Trekking in Thailand & Laos
Trek through tropical jungles packed with wildlife and hike between emerald rice terraces to meet minority hill tribes. With sweeping landscapes, hidden waterfalls and dizzying mountains, Thailand is a trekker’s delight. Follow untamed jungle paths, stay at home with welcoming tribal families and sleep in floating raft houses amidst an overgrown wilderness. If you’re eager to see the world on foot, Thailand is a perfect starting point.
Meet the minority hill tribes
The forested slopes surrounding Chiang Mai are scattered with a handful of minority tribes living in tiny villages. During our Hikes, Bikes and Bamboo Rafting trip, you can trek through orchards to emerald rice terraces, stay with the local tribespeople and sleep in simple bamboo river huts. You’ll pass through jungles and valleys, with staggering views at every turn. Drift downstream on a bamboo raft, cycle to secluded temples and sit by the campfire with the village elders of the Karen tribe. It’s a cultural trek to really remember.
Get lost in Khao Sok
Discover the Giant Trees and Lakes of Khao Sok where the rich, enchanting jungles will set you in a spin. Spend your days explore dense jungles, sparkling lakes, cascading waterfalls and limestone cliffs. You’ll stay in a hidden community lodge, where you will be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the jungle. Next up you’ll sleep in a floating raft house, take wildlife-spotting boat trips, canoe along overgrown rivers and trek through the jungle wilderness.If you’re after an outdoor adventure in Thailand, there’s nowhere better.
Follow Khao Yai jungle trails
Journey to waterfalls and jungle trails in Khao Yai National Park; a wilderness packed with wildlife just begging to be explored. Here, you’ll trek along atmospheric trails riddled with tree roots, keeping your eyes peeled for wild elephants, porcupines, gibbons, snakes and parrots. You’ll stay in a jungle bungalow, swim in natural waterfalls and set off on safaris through the park. On your first evening, you’ll head for the nearby caves, where you’ll watch thousands of bats swarm into the tropical sunset.
Hike to hidden waterfalls
Fancy a taste of tropical adventure in Thailand? Ko Chang Waterfall Island could be right up your street! Just a few hours outside of Bangkok, this hilly, overgrown island is fringed with sugary golden beaches and it’s interior is a tangle of untamed wilderness. During you stay, you’ll trek into the heart of the island, where you’ll search for hidden waterfalls and sweeping viewpoints. Afterwards, you’ll set off to explore the mangrove forests, both on foot and by boat. Eerily still and silent, they are bursting with atmosphere. If you’re after an island adventure, Ko Chang will be right up your street.
Trek into the green heart of Laos
Trek to hidden waterfalls in the rainforest, hike to secluded hilltribes and stay at home with the locals as you explore the green heart of Laos on foot. A beautiful emerald jumble of tumbling rice terraces, jungle-topped karst mountains, plunging valleys and lush tropical rainforest, Laos is a little slice of hiking heaven. Follow mountain trails, swing in riverside hammocks and wander between surreal plains scattered with giant jars. It’s terrific trekking territory.
Hike to village homestays
Amble between rice paddies, gaze up at towering limestone peaks and visit minority tribes on your way to a village homestay outside magical Luang Prabang. You’ll meet the mountain Khmu hilltribe, stay in a simple, traditional cabin and be woken by the resident roosters in the morning. It’s a peaceful, heartwarming hike that will help bring you closer to the ethnic communities scattered across the green mountains of Laos.
Follow the Namtha Trail to Thailand
Travel between two countries on your own two feet, crossing from Thailand into Laos or vice versa. It’s a brilliant way to get across the border, with some gorgeous scenery and a real sense of achievement attached. On the way, you’ll trek through tropical forests, pass between tumbling rice terraces and follow the banks of the Nam Tha River, staying in wooden huts and eating home-cooked Laotian meals.
Feel lost in a rural daydream
Scramble up jungle-clad Karst mountains looking back over meandering rivers, gaze down into bright green valleys, watch the local workers in the rice paddies and end the day swinging in a hammock on the riverbank with an ice-cold Beer Lao in hand. Nong Khiaw is Laos at its most dreamy, a rich landscape packed with gentle spirit and panoramic views. It’s somewhere to lose yourself completely for a few hazy days.
Trek into tropical rainforest
The Bolaven Plateau has to be seen to be believed. A lush, green rainforest sprinkled with waterfalls and thick with tropical ferns, it’s like stepping into a land before time. Here, you can stay in a hilltop bungalow opposite two waterfalls crashing over 200 metres into the gorge below – something that you won’t forget in a hurry. During the day, you can trek to meet the minority tribes living hidden in the rainforest, cool off in natural pools and hike through the overgrown wilderness.
