Tropical Northern Thailand

I’d never imagined that I was going to have way too much fun exploring, seeing, learning your beautiful country, Thailand, with an amazing local guide Taew! I cannot express in enough words how much I have come to love your country and gained more kindness and gracefulness from meeting Thai People and other tourists here and experiencing life through my solo adventurous trip… As I was drawn to Tropical Northern Thailand Itinerary, I most certainly fell in love with the Mountains, Jungles, Waterfalls, Authentic Thai Food, Foot Massages and loving & always smiling Thai People…❤️ As I sit down to pen my words for this special trip… my heart is full of love, generosity, humility and gratefulness…🫶🏼 To my fellow travelers: I would definitely recommend booking trips through the culture trip in future.. my experience with everything from booking this trip to arriving there, my accommodations and airport pick up/drop-off and any questions I had were happily answered in detailed. Katie and Shelby were just fantastic on delivering all of my queries after and before I booked this Northern Thailand trip! Definitely, pack light, take more of hiking clothes( shorts & tshirts), bathing suits/bikinis, 3/4 nice dresses, (weather was in 80s and 90s F mid November) one extra pair of shoes that will get wet when you hike the sticky waterfall in Pai, make sure to wear tshirt/dress with sleeves or cover your shoulders when you visit the temples and pagodas and little below knee length at least pants/skirts/dress. Loved eating local food there! Khao soi is my favorite northern Thai food, that it is a must! Def, massages were just so amazing and relaxing, I miss it a lot!! Also, going to Pai, from Chiang Mai, the roads are super windy… if you’re someone who gets sick from it make sure you carry Dramamine (vertigo medicine). Those were some sharp and crazy turns on the mountains .. but the views are to just die for!!!! Mountains all around me was just something!! Taew, you’re an absolute gem that I got lucky to have met you and gotten to know you on a personal level.. You are so knowledgeable, personable, flexible, kind, caring, fun and just fantastic individual that I adore and respect māk māk..🤗 Taew, thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing me the real Thailand, the core culture of the Tribes and Thai People, the history of Lanna Kingdom, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and King Meng Rai and Buddhist Temples and Pagodas and also teaching me little bit of colloquial Thai language.. I loved learning about your country’s history and stories of Kings and Lord Buddha and the significance of Dragon statue… and a heartfelt thank you for making my birthday so special… this is for lifetime.. I have brought back all of these beautiful, fun and new memories I made in Thailand back home with so much light and love! Lastly, thank you so much for being my friend on this amazing journey as well! I will miss you dearly!❤️😘🥹K̄hxbkhuṇ māk māk🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I would never have been able to do organise such an immersive trip myself, and our guide, Bank, was so awesome!

My guide, Bank, was extremely thorough and informative in his guidance of Thailand. I was very impressed by everything he showed me, especially the background of the situation in which he took me too. Everything from riding bikes though the city, exploring caves, and eating incredible meals, I couldn’t have explored as much as I did without him. The company, culture trip, also did an incredible job or organizing the itinerary.

My sister and I recently had the pleasure of experiencing Culture Trip's 10-day trip through northern Thailand. This intimate small-group adventure perfectly blended cultural immersion, outdoor activities, and relaxation. The accommodations throughout the trip were absolutely wonderful, allowing us to fully relax and recharge between activities. Having transportation to and from each item on the itinerary already arranged was amazing - it allowed us to simply focus on having a great time. We started in the lively city of Chiang Mai, where our fantastic local guide Bank led us on a bicycle tour to see street art and sample delicious Thai cuisine. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture of the area. After getting a taste of city life, we headed to the countryside in a comfortable van. Due to recent rains having taken out the boats/rafts, we were unable to float through Tham Lod Cave, however Bank arranged a mini spelunking expedition that let us explore inside the cave instead, which was really cool. Watching the sunset over Pai Canyon's formations was a highlight. We enjoyed jungle treks past waterfalls and a rejuvenating hot springs soak. Visiting the elephant sanctuary to feed and bathe the rescued elephants was a trip highlight. On our last night at the beautiful AT KHUA LEK Cafe & Restaurant, Bank surprised my sister with a birthday cake and live music, a thoughtful touch. I highly recommend Culture Trip's thoughtful itineraries for an authentic, unforgettable nature and culture adventure.

It was a nice blend of active and relaxing activities. Bank was the most amazing guide!! He was patient and kind. He took care of each one of us. He shared insight and information along the way and was happy to answer any questions.

Well organised by both the extremely helpful London crew and our guide, Bank, on the ground in Thailand.

Well thought out itinerary with excellent tour guide and driver . Hotels all well positioned and offering good service.

Would happily use Culture Trip again! Our tour guide, Bank, was great, and it was the perfect mix of adventure while having a planned itinerary and local insights

Everything was managed and taken care of really well. Had very little to worry about ourselves during out stay!

My Culture Trip experience was (mostly) positive and provided an incredible opportunity to see parts of Thailand I would not have been able to see otherwise! What I loved about the Culture Trip vibe in particular was that there is an age requirement of 25+, which allowed me to make more friends my age who have similar interests. The small group size was great too -- being a small group allows for stronger friendships, the ability to participate in more group activities, and it was much easier to travel together. The planned activities in Thailand were amazing, too. I loved being able to arrive in Asia with practically no planning done on my own. Having everything coordinated and scheduled took away so much stress of entering a new part of the world I had never been. That was probably my favorite part of doing a group trip! As with any group trip, there are going to be activities you might not fully enjoy or places you'll stay that you wouldn't have probably booked yourself. I think it's important to keep an open mind and remember that when traveling to a new country that you will likely not have all the comforts of home. There were a few hotels in Thailand that were definitely impacted by COVID and were a bit run down for 'luxury' stays, and there were others that were just stunning. As time goes I'm sure Culture Trip will receive feedback on these hotels and adjust itineraries accordingly. Something so underrated also is having a local guide with you every step of the way. (My Thailand tour guide's name was Bank and he was awesome!) Having someone to be able to read and speak the language relieves a lot of pressure from being able to navigate, as well as communicate with locals. Not to mention that you get to learn about the culture from someone who lives it! Overall I would totally book another tour with Culture Trip. I personally went with a friend, but traveling alone and participating would be a great way to make new friends while abroad