Private Trekking and Local Temple Day Tour in Chiang Rai

After we have collected you from your accommodation in Chiang Rai city, we take a short 15km drive to the White Temple. This temple is the brainchild of a famous Thai artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, and is a modern interpretation of the vision of hell based on current events and Hollywood movies. As a counterbalance to the white, we then take you to the black - Black House - which is the vision of another famous Thai artist, Thawan Dachanee. Black House is not a temple, but a scattering of buildings built in the Lanna kingdom style. All the buildings are black, and filled with his collections of artefacts, bones, furniture, and art. Both attractions are popular, and do a brisk trade in souvenirs, snacks and drinks.
Once the sightseeing portion of the programme has been completed, we bring you to our foundation for lunch. We take this opportunity to show you a short 10 minute film about our organisation's projects, which are all dedicated to improving the daily lives and futures of ethnic minorities and stateless peoples in Thailand.
The trekking part of the day begins with a two hour walk to Baan Jalae (Lahu hilltribe), which is home to a hilltribe museum built by our foundation and the villagers, with items donated by the locals. A 20 minute walk to the nearby waterfall, for a refreshing break, is followed by a 1 hour trek to Baan Apa (Akha hilltribe) to view the cultural sites around the village, including a spirit gate, spirit well, and a ceremonial swing only used for 3 days in the year.
Your guide is a local hill tribe villager, so you can be sure the information you receive about the cultures and local wildlife is accurate. Please note that the guide's English skills will be basic, so please encourage talking, to improve language skills. The guide doesn't require a tip, and tips are not part of the culture in Thailand. Our foundation is non-profit, dedicated to improving the lives of the hill tribe communities in this region. The money you spend goes back into the community, and the fee ensures a fair wage for the guide.
Program Itinerary:
8:30am: Pickup
9am: Visit the White Temple
10am: Visit Black House
11.30pm: Drive to our foundation
12 noon: Lunch, watch a short film about our work
12.30pm: Trek to a traditional Lahu village (approximately 2 hours)
2.30pm: Visit the hill tribe museum
3pm: Walk to a small waterfall (approximately 20 minutes each way)
4.30pm: Trek to a traditional Akha village (approximately 1 hour), if we are running late, or you are feeling tired, we can organize a car to transfer between the villages
6pm: Drop off