Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP PLACES FOR HILL-TRIBE TREKKING
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Chiang Mai
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Chiang Rai
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Mae Hong Son
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Mae Sariang
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Tha Thon
Hill-Tribe Trekking
Though marginalised within mainstream society, the hill-tribe minorities remain a strong
tourism draw, with large and small businesses organising trekking tours to villages for cul-
tural displays and interactions. Economically, it is unclear whether hill-tribe trekking
helps alleviate the poverty of the hill-tribe groups, thus helping maintain their ethnic iden-
tity. Most agree that a small percentage of the profits from trekking filters down to indi-
vidual families within hill-tribe villages, giving them a small source of income that might
prevent urban migration. One guide we spoke to estimated that 50% of the tour budget
was spent on purchasing food, lodging and supplies from hill-tribe merchants at the host
village.
In general the trekking business has become more socially conscious compared to pre-
vious decades. Most companies now tend to limit the number of visits to a particular area
to lessen the impact of outsiders on the daily lives of ordinary villagers, but the industry
still has a long way to go. It should be noted that trekking companies are Thai owned and
employ Thai guides, another bureaucratic impediment regarding citizenship for ethnic
minorities. Without an identification card, guides from the hill tribes do not qualify for a
Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) tour guide licence and so are less than desirable job
candidates.
Trekkers should also realise that the minority tribes maintain their own distinct cultural
identity and many continue their animistic traditions, which define social taboos and con-
ventions. If you're planning on visiting hill-tribe villages on an organised trek, ask your
guide about acceptable behaviour.
Here is a general guide to get you started.
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Always ask for permission before taking any photos of tribes people, especially at private moments inside their dwell-
ings. Many traditional belief systems regard photography with suspicion.
