Family Umphang Wildlife Explorer
Embark on an adventure through the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand's Tak Province. Enjoy a cultural homestay in the Karen village of Palatha, immersing yourself in traditional lifestyle and cuisine. Witness Asian elephants in their natural jungle habitat, focusing on ethical wildlife observation. Swim in the crystal-clear waters of Thi Lor Su Waterfall and engage in local craftsmanship at the village. Cap off your adventure with an overnight camping experience in the jungle, surrounded by nature’s tranquility, for the perfect blend of cultural immersion and outdoor exploration.
Details
| Video: |
|
| Unique Experiences: | Experience authentic Thai culture with a homestay in the Karen village of Palatha, where you'll learn about local customs and enjoy traditional meals prepared by your host family. Participate in a unique and sustainable elephant encounter in the jungle, guided by the Mahout Elephant Foundation, emphasizing respectful wildlife observation. Trek through the lush forests of Umphang, swim in the refreshing waters of Southeast Asia's largest waterfall, Thi Lor Su, and cliff jump for an exhilarating experience. Engage in a hands-on weaving demonstration at the village’s handicraft center and have the opportunity to create or purchase unique, locally-made souvenirs. Embrace the wilderness with an overnight camping experience in Umphang National Park, enjoy campfire-cooked meals, and the tranquil backdrop of Ko Tha waterfall. |
| Trip Length: | 6 Days |
| Participants: | This trip departs with a minimum of 2 travelers and a maximum of 16 travelers per departure. This is a private experience. |
| Physical Difficulty: | 3 out of 5 |
| Inclusions: | Meals: 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners Accommodations: 1 night at The Teak Resort in a Superior Room, 2 Nights at Palatha Village in a Homestay, 1 Night at Umphang National Park in a Tent, 1 at The Teak Resort in a Superior Room Transportation: Mae Sot Airport (MAQ) to The Teak Resort by Songthaew, Mae Sot to Palatha by Songthaew, Palatha to Umphang by Songthaew, Thi Lor Su Waterfall to Umphang Campsite by Songthaew, Umphang to Mae Sot by Songthaew Miscellaneous: English-Speaking Station Guide (Mae Sot to Mae Sot), Umphang National Park Entrance Fee |
| Exclusions: | Travel Insurance (Compulsory) Tips and Gratuities Compulsory and Peak Season Surcharges Other meals and transportation other than mentioned in the program Flight ticket or Bus ticket from/to Mae Sot |
| Age Policy: |
Adults: 12 to 99 years of age Children: 10 to 11 years of age Infants: Prohibited |
| Child Policy: | We do not allow children below 10 years of age. Regardless of age, please carefully contemplate if your child is fit for trekking in the jungle. We cannot guarantee that the guide or the group can accommodate special needs. |
| Special Information: | Please note that this tour is not available during the rainy season (June to August) as swimming at the waterfall may not always be possible for safety reasons. |
Map
Itinerary
Day 1: Mae Sot
Welcome to Mae Sot!
Your local guide will meet you at Mae Sot Airport and take you by car or songthaew to a comfortable hotel where you’ll have the rest of the day to rest, take a refreshing swim, or explore the peaceful town on your own.
Transportation: Mae Sot Airport to Mae Sot by Songthaew
Accommodation: The Teak Hotel Mae Sot in a Standard Room
Day 2: Mae Sot to Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary
After 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.
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 to Palatha by Songtheaw
Accommodation: Palatha Village in a Homestay
Miscellaneous: English-Speaking Station Guide
Day 3: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary
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 Wildlife Sanctuary
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. After lunch, we’ll spend a couple of hours enjoying the waterfall, taking a refreshing swim in the designated areas, and appreciating its majestic beauty. Don’t forget to pack a towel and a swimsuit in your overnight bag!
From Thi Lor Su, we'll take a songthaew to our campsite, arriving before sunset. We'll set up camp next to the pristine Ko Tha waterfall. Your guides will assist with tent setup and prepare dinner over a campfire. Please remember that facilities in the wilderness are basic, so we suggest taking advantage of the nearby waterfall for washing up!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Umphang National Park in a Tent (up to 2 people per tent)
Day 5: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transportation: Umphang to Mae Sot by Songthaew
Accommodation: The Teak Hotel Mae Sot in a Standard Room
Day 6: Mae Sot to Chiang Mai
After breakfast, connect with your next adventure!
Meals: Breakfast
Welcome to Mae Sot!
Your local guide will meet you at Mae Sot Airport and take you by car or songthaew to a comfortable hotel where you’ll have the rest of the day to rest, take a refreshing swim, or explore the peaceful town on your own.
Transportation: Mae Sot Airport to Mae Sot by Songthaew
Accommodation: The Teak Hotel Mae Sot in a Standard Room
Day 2: Mae Sot to Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary
After 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.
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 to Palatha by Songtheaw
Accommodation: Palatha Village in a Homestay
Miscellaneous: English-Speaking Station Guide
Day 3: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary
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 Wildlife Sanctuary
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. After lunch, we’ll spend a couple of hours enjoying the waterfall, taking a refreshing swim in the designated areas, and appreciating its majestic beauty. Don’t forget to pack a towel and a swimsuit in your overnight bag!
From Thi Lor Su, we'll take a songthaew to our campsite, arriving before sunset. We'll set up camp next to the pristine Ko Tha waterfall. Your guides will assist with tent setup and prepare dinner over a campfire. Please remember that facilities in the wilderness are basic, so we suggest taking advantage of the nearby waterfall for washing up!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Umphang National Park in a Tent (up to 2 people per tent)
Day 5: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transportation: Umphang to Mae Sot by Songthaew
Accommodation: The Teak Hotel Mae Sot in a Standard Room
Day 6: Mae Sot to Chiang Mai
After breakfast, connect with your next adventure!
Meals: Breakfast
Check prices, dates and more options:
Book nowConnect
Why stop your adventure here? Go on and connect your tour with these experiences:
Chiang Mai Treehouse Experience
The North3 Days
Comfort Basecamp at Bodhi Serene
The North
Doi Suthep and Hmong Discovery
The NorthHalf-Day
Family Basecamp at Phra Singh Village
The North