Cultural immersion in a remote Thai Village + pictorial

Southeast Asian countries are home to many tribal ethnic minorities, including the Palong (Dara-ang in Burmese), who fled Myanmar in the 1980s and now reside in the mountainous district of Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai province. They live in traditional villages nestled in valleys, close to streams, fertile land, and surrounded by mountains. One such village is Mae Jon, where the village elders have set up a homestay to encourage travellers to experience their unique culture, customs and costumes.

Edventure Travel has a close relationship with the villagers of Mae Jon and is pleased to support the community by bringing groups to their village as part of a cultural immersion program. Engaging programs have been designed in consultation with village elders and the wider community. Student and private groups have the opportunity to engage in a combination of activities and service-learning initiatives. These may include traditional cooking, cultural dance and music performances. There is also trekking to nearby Palong villages, learning the stories of displaced persons and loss of cultural identity, and discussing village self-sustainability and allocation of scarce resources. There are physical project-based activities such as a 3-day house building project working alongside local builders and the community, as well as a water reservoir and purification project, shed building project to store crops, different forest and habitat rejuvenation projects, and local minority school renovation and improvement projects.

Chiang Dao district offers a range of outdoor and adrenaline-based activities, including white water rafting, bamboo rafting, zip line, bicycle riding, Mae Ngat Lake kayaking, the elephant sanctuary, waterfalls, and hot springs. Contact us to find out how we can design a program that meets all your needs. 

Please enjoy our pictorial, below.