Chiang Dao Cave & 5 Hill Tribe villages
Description
Visit five different hill tribe villages - Akha, Meo, Lisu , Palong and Karen village, see the different way of life, culture, and beliefs. You will learn how all these tribes are different in their living styles and lifestyles. Explore the Chiang Dao Cave and Temple, the biggest and full of stories cave of Chiang Mai. Visit an orchid farm and butterfly farm where you can see Thai orchids and bring the beautiful orchids home.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Ban Huai I-Ko display the way of life and cultures of five different hill tribe groups which typically reside in the north of Thailand. At Ban Huai I-Ko you will find, Akha, Meo, Lisu, Karen and Palong. Explore the variety of culture, how they live, and different of beliefs. Get an unforgettable experience, visiting real local hill tribe villages guided by local people from the village. Explore their house, garden and school. The duration included traveling time from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao
Explore the cave with the local guides with a lantern. Chiang Dao cave is an attractive and biggest cave in Chiang Mai. A giant cave with beautiful stalagmite and the stalactite inside that form spontaneously. The cave is also fascinating with an astonishing stories about the past which has been told for many generations.
Cozy greenhouse housing a variety of butterflies, plants & flowers, including orchids. Get to experience the beauty of nature as the butterflies flutter over the orchids. The exotic setup, nestled in a natural setting, gives visitors a glimpse into the life cycle of these insects and the plants that they love so dearly. The duration included traveling time from Chiang Dao to Chiang Mai
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We only pick up from hotels and accommodations located within the Old City of Chiang Mai or directly next to the Old City walls. If your hotel or accommodation is outside this area, you are required to meet the group in front of the Burger King at Thapae Gate (the eastern gate of the Old City) in Chiang Mai. The exact meeting/departure time will be informed in a private message via the booking platform the day before before the tour. Departure time can be between 8:00-9:00 hrs depending on the number of participants on your travel date. Please carefully check your messages/email (including junk mail folder) the day before the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- The exact meeting/departure time will be informed in a private message via the booking platform the day before before the tour. Departure time can be between 8:00-9:00 hrs depending on the number of participants on your travel date. Please carefully check your message/email the day before the tour (including junk mail).
- For the hike in Chiang Dao Cave, we recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes (please avoid flip-flops for your safety and comfort).
- As our tours run on a group basis, we can wait a maximum of 10 minutes after the scheduled meeting time. After this grace period, the guide will begin the tour. If you cannot make it on time, please let us know before the tour starts. If possible, we’ll do our best to reschedule you for the next available day, though a rescheduling fee will apply. No refund will be provided in case of late arrival.
- Cancellations made at least 24 hours before the tour start time are eligible for a full refund. For cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance or in case of no-show, no refund will be issued.
- Our tours operate rain or shine, as tropical rain showers in Thailand usually don’t last long. If it rains heavily, we try to seek shelter and will continue as soon as the weather improves. During the rainy season, it’s a good idea to bring a raincoat or poncho. Please note cancellations due to weather are not eligible for a refund.
- Two passages inside the cave are quite narrow and you will need to crawl through them. This hike through the cave is not recommended for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia.
- We only pick up from hotels and accommodations located within the Old City of Chiang Mai or directly next to the Old City walls. If your hotel or accommodation is outside this area, you are required to meet the group in front of the Burger King at Thapae Gate (the eastern gate of the Old City) in Chiang Mai.
Reviews(195)
My Dad and I had an incredible time on the Cave and Hill Tribe tour with Saman as our guide. He was fantastic and so knowledgeable especially about everything agricultural! We both learned a lot and would highly recommend this experience for anyone wanting to experience a bit more of Thailand out of the bigger cities. We came in the off season so there were not many people at all in the caves and were the only two people on the tours that made for a very personal experience.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you and your dad had such a memorable experience with Saman. He'll be thrilled to know his knowledge and passion, especially for local agriculture, made the tour even more meaningful. We're so glad you enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and the personal experience of visiting during the off-season. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you both back to discover even more of Thailand together!
Jane, the guide, and Tam, the driver, were very kind and friendly. They were very caring and I had a great day, even though I joined alone. It was great to be able to explore the villages of five ethnic groups efficiently in one day. Jane is knowledgeable, so she taught me a lot about the people and plants. I think having an explanation or not will change your perspective completely, so I recommend this plan where you can walk around the village with a guide 🙌
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that Jane and Tam helped make your solo trip such an enjoyable and memorable experience. It's great to know that Jane's knowledge about the ethnic villages, local culture, and plants added so much value to your visit and helped bring the experience to life. We're also happy that you were able to explore all five villages efficiently in one day. Thank you for your recommendation, and we'll be sure to share your kind words with both Jane and Tam. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure in Thailand soon! 🙌
I had a great experience with my tour guide Tik. Tik is well spoken and knowledgeable. We first visited the tribes and strolled around their villages. The caves were impressive. Overall, I would definitely recommend to those who want to have a quieter excursion and immerse in nature.
Thank you for the lovely review. We are pleased to hear guide Tikky made your experience enjoyable and we will be sure to pass on your compliments.
Really fun, 10/10. I learned allot on the village tour, Jane taught us about plants, cooking, village life and seemed to get along well with the locals. The restaurant we stopped at had really good food and the cave was also amazing. Thankyou Jane :)
It was really great. I highly recommend and love my guide how kind they are and pay attention to everything. They even gave us some fresh fruits on the way to go!
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! We appreciate your kind words and are so glad that you had a great experience with us.
The tour is geared to give money to the villages. Tour would usually show how village people would work hard and need support. Since ut was Easter, no one was out doing anything so tour guide was disappointed. The cave tour was a hoax. Looked like they created statues throughout for purposes of tour. Totally opposite of what we thought. It was a wasted day. Would not recommend unless you want to feel sorry for the villages and give money or buy things.
Sawadee kha Latany, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations. We would like to clarify that the hill tribe visits are intended to offer an insight into local life, not to stage activities. Daily routines can vary, and unlike in some countries, Easter is not observed in Thailand, so it would not affect village life. Regarding Chiang Dao Cave, this is a natural cave with a long history. It has been used for centuries as a place of worship and meditation, and the statues you saw are part of its religious significance for Thai people, not created for tourism purposes. We appreciate your feedback, even if your experience was not as expected.
The tour was amazing! The guide Ammy was very good and made everything better.
Thank you very much for your review. We are pleased to hear that the tour met your expectations and that you enjoyed the experience.
This is a follow up to my previous review. While we visited each village, I was introduced to people selling their "handmade" crafts. I questioned at one point if they were truly handmade and was assured this was true. Upon return to Chiang Mai, I made my way to the Night Market (for the first time) and discovered stalls full of these items. It became clear my instincts were correct. And, the prices were lower. So, if you want to but handmade gifts, notice what they are actually making. Otherwise, understand the items are same as you will find on street markets. I am still trying g to sort out how so many people are living with so little in the village when there are acres and acres of orchards that they are reportedly managing. I plan to research more. At the end of the day, I would have preferred to make a donation and not been misled.
Dear Veronica, Thank you for your review and for joining our tour. We understand your observations. Many of the items sold in the villages are indeed handmade, but similar products can also be found at night markets in Chiang Mai. It is also quite common to see some hill tribe women walking on the markets selling these items there as well. The main difference is that when purchasing in the villages, you are directly supporting the local communities and families. While some items may appear similar, the income from village sales goes straight to the people living there. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts and feedback. Dave
Great, authentic day trip. We were very lucky that our guide was very dedicated and brought us closer to their home in a very nice way. We used the short stop at the butterfly/orchid farm for a good coffee. The visit to the five different mountain villages was unique. We never felt like strangers, but guests. In one of the villages we even got into a real wedding. This was very interesting. After a good lunch, we went safely through the far-flung cave with a special cave guide with a lantern. We do not know of such an excursion from Europe. We can highly recommend this trip.
Thank you for recommending our tour in your review! We’re glad we made your experience with us a great one and we hope to see you back on one of our other tours!
Great variety of things on this tour,tour guide was really knowledgeable and friendly it was great day out
Thanks for taking the time to post this! We really appreciate it. Glad to hear you had an enjoyable experience with us and we look forward to seeing you again!
