Bangkok to Chiang Mai Umphang Wildlife Explorer

Day 1: Bangkok to Mae Sot
Meet up with your group in the evening and leave by van through Bangkok’s evening traffic to Bangkok’s northern bus station. Board your bus and flow through the night through Bangkok’s outskirts and onwards to Mae Sot.

Transportation: Go Beyond Travel Center to Mo Chit Bus Station by Van, Bangkok to Mae Sot by Bus

Day 2: Mae Sot to Umphang
You local guide will meet you at the bus station in the (very) early morning and take you by songthaew to a simple hotel where you’ll have a few hours to rest, take a shower, and eat breakfast. When you’re done with breakfast, you’ll have a little bit of time to chill before your songthaew arrives to start your epic journey to Umphang. About half-way on your five hour drive, you’ll stop at a quaint family-run service area to stretch your legs and eat your packed lunch. If you’re still hungry, there are some small shops here where you can buy refreshments.

After more seemingly endless and curvy roads across the mountains, we’ll arrive at Umphang town. We’ll take the time to visit one of our favorite places to drink a delicious local coffee or fresh-squeezed juice (we recommend the passion fruit juice) and also suggest visiting the nearby shop that sells locally-produced products from the surrounding villages. We’ll then jump back into our songthaew for a relatively short drive to reach the Karen village of Palatha.

The Karen people are an ethnic group that live mostly in the mountainous border provinces in Myanmar and Thailand and, when you arrive, you’ll be welcomed by your host family and learn about the Karen community and their culture. Each host family will accommodate a small group, and they will prepare a simple but delicious local dinner for you. Please be aware that your homestay’s bathroom facilities may be more basic than you are accustomed to using.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transportation: Mae Sot Bus Station to Nakorn Mae Sot Apartment by Songtheaw, Mae Sot to Palatha by Songtheaw
Accommodation: Nakorn Mae Sot Apartment in a Twin Room or Double Room, Palatha Village in a Homestay
Miscellaneous: English-Speaking Station Guide

Day 3: Umphang
Wake up and enjoy a simple breakfast prepared by your host family and then leave into the jungle to begin your search for Thailand’s most iconic and animal: the Asian elephant. Go Beyond has partnered with the Mahout Elephant Foundation to support the foundation’s mission of relocating elephants back into their natural habitat so you can see these gentle giants in a safe, sustainable, and respectful way. You’ll trek through the forest and along the river for a few hours alongside the foundation’s mahouts, or elephant caretakers, who will teach you how they track their herd so they can care for them while also respecting their environment.

Depending on where you find the elephants on the day you visit them, you’ll either have lunch at a waterfall or deeper in the forest. Your lunch will be a rice cake wrapped in a banana leaf, chicken, and boiled eggs. The mahouts will build a fire to boil some water to make you coffee or tea served in bamboo cups (that you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!).

After lunch, you’ll trek back to Palatha (around 2 hours depending on where you meet the elephants) and have some free time to shower before meeting at the village’s handicraft center to experience a live weaving demonstration and learn how the Karen make their handicrafts. If you want, try to weave something yourself or buy a handicraft as a souvenir from the village shop instead! You’ll have some time after the weaving demonstration to walk around and we suggest visiting the village’s coffee shop before heading back to your homestay for dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Palatha Village in a Homestay

Day 4: Umphang
Wake up and enjoy your host’s home cooking as you await your songthaew to take you to today’s adventure. You’ll be able to leave your luggage at your homestay and we’ll provide you with an overnight bag to pack what you need for tonight’s camping underneath the stars in Umphang National Park. Our songthaew will take us to the river where we’ll board our rafts and start our descent into the forest for a breathtaking experience to appreciate the unspoiled natural beauty of Umphang. When we moor our rafts, our songthaew will be waiting for us to take us to Southeast Asia’s largest waterfall: Thi Lor Su. Before heading down to the waterfall, we’ll eat lunch and then spend a couple of hours taking a refreshing swim and, if the water level permits, cliff jump from the top of the waterfall! So don’t forget to pack a towel and a swimsuit in your overnight bag!

From Thi Lor Su, we’ll trek through the forest for a few hours to reach our campsite before sunset and set up camp next to pristine Ko Tha waterfall. Your guides will help you set up your tents and cook your dinner over a roaring fire. Remember facilities out in the wild are basic, so we suggest taking advantage of the nearby waterfall to wash up!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Umphang National Park in a Tent (up to 3 people per tent)

Day 5: Umphang to Mae Sot
Wake up to the sounds of nature and breakfast at the campsite before trekking a few hours through dense forest to return to Palatha village. You’ll arrive just before lunch so you can take a shower and freshen up, have a quick lunch, pick up your luggage, and then hop on the songthaew for the long (and curvy) road back to Mae Sot.

Upon arrival in Mae Sot, you’ll enjoy a nice dinner at a local restaurant and then return to the same hotel you stayed at when you first arrived in Mae Sot. Get some rest as you’ll need to wake up early tomorrow!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transportation: Umphang to Mae Sot by Songthaew
Accommodation: Nakorn Mae Sot Apartment in a Twin room or Double Room

Day 6: Mae Sot to Chiang Mai
In the morning, you’ll be picked up in a songthaew and driven to the bus station. Please note that breakfast is not included today, so we recommend buying some snacks for the road before boarding the bus. Then board your bus and expect to arrive in Chiang Mai in the late afternoon. Good luck with your onward journey!

Transportation: Nakorn Mae Sot Apartment to Mae Sot Bus Station by Songthaew, Mae Sot to Chiang Mai by Bus