Short description:
Day 1: Meet at 8:30 am at the Eco-Guide Service office for departure by pick-up or tok-tok to Ban Pa Daeng. Our first village-based guide joins the group in the traditional village of the Khmu Yuan and Khmu Kwean ethnic groups. While traversing a sacred forest, the guides explain about medicinal plants, traditional forest use and point out wild animals tracks. We arrive at a giant stranger fig tree, where we take a break. The journey continues to a limestone crack, where we have a Lao-style picnic lunch. A short climb takes us through the cave-like crack. From the hilltop, we descend to the first Lahu and Khmu village Ban Nam Kap Tai, where our second village-based guide joins the group. After trekking through mainly bamboo forest, the final leg of the trail passes through mixed upland agricultural fields and some forest. Arrival at Ban Nam Paman and Ban Nam Noi in the late afternoon, two Lahu villages nestled in the hills. Eat dinner with villagers and stay overnight in the eco-lodge.
Day 2: After sharing a early morning meal with our village hosts, embark on a hike through upland rice fields, following the same path traveled daily by locals on their way to work. From the hiltops enjy panoramic views of the area. Passing through swidden fields and secondary growth forest, the guides explain traditional agricultural practices. The final descent ends at the Nam Fa River, a tributary to the Mekong River , where we take a relaxing lunch and swim in the mid-day sun. Situated nearby the river is Ban Vieng Mai, a Tai Lue village. We stop in this village before maing our way to the road, where we met by a pick-up (or tok-tok) for return to the Eco-Guide Service office in the afternoon.
What to bring: 1 change of clothes, sandals for village, good shoes for hiking, sarong for bathing (required for women), mosquito repellent, flashlight, sunscreen/hat, optional (money to purchase handicrafts, camera, cotton sleeping sheet or sleeping bag).
How villages benefit: Local and village guide fees, food sales & preparation, accommodation fees.
Important do's & don'ts: Do not give individual gifts of sweets or money to children. Ask before taking photos of people or spiritual items. Ask your guide before entering a house or a room inside a house. Help keep the villages clean by not littering. Please purchase handicrafts but do not purchase antiques. Do not use drugs in villages.
About The Price: More people cheaper than a few people
