Jungle Trek & Bamboo Rafting — One Day
Four hours walking to a Karen village and a waterfall, then an hour drifting down the Mae Wang river on a bamboo raft.
- Duration
- Full day (approx. 10 hours, 07:00–17:00)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Max group
- 20 pax
Half the pleasure of this day is the shape of it: a solid morning's walking, a long lunch at a waterfall, and then an hour on the river doing absolutely nothing except sitting on a bamboo raft while somebody who has done it a thousand times poles you downstream. It is the most varied of the one-day programmes and the easiest to recommend to a mixed group.
You start with the market — forty minutes of driving and then a proper look around a working Thai market, which is where the day's food comes from. From there it is up into the hills and out on foot. The walking is around four hours: jungle, then farmland, then a Karen village where you can see how a hill community actually organises its day, and finally a waterfall where lunch is served and you can swim.
The rafting comes after. Bamboo rafts on the Mae Wang are long, low and flexible; they sit almost level with the water, which means your feet are in the river for most of the hour and the rest of you may well be too. The current is gentle, the water is shallow and the boatmen treat the whole thing as a comedy, which it largely is. Both banks are forest and farmland and it is a genuinely lovely way to end a day of walking.
You are back in Chiang Mai around five. Bring a dry bag or at least a change of clothes for the drive home, and expect to be wet from the knees down at minimum. Two people minimum for the departure.
- Around four hours of guided walking through jungle and hill farmland
- A Karen hilltribe village reached on foot
- Waterfall lunch stop with time to swim
- An hour of bamboo rafting on the Mae Wang river with a local boatman
- Morning stop at a working local market
- The most varied single day in the trekking range — forest, culture and river
- Local English-speaking guide from the area
- Back in Chiang Mai by around five in the afternoon
What's included
- ✓ Hotel pick-up and return in Chiang Mai
- ✓ English-speaking local guide for the whole day
- ✓ Lunch at the waterfall
- ✓ Drinking water
- ✓ Approximately one hour of bamboo rafting with a boatman
- ✓ Accident insurance for the duration of the tour
- ✓ Guided visit to a Karen village
- Breakfast before pick-up
- A dry bag and a change of clothes for after the rafting (bring your own)
- Personal spending at the market and in the village
- Alcoholic drinks
- Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
- Gratuities for your guide and boatman
- 07:00–07:30
Hotel pick-up in Chiang Mai
Collection from your hotel or guest house and the drive out of the city.
- 07:40–08:20
Local market
Around forty minutes at a market on the way out to the hills — the day's supplies are bought here and you can pick up snacks and drinks.
- 08:45
Trailhead
Up into the mountains to the start of the walk, with a short briefing.
- 08:45–12:45
Four hours of trekking
Through jungle and along farmland into the mountainous area and a Karen village, where there is time to look around and talk to people before pushing on toward the waterfall.
- 12:45–14:00
Waterfall lunch and swim
Lunch at the waterfall with a long, unhurried break. Swim if you want to; the pool is cold and welcome after the morning.
- 14:30
Drive to the river
A short transfer to the launch point on the Mae Wang river.
- 14:30–15:30
Bamboo rafting
About an hour drifting downstream on a bamboo raft with a local boatman poling. Shallow, gentle water, forest and farmland on both banks, and a guaranteed soaking from the knees down.
- 16:00–17:00
Back in Chiang Mai
Change into dry clothes, then the drive back and hotel drop-off at around five.
Yes. Bamboo rafts sit almost level with the surface, so your feet are in the water throughout and splashes are constant. Bring a change of clothes and keep phones and cameras in a waterproof bag.
No. The Mae Wang is shallow and slow along this stretch and the raft is poled by an experienced local boatman. You do not need to be able to swim, though it is reassuring if you can.
Moderate. Around four hours on forest and farm paths with some climbing — less demanding than the four-waterfall day, and manageable for anyone reasonably active.
The brochure sets no minimum age, but four hours of hill walking followed by an hour on a raft is a long day for small children. Children of around eight and up who are used to walking generally do well. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will advise honestly.
After heavy rain the rafting can be cancelled on safety grounds, in which case the guide extends the walking and waterfall part of the day. We will let you know as early as we can.
Yes, a Thai lunch at the waterfall along with drinking water. Let us know about dietary requirements when you book.
Two. Departures are daily subject to that minimum.