Jungle Spirit 6
Itinerary:
DAY ZERO:
Clients must arrive in Mae Hong Son one day early, to get acquainted with the guide and do an equipment check. Visit to Mae Hong Son town, good dinner and a good night's rest.
DAY ONE:
In the morning, have a good breakfast. The car transports us to the trekking place. We begin by walking along the Mae Hong Son river valley, following a local trail: a small, rough foot path leading up and down. Mae Hong Son creek is a charming mountain stream. You will see many deep gorges, waterfalls, high cliffs, and many pockets of dense ravine forest. We have to walk through water many times, getting our feet wet, which is a good experience. Lunch break on a big rock at the river side. You can stop to swim in the river any time. In the afternoon, we walk to Karen farmland area. See slash-and-burn rice fields and terraced paddy fields. Arrive in Ban Hua Nam. Visit with local people and home stay with Karen family. Guide and porters prepare good Thai meals for you. Dinner by candlelight.
DAY TWO:
Early morning refreshments: hot coffee, hot tea, fresh fruit juice, toast, eggs and fruit salad. Leave early in the morning, heading to Ban Huai Pomfat. Big climb up the mountain Doi Sa Ngo, along a very small local trail, through dense bamboo forest. Up, up, way up the hill to Tiger Pass. See massive rock formations, Oak and Chestnut forest, Cycad tree forest, many epiphytic plants such as Wild Orchid, Ferns, Aeschynanthus, Mosses and Lichens. Lunch on the highland trail, feel cool air and take a break in the wonderful view. Food is wrapped in banana leaves, drink hot tea or coffee in a bamboo cup. We cut bamboo and make handicrafts for you. In the afternoon, arrive in Ban Huai Pomfat--enough walking for the day! Meet friendly people in the village. You will see that they welcome your arrival and love to get in touch with visitors. Stay overnight in the village, guide and porters do the cooking.
DAY THREE:
After breakfast, another day of climbing up and down on the mountain highland--more up than down. Pass through Karen village Ban Pakar, take a break in the village, see people and their way of life. Picnic lunch on the trail. Climb higher through the mountain landscape. See panoramic views. Pass through Lisu farmland area. In the past time, some poppy was cultivated in this area for it opium trade. Today, there is still a bit of poppy growing, but other crops include rice, potatoes, beans, taro root, ginger are introduced and growing instead of poppy. etc. Arrive in Ban Doi Makprik, visit to Lisu people, learn about Lisu culture. Spend the night in the village.
DAY FOUR:
This day we could start a little bit late, as there is a shorter distance to walk, and it is the day of climbing down the mountain. Some places are very steep. After breakfast, climb down to the Pai river bottom, half-day hike through dense forest on the old short-cut trail between MHS-PAI. Camping on Pai river?s bank at Huai Pong Klang Pai meet with Pai river. You can swim in the river. We will make a camp fire, and cook our food in bamboo stems, eat from bamboo bowls, drink from bamboo cups. Spend overnight in the wilderness.
DAY FIVE:
Enjoy morning and get our breakfast on the river side. We travel up along Huai Pong Klang Pai creek through remote wilderness area. We walk through water many times, all day walking in the ravine forest. There are many beautiful waterfalls, high cliffs, caves, giant bamboo forests, Teak trees, Rosewoods, Cork trees, Dipterocarpus trees. At lunch time you can swim in the Five-Star swimming hole. Arrive in Ban Patong, where we end our long day walking. Enjoy dinner and a good night's rest.
DAY SIX:
This is the last day trekking. Late morning get ready to walk to Ban Pam Bok, about 17 km along man-made rough road, from dry deciduous forest to hill evergreen forest on the other side of the mountain, afternoon descending from evergreen forest at the east side of the mountain in the Pai valley to the land of garlic. Get transport from Ban Pam Bok the place where we end our long hike. Evening arrive in Pai, get a good comfortable room. Dinner celebration and enjoy the good-bys party together.

I can arrange private transport to Chiang Mai. Or tourists can take local bus by themselves.
This is a harder walking program suitable for nature lover. People who wanted to learn about nature, Cultures, and the walking for botanical, birds, insects, and butterflies.
People who wanted to have plenty of time to spend in the forest and in village, to be with people with no rush.
What you gain to see and learn from my trekking:
Vegetation and animals in the nature reserve from low land to high land:
TREES AND SHRUBS.
Teak, Rose Wood, Mahogany, Ebony, Pines, Figs, Oaks, Chestnuts, Magnolia, Dillenias, Coral tree, Butea, Giant Kapok, Eugenias, Black vanish, Dipterocarps, Hopea, Iron Wood, Shoreas, members of the Erica family, Wild Tea, Cinnamon Tree, sterculia tree, Palms, Cycads tree, Ferns tree. Wild Banana, And many different typical of Bamboo. Etc.
FOREST FLOOR PLANTS.
Wild Bananas, Begonias, Wild Gingers, Gentians, Forrestia, Black lily, Commelina (Spiderworts), Lily, Mimosas, Morning glory, Ferns, Balanophora, Rafflesia.
Diversity of Fungi, Mushroom and Toadstool.
EPIPHYTES PLANTS.
Wild Orchids. Ferns. Dichidias. Figs. Mosses. Lichens. Etc.
ANIMALS in the area:
Tiger [very rare], Leopard Cat, Golden Cat, many smaller cats, Wild Pigs, Seraw and Goral Goats, Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, Monkeys, Gibbons, Langurs, Slow Loris, Porcupine, Rodents, Badgers, etc.
SNAKES:
King Cobra, Asiatic Cobras, Green Vipers, Rat Snakes, Rock Python, Reticulated python, Whip snakes, Flying snakes, Cat snakes, etc.
LIZARDS:
Clouded Monitor, River Monitor, Geckos, Skinks, Agama lizards, Oriental long-tailed lizard, Flying Lizards, Water lizard, etc.
BIRDS:
Great Hornbill, Pied Hornbill, Great Barbet, Black Bulbul, Dusky Broadbill, Frog Mouths, Hawks, Eagles, Green Peafowl, Pheasant, Jungle Fowl, Green Pigeons, Drongos, Sunbirds, Woodpeckers, etc.
BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS:
Imperial Butterfly, Paris Peacock, Rose Swallowtail, Orange Albatross, Indian Leaf Butterfly, Peacock Royal, Bird-wing Butterfly, Jungle Queen,Cruiser Butterfly, Clipper, Skippers, Monarch, Blue Crow, Atlas Moth, Moon Moth, Owl Moth, Hawk Moth. Etc.
OTHER INSECTS:
Walking Stick, Leaf Insect, Pray Mantis, Beetles, Lady-Birds,
Daddy long-legs, Assassin Bugs, Sweat Bees, Bush cricket, Grass Hoppers, Wasps, Ant-lion, Water scorpion, Water bugs, Spiders, Tarantulas. Etc.