OK, my girlfriend is talking about a trip she wants to do, which would be 7 days from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, with all kinds of transport used, IE train, elephant, bamboo raft etc etc etc. Add in some shall we say basic accomodation, and well, here is an adventure trip for you.
OK, I can find 7 day tours, where you go around in the golden triangle visiting remote villages and the like, however they seem to have people going from BKK to Chiang Mai by train or plane. Does the other option actually exist?
Also, if we are to do a trip like that, do any of you have any tour operators, you will recommend?
fly from BKK to Chiang Mai one way and overnight train the other.
spend a few nights in Chiang Mai and do your hill tribe stuff out of Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai or Pai (mellow mellow place).
figure out what tours to do when you get there, don’t get roped in ahead of time. Most of the tours are VERY invasive and you feel awkward, it is best to figure out how to do it comfortably on your own once there.
Chiang Mai/Rai is way trekked out, however more remote areas aren’t really feasible in a 7 day time frame. Even Pai is mobbed these days though good for a laugh. Forget about adventure BKK to Chiang Mai. However if you fly to Chiang Mai and then take a further flight 30 min up to MaeHongSon you’ve got much better options for adventure i.e. working your way back to Chiang Mai from MHS can be a lot of fun. This place for example is very cool and offers every adventure you could want:
Over night bus between these cities very comfy and much cheaper than air. Buy bus tix early as possible. Many bus operators however, so get some help to choose best for you.
I can understand this romantic notion of a cross country trip across Thailand but the reality is that there is tons of poverty in between the two cities and especially anywhere near Bangkok.
As a general rule elephants rides are bad (and the look boring). the weight (2ppl and a basket) and location of the basket is too much for the elephant’s back. If you want a cool elephant experience then you could check out a place like Elephant’s World (my photos) near Kanchanaburi. there are many camps all over thailand but some seem more interested in profit (extremely expensive). I really believe that any money raised goes to the elephants and their mahouts. If the elephants weren’t at this camp they would probably be wandering the streets as beggars (which I’ve seen). Most of the elephants at the camp are old and unable to do any real work (If there was any work). this place isn’t close to chiang mai though.
Personally I found chiang Mai tacky but it makes a good stopping point to book trips. Alternatively you could pick any of the several cities that have been mentioned by others.
Additionally I found hill tribe visits to be awkward and disappointing. You aren’t going anywhere authentic and I found them either impoverished modern villages or putting on a tacky show.