jrlaw10

We will have one free day in Chiang Mai and one free day in the Golden Triangle. We are considering a visit to the hilltribe communities in either of these areas. We are concerned with the "human zoo" factor and understand that these tribes subsist off of tourism and that there are no truly "authentic" experiences. Be that as it may, have any of you that have made these trips felt that they were worthwhile or were they too touristy? Thanks for any responses.

pat

Before you even get to the village I went to,the kids were running out trying to sell items. The whole visit was a sales pitch or begging for money. If you go to a less commercialized village, then maybe you will enjoy it. I hope you can find one. I wouldn`t go back to either village I went to.

Kathie

I have to say that I am not a fan of the hilltribe visits. Unless you are willing to trek in a couple of days, you'll be seeing tribes that are entirely oriented to the tourist trade. I guess that wouldn't bother me so much if they made traditional crafts and were able to carry on much of their traditional lifeways as a result of tourism, but that is not the case in any instance I am aware of.

I visited hilltribes outside of CM over 20 years ago. They had the barest remnants of their culture left at that time.

pat

About all you can buy is Chinese junk!

Robbietravels

With one day I wouldn't bother for all the reasons stated above. If you could craft your itinerary and spend two nights in a village it could be an authentic experience. Before I awakened to independent travel I did a small group trip to Thailand and we spent three nights in a tiny Hmong village. I slept on the floor of the grammar school. The village got used to us, bringing a pig for them to roast helped too.
So if you can't really stay two nights, save your hilltribe adventure for the Sapa area in north Vietnam or many other places.

shanek

On my first trip to Chang Mai in 1989 we trekked for 3 days and were the only western people on an overnight hilltribe visit. We shared Opium with tribal elders, slept on the floor over a pig-pen and received a farewell blessing from the tribal cheif on departure the next morning. A truly touching experience. Apon a return visit in 1995 we attempted a day trip visit to a tribe and found it to be very unfulfilling. If it was not worth the effort then I could not imagine it being ant better now.

Elainee

On our first trip to Vietnam (20+ years ago) we went to hill tribe in Golden Triangle area. We must have been the only people to go there who did not want the opium. They even offered to get a new pipe for me. I think they just could not believe we really did not want it...so why else were we there? We were driven in by a jeep with a rifle mounted under dashboard and the driver showed us he had a handgun as well. We felt so "safe" we were afraid to refuse to go wherever he was taking us. He also took us to eat rice that was from his family's field...and very good it was.

nancy

I'm a tourist as I'll bet you are. I'm also a traveller in that I look forward to and appreciate all cultures. I think you would remiss in not visiting a hill tribe village. You will see how they live and they will set up booths where you can buy what they produce (if not them, then some surrounding tribe). Of course, you can buy the same goods in Chiang Mai. I did not find the villagers pushy.

While in the Golden Triangle, our tour entered Myanmar (Burma) but not very far. Still you see how some live.

I would take every opportunity to see as much of the area as possible. Otherwise, most of what you visit in Thailand are shops.

Kathie

Nancy, your comment "Otherwise, most of what you visit in Thailand are shops" is a reflection of the tour company, not of Thailand. There is much to do and see in Thailand. Yes, it has some wonderful crafts shopping and gorgeous silks, but one does not have to shop in order to have a wonderful time in Thailand.

Whether to visit hilltribe villages or whether to visit Burma are individual decisions. I certainly do not think one is "remiss in not visiting a hill tribe village." As others have posted above, many have concerns about exploitation and about tourism destroying the traditional ways of life in villages. Of course, there are also many concerns about Burma and whether one should visit or not.

I appreciate jrlaw asking for different perspectives on this question, and the poster has gotten a number of different perspectives, including yours.

nancy

Since jrlaw10 was mentioning free days I just assumed she/he was on a tour. Certainly the villages are put on show for tourists but it also helps them to sell their wares. I don't consider that a "bad" thing. You are going thru the village and witnessing how they live. Plus, on one occasion we visited a school and made a donation. I think that's a good thing.

Just making a decent living in these small villages is tough so if we "tourists" can contribute to their well-being I say go for it. Plus, unless you are trekking around and stumble upon villages how are you going to see them? Personally, I loved that part of my visit to Thailand the most.

shelleyk

I think your hill tribe experience depends on what you expect it to be before going. When I visited a hill tribe village outside of Chang Mai two years ago, I expected it to be a touristy, Epcot like experience, and it was. Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed the few hours it took to accomplish seeing another area of Thailand, seeing the indiginous dress of the villagers (even if they usually wear jeans when tourists are not in the village) and seeing them demonstrate their crafts.and I do not regret going. The admission fee to the village was paid directly to a Thai man who supposedly was the village head, so hopefully the money went to the upkeep of the village, which is the source of income for the many people selling their wares.

jrlaw10

Thanks for all of the replies. We will not be traveling on a tour. The free days refer to days in the planned itinerary that have not as of yet been filled! I think the last poster nailed it for me: I live in Florida...EPCOT is 3 hours away. Easy enough to go there as opposed to flying to Thailand! Thanks all for the interesting perspectives.

Kay2

Our compromise several years ago was to go to Lisu Lodge and take one of their overnight treks to Lahu Outpost. We got to see the local villages, interact with the villagers, etc. There were stalls of handmade goods for sale at the Lodge if you were interested. The villagers are not as "exotic" in their dress and jewelry as some of the more famous hilltribes, but it gave us a feel for their communities and we know our money was supporting locals.

We arranged a private itinerary for 2, but we met up with the larger group at times and stayed overnight with them. The company originally only had the lodge and trekking, but has added lots of other tourist activities in response to consumer demand. I would recommend if you want an active experience similar to camping (don't expect much sleep at Lahu) with a small group.

www.asian-oasis.com/lisu.html

jenskar2

I think it really depends where you go and who takes you -- the one visit I will always remember was to one of the Hmong villages to meet an old grandmother who is one of the few people still weaving with hemp. It was fascinating to see what she did.

My guide was Karen which I think helped both days we went to villages -- tho I would agree the Long Neck village visit made me incredibly sad -- but I was taken inside homes and shown some amazing things. He consults for a woman I got to know and have stayed in touch with who lives south of Chiang Mai and deals in very special tribal artefacts and current folk art. If you'd like to see if he could help you, his name is Chaiya and his email is chaiyaone @ yahoo.com (take out the spaces).