By Matthew Nunn. I went to Chiang Mai more than a year ago and I like it to be featured again by another traveler. So I’m putting this up on my blog.
Thailand as a country offers many diverse and varied activities for travelers, from the mainstream well-trodden paths to off-the-beaten-track authentic travel. Tour operators cater to this varied market, but the packages on offer can sometimes be misleading to the consumer, particularly if booked in Thailand. Popular itineraries include Jungle Trekking in Chiang Mai, with Elephant riding and bamboo rafting included. Here is a first-hand account of one such trip, and the experiences I had over the two days.
Arriving in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai can be easily accessed from Bangkok by overnight bus. Unfortunately, the city turned out to feature very little on our tour, so if you are booking before you arrive here to consider whether you want a few days to spend in the city. Aside from offering a completely different and more authentic Thai experience to Bangkok, there are many things to do here. The fellow travellers we met had been up to activities such as craft making, yoga and generally touring around the markets and moat that runs around the city.
Heading out to the Hills
The drive from Chiang Mai was a solid three hours, so we used this to recuperate our energy levels and enjoyed the welcome lunch stop at a small town market. If you’re the sort of traveler who finds Bangkok over Westernised and hates the intrusion of McDonald’s, etc., then these stop-offs expose you to Thai food and cooking that the locals experience.
Arriving in the first village gave us a chance to have some Pad Thai and to stock up on water. The trek then started in on an appreciated long downward trend at a fairly brisk pace and we were immediately exposed to the isolation offered in this region.
The 1st Day Jungle Trek
Following this brief period, we encountered the first series of uphill stretches. Compared to what was to come, this was a doddle, but in real terms, it was the first exhausting encounter to what was to come in the next 2 days.
Many travelers consider packing just flip flops for these trips and no real spare change of clothes. This is because the nature of what is involved is not truly explained, and this feeling was prevalent throughout my trekking group and also travellers we met on the return bus.
A top tip here is to really drill down into what the 2 or 3 days on the packages involve when you are considering paying for them. Our jungle trek, which had seemed in Bangkok to be a minor feature compared to the elephant riding and rafting, turned out to be in excess of 4 hours hiking up and down some extremely steep, slippery and precarious mountainsides.
This is not to say that the experience left us feeling disgruntled. The first day’s trek proved to be a stand-alone memory of my round the world trip this year. Clambering up and down muddy, rugged tracks, peering down into lush green valleys, and passing through isolated villages consisting of a couple of wooden huts was amazing. The overnight stay in the village is memorable as well, as you fall asleep to the various noises of the jungle.
Elephant Riding and Bamboo Rafting on the 2nd Day
The 2nd day started with another trek, which although on blisters and already tired legs, was mainly downhill and only about an hour and a half. The elephant riding was a much-appreciated rest. Perched on benches or in some cases the back of the elephants head, this is not amazingly comfortable. However, the view, as well as the Elephants disregard for its passengers as it ploughs through vegetation and low lying trees, is extremely enjoyable.
Following was a short hike and truck ride after we arrived at the bamboo rafting. The bamboo rafts are surprisingly long and ungainly. Clambering on is a tricky process, and several people fell straight into the water, so be prepared to get wet as this is a certainty. The buoyancy of the raft struggled as well, to the point that an observer wouldn’t have been able to see our raft at all and would be forgiven for assuming we were swimming downstream! Again, this resulted in an amusing and entertaining time, as crashing through low hanging trees and into banks was part and parcel of the rafting fun.
So all in all, this turned out to be an incredible experience that I have some fond memories of. Unfortunately, one of the main memories is of how unprepared we were, and this impression was widespread amongst all travellers we engaged with. Aside from this, if you allow a day or two in Chiang Mai either side of your trek to prepare and recuperate, along with a full stock of sun cream, water, change of clothes and solid footwear, I fully recommend getting involved.
Matthew is a keen travel writer and has added many locations to his portfolio this year. His Thailand Holidays were a particular highlight and he is planning to return in the future.