【Thailand】3 Hill Tribe Villages in the North Part of Thailand 【Tourism】

Hey guys！I’m Rin, and I manage this blog named【Eat, Play, Travel】

If you …

✅ would like to know what is “Hill Tribe,”
✅ are researching tourism industry in Thailand,
✅ want to visit hill tribal village in Thailand,

I recommend you that you read this article 👍

The writer of this article had lived in Thailand and researched “The relationship of tourism and hill tribal villages.”✈️

I would like to show you three hill tribal village where I visited❗️

What is “Hill Tribe,” Living in the North Part of Thailand?

Since 1970s, “Trekking Tour to see Hill Tribes in North Part of Thailand” is getting more and more popular.

If you google “Thai Tribe Tour,” you would find a lot of kinds of tourism companies supply trekking tours. 🔎

In the first place, What is “Hill Tribe” & Why are they popular for tourists ?

Hill Tribes of Thailand

Have you ever head about “Long neck people” ?

They are the Karen Tribe living in the North part of Thailand.

The KarenTribe is just one of the many kinds of hill tribes.

It is said that more than 13 tribes live in the North part of Thailand.

Each tribes has their own language and culture.

They live in not only Thailand, but also mountain area of Myanmar, Laos, and China.

They used to make living by cultivation of poppies (raw materials for narcotics), and shifting cultivation. However, Thai government prohibited them, so lives of hill tribes were getting poor.

After that, NGOs (Non Government Organization) helped them to cultivate coffee beans and tea leaves, but it doesn’t enough for making living. So, some of hill tribes did prostitutions and human trading.

Hill Tribal Village & Tourism Industry

After Thai government prohibited cultivation of poppies & shifting cultivation, government recommend hill tribes that they sell their traditional clothes, embroideries, and crafts for tourists.

Then, “Hill tribal village as sight seeing places” is artificially made, and tourism companies set “trekking tour to the villages.”

Tourism is one of the biggest industry in Thailand, so this measure is successful.

So, now “Trekking tour to the hill tribal villages living in North part of Thailand” is a source of big income.

However, some say that the village is like “human zoo” or “exhibitions.” ,and it is also said that some villages’ managers don’t give enough income to villagers.

Researching the relationship of the villages and tourism

I know these facts, and I started to research the relationship of the villages and tourism.

I searched how villages feel about living in the artificial village, or living in the village which is becoming sightseeing spots.

So, I visited three kinds of hill tribal villages to interview and take questionnaires.
Actually, it didn’t work because of my poor Thai language ability.

But, I would like to share my experiences, and I hope it would help your plan to select the hill tribal village to go❗️

Now, let me introduce three hill tribal villages.

①【Chiang Mai】The Baan Tong Luang Village

What is The Baan Tong Luang Village?

This village is made as a sightseeing place, and opened in 2005.

It costs 500 THB to enter the village.

Some organization made this village to protect lives and culture of hill tribes.

When I told a taxi driver “Baan Tong Luang village,” he understood soon.

Eight kinds of hill tribes are living in this village, such as the Karen, the Mien, the Yao, and so on.

Villagers sell traditional crafts and clothes, and get tips by taking pictures with tourists.

And also, they have a big rice field.

The level of tourism：★★★

This village is artificially made as a sightseeing place.

Some organizations wanted protect tribes’ lives, and make their income increased.

In fact, some villagers used to work for the Elephant Camp, but their income was increased now.

Access to the Baan Tong Luang Village

You can get the village by taxi. It takes about 40 minutes from the Chiang Mai airport.

This village is near the Elephant Camp, so many of tourists come this village and the Elephant camp.

Reviews of the Baan Tong Luang Village

I was really excited to come here because it was my first time to come to Chiang Mai, and visit hill tribal village.

However, when I walked around inside the village, I was a little bit afraid because there is no tourist, it was very quiet, and hill tribes stared at me.😂😂😂

when the next time I came to this village, there are some tourists and I also could have fun.

From my experiences, I recommend that you should not think about “let’s investigate them.”

You should think that here is sightseeing place and you can fell very fresh air 🙂

②【Chiang Mai】The Ban Mong Doipui Village

What is The Ban Mong Doipui Village?

The Ban Mong Doipui Village is the original village where the Mong Tribe have lived.

The village is near famous sightseeing places such as , Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple and the Chiang Mai Zoo, so this village gets to be famous sightseeing spots for tourists.

In other words, this village is the best place to visit for tourists. 🙆‍♀️

The Ban Mong Doipui Village has two areas, which are “the souvenirs area” and “the traditional village area.“

“the souvenirs area” is very large, and you can enter for free. The Mong people who are here sell traditional hand crafts and other products for tourists. They don’t wear traditional clothes, so we don’t tell who are the Mong people or not.

This are is on the mountain, so you have to go through the souvenir street with going up slop.
The top area is where the Mong people live, so there are some old houses, and so on. You can see their real lives.

When you enter “the traditional village area,” you pay 20THB.
The Mong Tribe who wear the traditional clothes take picture with tourists, and tourists give them tips.
There are not only the Mong people, but also huge nature area. You can see the traditional lives of the Mong people, and the wild nature.

The level of tourism：★★☆

This village is the original the Mong Tribal Village, and it is getting sightseeing place.
And now, there are a lot of tourists to see them and buy their hand crafts products.

Access to the Baan Tong Luang Village

You can go by taxi, but I recommend you use Sonteo Taxi❗️

It is cheap and very useful because they take you not only the village but also other famous sightseeing places near the village.

You can know the destinations when you see the back of the sonteo taxi.
The sonteo taxi which are waiting passengers in front of the Chiang Mai University or in front of the Chiang Mai Zoo would go to the village.

You can talk to the driver, and wait with him for other passengers.
After passengers gathered enough, he would departure.

This sonteo to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple, souvenir shops, and the flower field park before arriving at the village.

You have to listen to the driver, and make sure to be punctual because the driver may go without you if you are not punctual😇

Actually, I was left alone…😂😂😂 But I was hopefully helped very kind local people… Don’t be like me…

Reviews of the Ban Doipui Village

There were many tourists at the village, and I felt the village was spirited☺️

I found the guest-house at the souvenir area. You can stay at the Mong people’s house if you reserve.

The traditional area is not free, but I recommend that you go into this area because you can see very beautiful scenery which you cannot see in the usual lives.

③【Chiang Rai】The Thoetthai Village

What is The Thoetthai Village?

I really really wanted to stay at the tribal village whose villagers live with nature.
Then, I finally found The Thoetthai Village in Chiang Rai.

There are no tourists excepting for me, and the village is not becoming a sightseeing place.

They cut trees for firing, making feeds for pigs, and making fields using cows… They live with nature, and live by themselves.

I could stay here for two nights because I found the blog named “The Aka Tribe.com.”

According to this blog, Mr.Den who is Japanese lives in the Thoetthai Village because he married with the Aka Tribe’s woman. And he offers homestay for tourists who found this blog and want to stay at the Natural Hill Tribal Village.

During homestay, I helped housework and play with Mr. Den’s children & neighbors.
We cut Banana Tree for making pig’s feeds, swiming the liver, eating some weeds, and so on…

It was very fun and very valuable experiences for me❗️

The level of tourism：☆☆☆

This village is not a sightseeing place, and no tourist without me.

I heard that some of villagers want it to be a sightseeing place to make money, but many of them want to keep this quiet village lives.

Access to The Thoetthai Village

You need to contact to Mr.Den and reserve the homestay in advance from The Aka Tribe.com.

After you arrive at the Chiang Rai Airport or the Maechan Bus Stop by yourself, Mr.Den come to take you to the village 🙆‍♀️

I went to the Maechan Bus Center from the bus centre at Bangkok, and I asked Mr.Den to take me to the village by bike🏍

Reviews of The Thoetthai Village

I was surprised that there are no people who sell traditional goods for tourists, or wear the traditional clothes. The village looked very different from other two villages.

During homestay, I helped housework and play with children.
I went to the church on Sunday morning. It was very different from Japanese Church.

Mr. Den’s wife gave me each meal. It was delicious…😋
I ate row polk meat… it was unbelievable…🐖

Mr.Den’s house has electricity and water facilities, and I could use wifi.
They don’t have hot water, so we use cold water instead of shower.
The toilet is Thai style. No paper, and using water.

I felt some inconvenient at first, but I could get used to it.
Anyway, I really envy them because they live there with nature, and live slowly.☺️

Summary

In this article, I introduced

✅ What is the hill tribe in Thailand?

✅ How the hill tribal village is becoming sightseeing place?

✅ How was the hill tribal village in Thailand?

Thank you very much!!