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Visiting the Mountain People (Hilltribes) of Northern Thailand
Most villages are happy to welcome western tourists. We provide them with an interesting diversion in their lives. As long as we are polite and respectful, we are unlikely to cause offence.
There are several ways of getting to see the tribes. Probably the cheapest is with one of the local trekking companies. There are many of these, but all offer treks of different lengths - usually from one day to a week, but the average is three or four days. How do you know which treks are good? A professional operation has several guides - at least one at the front of the line and one at the back. Treks should be registered with the local police. Try to meet your guides before signing up, and ask for a map, and how you are to get there and get back. Check on the numbers - it is common for agencies to combine tours, so you might get a completely different tour from the one you thought you were going to be on.
You can spend several hours a day walking through forest and hilltribe farmland surrounded by great natural beauty. There is also an elephant ride included in most tours, and usually a few hours bamboo rafting. Food is brought and cooked by the guides, and you will be sleeping in hilltribe huts on a floor or platform usually of bamboo, which is surprisingly comfortable. You will meet the villagers, and if your guide is good, he will explain the lifestyle of that group, and you will see something of their lives. For the young and fit, the discomfort is definitely worth it, and most of these treks are very inexpensive. One thing the visitor should think about is how much the villages visited are receiving for their traditional hospitality. The relationship could often be considered exploitative.
For the more comfort conscious, there are easier alternatives. Several hilltribe villages are close to a surfaced road, and these can be visited by minibus - often a visit to a hilltribe village is included in a sightseeing tour. Of course, these villages are visited several times a day, so are nothing like as ‘authentic' as the trekking villages. However, for most, this is better than nothing. The mountain people in these situations are naturally more interested in selling their handicrafts than in sharing with you anything of their culture, but at least the relationship is based on trade, and the villages are rewarded accordingly. |
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