3-dages Chiang Dao Mountain Trek

We had a fantastic 3 day trek with just the two of us and our guide Sap, who was great fun and very knowledgeable. Sap taught us lots about the various trees, plants and the local culture - I would like to say wildlife too, but there sadly wasn’t a lot to be seen, apparently due to over hunting. It is certailnly off the beaten track and we only saw a few locals on the whole trek. The countryside, the views and especially the sunsets were stunning. The trekking was quite strenuous at times on tiny trails through the forests, but Sap kept a manageable pace with plenty of time to stop and enjoy the amazing views. The food (also cooked by Sap) was excellent and the homestays were basic but lovely, with beautiful views and sunsets. In the evening we chatted around the fire and Sap cooked sticky rice in bamboo. The whole experience felt very authentic and special, and we would not hesitate to recommend the trip.

Our highlight in northern Thailand! We spent 3 fantastic days trekking with our group and guide Sap (and guide in training Mr Deng) who led us through amazingly beautiful varied sceneries and views and taught us about the nature, history and people of the area. We ate delicious home-cooked meals and stayed in comfortable homestays waking up to breathtaking sunrises. The trek was a moderate difficulty, definitely do-able if you're in good physical condition, you don't need to be extremely fit. Much recommended and worth the money!

What an amazing 3 days we had in the Chiang Dao Mountain area with our phenomenal guide, Tan. And it was a special bonus to have Active Thailand's Alex and Tina along for parts of the trek as well. The scenery was spectacular - from bamboo forests to remote villages to temples, waterfalls, and river crossings. Tan happily pointed out the bounty both hard work and nature provide in the region. The hiking was strenuous at times but the pace was unhurried. We were rewarded with delicious food throughout as well as simple but comfortable accommodations and gorgeous views. It was a nice change of pace after several days in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Highly recommend!

We had the most wonderful time! Our guide, Pratan, made the trip, and we learnt so much along the way about the landscape and local farming. The homestays had gorgeous views over the mountains, and the food cooked for us was divine. there were also no other tourists around, so it felt very authentic and special. A very relaxing few days in the mountains - thank you!!

Had a fantastic 5 days with Active Thailand. 3 day jungle trek - our guide Tan was brilliant. Home stay accommodation was basic but comfortable and food was very tasty. You do need to be fairly fit, and ready to sweat a lot! We then did a half day cycle and visit to the sticky waterfall with guide Three - also excellent. Final day was white water rafting, which was fun. Two nights at the Cocotier Resort, which was lovely. Active Thailand organised everything and made sure we were well taken care of. Very happy with our trip and would highly recommend using Active Thailand.

Our guide, Sap, was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and really knew a lot about the nature and people around us. He was very friendly and let us taste cool plants along the way. He was patient and kind. It is important to note that your guide will also cook for you. Our guide was an amazing cook and there was a ton of food. I do wish that our guide had been given more breaks along the way because I felt bad that he had to do such long hard hikes and then he cooked everything from scratch. He was absolutely amazing about it though and a really great cook. He is also really knowledgeable about local ways of life and local customs. Beware that this is a VERY hard hike. It will take a lot of mental fortitude and you should definitely be at least somewhat fit. Highly recommend bringing hiking sticks. They pick you up at your hotel and you’re able to leave luggage with them in the van. Be prepared to hike steep inclines and very narrow spaces. It will be hot and buggy. There are showers and toilets at the home stays but no AC. At night, it is not that hot. You should also try to pack as light as absolutely possible because the hikes will be challenging, especially the second day. Bring lots of water because of the heat, you will sweat a lot and need to ration your water and snacks. Be prepared that the first and last days are medium level difficulty but the middle day is very difficult unless you’re a truly experienced hiker. For example, I am a day hiker and this was extremely difficult. My husband is a backpacker and this was medium to hard for him. Someone else in our group was a trail runner (and actually did Ironman) this was medium for them. You really need to go into this hike with a mindset that once you go in, you cannot get out of this trip so you have to be okay with pushing through. All things aside, we enjoyed it a lot and the main reason is that you do see beautiful views and get to interact with locals. We also loved our guide. If the company is reading this review, Sap deserves a raise and a promotion! He was very very good.

Great experience. Moderate hike & Mr. Tan is an absolute gem of a guide & master of the jungle. We had a very diverse group (2) mid-20 yr olds & (2) early 60 yr olds and Mr.Tan led the group / read the group to perfection. Great knowledge source & fabulous sense of humor. Have nothing but high praise & recommendations for taking the 3 day 2 night hike with Mr. Tan.

Had a fantastic time hiking with Tan. He shared his knowledge of the area, peoples, plants and animals. We saw mountains, jungles, farms and sunsets. It was very peaceful. All 3 days seemed just right, with the longest distance on day 2 and delicious food throughout. If you are looking for a unique hike, requiring some fitness, that takes you on a little trail through the mountains this is it. I would recommend wearing long pants (not shorts) and regular running shoes with good grip - don’t bring a lot, just rinse your clothes at night. Tan will make you a hiking pole from a bamboo tree. Super wonderful!

This 3 day trek was the highlight of our trip. It is truly off the beaten track. Our guide Mr. Sap was laid back, very knowledgeable of the local plants and animals, and really made the experience extra special. Each day provided incredible experiences. Between the beautiful routes and scenery, hospitality in the villages, delicious and nutritional meals, it really felt we were a million miles from any tourist tracks. The hikes consisted of 4 hours day 1, 6 hours day 2, and 3 hours day 3 (excluding breaks). We recommend requesting specifically for the packing list. We highly recommend this tour, as we enjoyed it thoroughly from start to finish.

We chose this trip as we wanted a more strenuous hiking experience in order to get off the beaten track (as much as is realistically possible) and see lots of jungle, which we did :) we barely saw any other tourists or people during the trip, we stayed in a beautiful homestay on the first night and in a village on the second. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about all the plants and trees and was happy to answer any questions we had, he was also a great cook. Highlights for us were our picnic fried rice and the waterfall. The only downside was the that the hiking on the last day was just along a road/mudtrack, it would be great if we could have used hiking paths as we did on the first and second days. Be aware that the 'staying with the hill tribe' part included minimal interaction, they just own the accommodation. Overall a great experience!