land Rover
between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, taking five days and
four nights, or Chiang Rai and Ken Thun in Myanmar, taking
three days and two nights. Much of the journey is along dirt
roads and tracks so that visitors can witness out-of-the-way
areas. Accommodation is in forest lodges or basic hotels.
Although bird-watching has been a popular activity among Thais
for many years, it is only relatively recently that overseas
visitors have recognized the potential of this fascinating
pastime. In total, almost one thousand different species of
birds - some local, others migrating here- have been spotted
in Thailand. Most of Thailand's national parks offer good
opportunities for bird-watching such as Khao Yai National
Park, Kaeng Krachan in Petchburi and Doi Inthanon National
Park in Chiang Mai province.
 Each
morning, at Km 10 on the Mae Rim-Samoeng route, trained elephants
demonstrate their formidable and highly-valued forestry skills
from 9.30 until 11.00 AM, at the Mae Sa Elephant Training
Centre. The centre is some 30 kilometres from town. Admission
is 80 baht per person. A jungle tour on elephant back, lasting
more than two hours through adjacent forests, is offered after
the show and costs 250 baht per person. Elephants can also
be seen at the Pong Yaeng Elephant Centre at KM 19 on the
same route.
This riverside enclave, at KM 56 on Highway 107, features
daily shows of elephants at work, from 9.00 AM until 10.00
AM, and from 10.00 AM until 11.00 AM, and offers elephant
rides, and opportunities for bucolic river-rafting through
largely pristine and tranquil forests, or jungle treks to
neighbouring hilltribe settlements.
Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen hilltribes live throughout
northern Thailand's mountains. They share animist beliefs
and honour numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe
has distinctive ceremonial attire, courtship rituals, games,
dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or
dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.
Popular 'Jungle Treks', lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors
through forested mountains and high valleys and meadows, and
include visits to remoter high-altitude hilltribe settlements
for overnight stays. The best guides are hilltribe youths
who customarily speak English, Thai and at least three tribal
dialects.
Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat,
elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination
of two or three modes of transportation.
Prospective trekkers are advised to shop around companies
offering such tours for the best conditions. All treks must
be registered with the Tourist Police. This is done for trekkers'
protection. Avoid companies that do not abide by this law.
Visitors are welcome to enquire from the Tourism Police to
confirm which tour companies have negative or bad reputations.
Also, avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs'
such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin,
both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe
penalties for such usage. Valuables, such as passport, jewelry
and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or
guest house while you are trekking upcountry
 What
is considered polite in your country is probably considered
polite in Thailand, too. However, there are a few cultural
pitfalls, mainly social and religious taboos, the breaking
of which can cause offense. For example, Thais revere their
royal family. Even social malcontents, Who ignore legal and
community standards, refuse to tolerate a faintly implied
slur on the monarchy. Outward expressions of anger are regarded
as crude and boorish. Visitors who remain calm and smile will
find all sorts of doors opened to them. Visitors should dress
neatly in all religious shrines. They should never go shirtless,
or in shorts, hot pants or other unsuitable attire. Shoes
should be removed when entering a private Thai home, a Buddhist
temple chapel, any of the Islamic community's mosques.
Each Buddha image, large or small, ruined or not, is regarded
as a sacred object. Never climb onto one to take a photograph
or do anything which might indicate a lack
of respect. Public displays of affection between men and women
are frowned upon. Westernized Thai couples may hold hands,
but that's as far as it goes in public.
It is considered rude to point your foot at a person or object.
Thai is regard the head as the highest part of the body, literally
and figuratively. Therefore, they do not appreciate anyone
patting them there, even as a friendly gesture.
Thai is customarily ask questions which are regarded elsewhere
as being personal. If the visitor is asked, 'Where are you
going?' or 'How much do you earn?' such questions are asked
in a friendly manner and signify genuine interest. Joking
answers such as, 'I'm not sure' or "Never enough!' are
perfectly acceptable.
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