Trekking in Chiang Mai with Maewin and Family Trekking

Hi, my name is Emeline. I am the tour manager at PM Tours. One of my duties is to try out and test all the tours that we offer here in Chiang Mai. Last week I went to check out the fantastic two-day trekking in Doi Inthanon and Mae Wang National Park with the Maewin and Family Trekking. It was a great adventure, and I have tried to put my experience on paper in this blog.

Day One: thick rain-forest, waterfalls & rice paddies

My boyfriend Julian and I woke up early to pack our bags and get ready for the trek. We packed our swimsuits, a towel, rain jacket, warm vest for the night, an extra set of clothing for the second day, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and some small cash to buy drinks.

At 7:30 am sharp, our driver, Mr. Boon, arrived to pick us up. The drive to the starting point of the trekking took about one and a half hours with a short break at a local market to buy some supplies and a much-needed coffee. My boyfriend is always hungry, so I decided to buy him some cookies and bananas to stop his mid-morning munchies.

Our first encounter with Wat, our guide for the next two days, took place in a local village located at the beginning of the Mae Wang National Park. From there, we started to walk on a dirt track used by the farmers to reach their plantations. Because of the rainfall from the previous days, the path was a little bit slippery, and I had to say goodbye to my clean shoes sooner than expected. After an hour of hiking, we reached a spot where the view was fantastic. From the warm brownish color of the earth to the fresh green leaves, covered by a whitish morning mist, the landscape around us was stunning.

We continued our walk through the lush jungle, following a tiny river that leads us to a valley with gorgeous rice paddies. All along the trail, we got to know more and more about the nature around us, thanks to our excellent guide, Mr. Wat. Mr. Wat grew up in this area and is a member of the Karen tribe. He was happy to share his knowledge with us and made our experience even more enjoyable!

After two hours of hiking, we stopped at a waterfall for a refreshing bath and the lunch break. Mr. Wat took two banana leaf packages out of his bag filled with delicious fried rice. As a dessert, he cut us some fresh watermelon, pineapple, and bananas.

Our trekking continued with a more intense afternoon. Mr. Wat explained to us that his house is on the summit of the mountain, above the clouds, and we needed to reach it before it gets dark. He was also concerned about the rain and wanted to make sure that we would arrive at our homestay dry. Even though the sun was still shining, the weather can change fast in the mountains, and it would not have been so pleasant to walk in a storm!

Although, when we passed the next beautiful waterfall, none of us could resist the pleasure of taking a quick dip in the refreshing water. Here, we met our guides inner-child. The guide climbed to the top of the waterfall and showed us how to slide down the slippery rocks. He couldn’t stop laughing while doing this and was screaming with joy. Of course, we had no choice but to follow the guide down the waterfall. So much fun!

We had a great time over there and appreciated this stop in the middle of nowhere.

The last part of the hike took us through a thick rainforest, and it was the most challenging part of the trek. The steep path uphill was progressively disappearing as we were moving deeper inside the jungle, but we had thorough trust in our guide and followed him bravely. Suddenly, he squats down and points to a small hole in the ground, just beside the path. He got a piece of twig and started poking in the hole. After a few minutes, a little tarantula came out, and I had shivers up and down my spine as I was looking at its beautiful blue-grey colors.

After this exciting encounter, we continued our trek for another 30 minutes and finally arrived at Wat’s house around 5 pm, where we met his wife, Po. The accommodation where we spent the night was a typical wooden house on stilts, with a mattress on the floor and a mosquito net as furniture. Nothing luxurious, but the real wealth came from the hospitality of our hosts and the jaw- dropping view over the mountains. Po prepared us a wonderful dinner composed of three different. Thai dishes served with rice, and we shared it all. It started to rain after dark, but we were so busy enjoying our feast that we only really noticed it when it was time to go to sleep.

Day Two: Sleeping in the jungle, sunrise & more waterfalls

One of the advantages of sleeping in a Karen village in the jungle is that you do not need an alarm to wake you up. The village roosters, dogs, and other sounds of the forest will have you up and running before the sunrise.

We loved to watch the sunrise from the balcony of the house. It was such a colorful spectacle. The mist was rolling slowly through the hills, creating a peaceful atmosphere, and the mild sunlight was warming up the world around us. We stayed there watching this living painting for quite some time until our growling bellies brought us back to reality.

Breakfast time! The breakfast, made out of fruits, scrambled eggs, toasties, and coffee, was hearty, but we knew we would burn all these calories during the upcoming few hours! Our journey continued around 9:30 am after we thanked and said goodbye to Po. Her husband Wat was excited to be back on track, and we immediately started with a tough jungle trail to wake us up.

After one hour of walking, we arrived in a local village and met a couple of villagers. None of them were surprised by our presence and continued their everyday activities as usual. We realized soon that this village was a world apart where people don’t have access to Wi-Fi, use wood fire to cook their meal and dress up with traditional artisanal handmade clothes. Daily life might be harsh sometimes, especially during the colder winter season, but we learned from our guide that only a few of these people would want to give up their ways of life to live in a busy city.

We then met a group of Belgium tourists lead by another guide and continued our journey thought the mountain together with them. The path was not the same as the day before, but we also enjoyed beautiful landscapes with rice paddies, coffee plantations, corn plantations, and forests. The atmosphere was relaxed and joyful, as everybody was enjoying the nature surrounding us. The excitement got even more intense when we reached the first waterfall of the day, where we had another delicious lunch. Once our bellies were satisfied, we took the time to rest under the trees. The sound of the waterfall made most of our group fall asleep. After this short nap, we walked for another 2 hours to the next waterfall. This waterfall is called Nam Tok Haad Sai, which means Beach Waterfall in Thai. A gorgeous waterfall with a beach in the middle of the jungle, amazing! We relaxed here for another hour, and a couple of courageous Belgians followed the guide to jump down the cliffs of the waterfall.

We walked a total of 13 kilometers on this second and last day of our trek. I found the difficulty level less intense than the previous day, but maybe it was because we were walking downhill most of the day.

Saying goodbye to our excellent guide, Mr. Wat, was emotional, but it was time to go, and our group drove back to the city in the pickup truck.

Having been part of this authentic and unique experience was an absolute privilege, and I can highly recommend it to everyone who is looking for an off the beaten path trekking tour. Many people don’t know the possibilities of trekking in Chiang Mai. Far from mass tourism activities, I had a unique experience where I discovered another side of Thailand, less well-known but full of surprises.

Are you interested in this experience? Please click on the link below for more information.