Hiking - Trekking

[netkoala]

Is Chang Rai the best place to start out on some nice treks.

Are there any particular treks that are essential to try.

How little a time and how long a time can you be on the path.

Is it tea house to tea house ?

If you bring plenty of soxs and good walking shoes and cash are you prepared or do you need equipment.

Finally, as it is cooler in the North, what is the season to go ?

[NedKelly]

In my honest opinion Chiang Rai is not the best place to start treks. there are many running out of this area. Actually everywhere these days has plenty of people trekking, but some areas less than others. If you go on the road to Mae Hon Son you might find it slightly less busy. There are afew places to stay and find treks from along this road. I will let you be adventurous and find you own way. I refuse to give specific information in the interests of keeping places from being over run. There are no tea houses. You would be staying in hill tribe villages and sometimes with a family. Please respect this and do not dress scantily or drink alcohol or show your riches in the way of jewellry etc if yo uhave it. Cover up and be respectfull at all times in villages.

You dont need equipment other than your personal needs. Good sturdy shoes are important, drinking water bottle (bring a filter if you want but you can boil water each day at your hosts house....will taste a bit smoky ) ....many places sell water along the way so no problem there...ask your guides. Also please carry out all...I mean all ...... of your rubbish. there is no garbage collection in the mountains.

November through to march can get quite cool at night in the mountains. 0 degress is not uncommon during December January. But you dont need loads of warm clothing as at night you will often sit aorund a fire in ahouse or outside a house. One warm top and a long sleeve t-shirt is enough. From February until Late June it is very dry in the North of Thailand. Do not light fires unless you can control them. Streams will be low and it gets very very hot in April and May.

Always trek with proper guides, a samll group, no drugs, no alchohol etc etc. and dont go around sticking your camera in peoples faces either. This stinks....it is not a zoo. be a reponsible traveller and if you cannot, then stay home. But good luck trekking it is great fun and worht the effort. You can trek for anything from one night to say 5 nights or more. A good introduction would be 2-3 nights and make sure thay walk at least 4 hours a day. Anything less is not woirth the effort as you will be in the same category as most treks. the harder the better and less people.

[KevinN]

Most of the trekkies I have seen were in Chiang Mai hangin around the guest houses,drinking beer and raising ###### all night and walking the streets during the day in short shorts and skimpy tops.

[netkoala]

Sorry did not realise there was another forum for this

Can it be moved please ?

[netkoala]

When does it get cold at night.

Best time to be in hills ? Not too hot or too wet.

Does bar season co-incided, as it is still good weather all round ?

[mango eater]

Is it cold there now?

[NedKelly]

I suggest you read a book !! Lonely Planet - most people like you do !!

[Guest IT Manager]

Hmmm very catty mate, but unfortunately, very true as well.

[netkoala]

Was looking for the other season .......

perhaps ..................

Jun-sept = wet

October -Jan can be cool , although posts here suggest DEC JAN is cold at night.

Think it was said that April is good.

So Oct Nov looks good and cool and mar-Apr-may-jun looks good and hot.

[NedKelly]

Ok so you need to be hand held....dont go in April .. way too hot for trekking. Everything is so dry and so hot...forget it. The skies are also full of smoke from all the burining off. Not so nice.

December/Jan has come and gone.....yes it is cold at night in the mountains.

Wet season is a great time to trek. Everything is green, rivers and streams are full and so on. It is slippery and muddy, but definitely a good time to trek. Just carry your back pack with a cover over it and inside put a plastic bag which you cantwist the top to keep water out. Then all you need to do is wear a cap to keep rainoff your head and face and just get wet walking in the rain. Its great. You can carry a poncho ..... but them at the markets for 80 baht or so. Just use it if you stop or if the rain is too heavy to walk. You can put it on and just sit down with the poncho covering everything. it will keep you a little warm too which is the main reason for using it. Sometimes if you are wet through and you stop walking yo ucan get a bit cold. trying to walk with a poncho on is sometimes difficult as there are thorny vines that grow everywhere during the wet and they will make minced meat of your plastic poncho. Forget about bringing expensive rain jackets.....usless.

At night you will have a change of clothes to wear which will be dry and in the morning you put onyour wet stuff again.....yeah its not so nice but for 5 minutes only. After that you forget and it feels normal. I trekked many times at all times of year and wet season was always nice. Sometimes it does not rain at all on a trek in the wet season.

There is nothing better than four days walking in the wet forest. Sitting around a fire at night with a family is great also. It will humble you.