Chiang Mai Tours
 

Hello all. This will be our first of what will probably be many posts between now and our trip to Thailand over the first two weeks of November, 2005. For my wife and I, this is our trip of a lifetime! So, to our first questions!

1. We'd like to try one of the 1-day tours that offer an elephant trek and bamboo-raft river ride. Does anyone have any experience with "Panda" or have any other recommendations in terms of tour guides/companies?

2. For the old city, could we just walk around ourselves or is it recommended to go with a packaged tour? Would 1-day be enough?

3. For Doi Inthanon, again, would it be best to take a packaged tour (Panda?) or to take a taxi or rented car?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help offered!

-Dave & Mary Hughes-

First-- avoid all packaged tours in thailand. Either do it on your own or with a private driver. It ends up costing no more than a group tour and is much more rewarding.

Now, before I answer your other questions, where else are you going in thailand and how much time do you want to spend in Chiang Mai? Perhaps, most important, what are your interests? What do you like to do and what do you hope to see/experience in thailand?

Hi Gloria. We're spending the first two days/nights in BKK, then 3 nights in CM, 7 in Phuket and the last day/night back in BKK. We're beach/sailing/anything-on-the-water people, so no way can we take a 2-week trip without the beach! But we're also interested in Thai and Buddist culture and want to visit some of the major temples. We're going totally on points, air and even the hotel, Sheraton's and Westin's (Starwood). Except for internal air travel.

-Dave & Mary-

In Chiang Mai, try Sergeant Kai at ChiangMaitours.com. We loved the experience. He's very prompt in reply.

Try Lisu Lodge. A friend highly recommended it to me. You'll get the hilltribe experience, some time with elephants, and more, depending on how much time you can afford, and it is an eco-friendly destination. I can't figure out how to paste a working link so follow this:
Go to www.i-escape.com to the Destinations Section. Select Thailand then Places To Stay and go down to the Lisu Lodge under Chiang Mai.
There is also a description of it at asian-oasis.com.
I am booking with [email protected]. He is arranging a personal guide for my husband and me for a day in Bangkok, a day in the Golden Triangle, and a day in Chiang Mai. We'll also have some days on our own in each place plus Chiang Rai. I know everyone on this site says that you don't need a guide but I want to make the most of our time without worrying about how to get wherever we're going. It's cheap and I'm happy.

NOTE If you do a day-trip to Lisu they warn that you are part of a larger group, but not if you stay overnight.