from Sunrise to Sunset

Thailand offers many great trekking opportunities. Especially in Northern Thailand, where I was heading to, I had heard about possible trekking tours around Chiang Mai, Pai and Chiang Rai. Personally, I decided to take on the activity in Pai. Because of the off-season, I had to go through three different companies to get the trek for the day I wished for. Also, the companies usually need minimum 2-3 people for the trekking to take place and I was lucky to team up with another person who was also looking for a similar trek at the same time. We booked the 2 days, 1-night trek with Pai Easy Travel Adventure for a price of 1600 TBH (42 €). It was one of the only two companies who provide treks further north from Pai, not just around the town. The pick-up from the accommodation was going to be 8 am on the next day.

Day 1

The start of the trek was about 75 km north-west from Pai. The road to the starting point was mountainous with many turns and hills and included changing from a small truck to an off-road truck. The drop-off was next to a suspension bridge where we saw a gibbon family hanging around. We headed in the jungle and immediately started climbing uphill. The trail was great with beautiful views and surrounding lush forest. After some time it started raining though which made the trails really muddy and slippery. It was getting more challenging but at the same time interesting. On the way, we encountered the entrance of Nam Lang Cave. Our guide had packed lunch with him for us which we enjoyed under an overhanging cliff protecting us from the rain. After trekking in changing landscapes and environment for the second half of the day, we finally reached our stop for the night. The homestay was located in Luk Khao Lam village. After some rest and a cold refreshing bucket shower, we took a  walk around in the neighbourhood. It was interesting to see and experience the real authentic village life in Thailand. Chickens, cows and pigs running around and between the houses on stilts. The village itself surrounded by fields of different crops – corn, rice etc. Our guide with the local family prepared us an amazing dinner and then it was time for sleep.

Day 2

After another amazing meal for breakfast and a short snooze, we were off again. This time the skies looked clear and the weather was hot and sunny. The guide took us through some more amazing landscapes and views. The forest and the track were changing a lot starting from open fields to thick vegetations and plantations. We encountered another huge cave which we could see from a viewing “platform” a bit further away. The trek took us through more rice fields, hills and through another village (Lisu village) which was not even on any online maps. We finished the trek at about 5-6 pm. On the way back to Pai with the truck, we stopped at a viewpoint as well.  On both days we had walked about 8-10 km which does not seem a lot but on the difficult terrain and conditions, it had been quite challenging. All things considered, it had been a rewarding two-day trip. Check out the video Overnight trekking in the jungle in Thailand
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