Thailand Mountain Trail — Local services in Chiang Mai Province

Fantastic experience! A friend and I recently went on the Lahu high country 2 day hike organised by TMT trails. It was a very well organised hiking trip. Highly recommend!

Summary: plenty of food, snacks and water provided. Accommodation is very comfortable. Special dietary requirements like vegetarian food arranged. Guide very friendly and helpful. Do not carry more than a 20litre backpack as trail is steep. The weather during most of the hike was hot. Light pull over coat and long pants needed for over night stay and summit where it gets about 15 degrees.

Long story: We were picked up from our hotel, 4 other hikers had signed up for the trip and they were picked up too. We were taken to the foot of the mountains. We were given enough snacks and water to carry for the hike. We were accompanied by Mit who was a fantastic guide. We started hiking at 10.30 am. The hike was quite intense for me but the guide was very patient and helped us well. Many parts of the trail were very steep. There is no need for swimming trunks. On day 1 we halted for lunch in a village after a steep 500m climb, where we ate fried rice and soup. We refilled our water here. We then continued on and climbed another 200m to reach a village named Padeng at 4pm. We had hiked a total of 10km and gained about 700m in elevation.

We showered and rested. Warm sumptuous dinner of grilled pork, eggs, thai green curry, rice, soup and sauteed locally grown greens were provided at 7pm. It got cold in the evening. Plenty of warm bedding was provided.

Next morning we were given omlette, bread, jam, soup and coffee/tea for breakfast. We were given a parcel of noodles to carry for lunch. We started hiking again at 9 am. Climbed up through corn fields and gained 800 m in elevation to reach the Pah Saam Liam Summit at 12 noon. It was a spectacular view from up there. We had our lunch there and climbed down. The walk down was very steep and we reached the spot where we started at 5pm. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip covering a variety of landscape...

TMT was a wonderful organization. I first did a long weekend training workshop hosted by TMT. I was still very new in the trail running scene and hence was somewhat inexperienced.  Some parts of the trails were very technical but I was given a lot of support. It was a small and cozy workshop with 5 people so there was plenty of quality time on the trails. Seb was also very well-versed with the route and the community so we were always safe. Accommodation was simple but comfortable and cozy. Seb has been living in Thailand and the area for many years. He knew all the villagers whom we passed by along the way. We felt very welcome and safe. The scenery is GORGEOUS. Absolutely breathing-taking (and so much fun/thrilling) When I joined Queens of the Jungle organized by TMT, which is a multi-staged race exclusively for female runners, I had the time of my life! The event was small but extremely well-organized. It was around 135km over 3 days with more than 8,000m of elevation. The route was absolutely stunning and well-marked. We ran through temples, villages, mountain peaks with phenomenal views,... The route was so interesting because it's challenging yet so beautiful. The food provided at checkpoints and camps was abundant and delicious (very diverse too - you would have the regular race fuels like electrolytes, energy bars and you could also have fun stuff like chips, sticky rice, and other delicious local Thai dishes). The brass bracelet (so nicely crafted) which we received for finishing the race was one of my favourite medals/race memorilibia. Runners can tell that TMT/Seb really pays attention to details and always creates THE BEST experience for runners possible (because Seb is a great ultrarunner as well so he absolutely has a runner mindset). I look forward to joining more of TMT events/workshops that Seb...

I highly recommend the "Escape to Chiang Dao" trip! What an experience! Staying in quaint countryside villages, breathtaking Thai nature, fast friends, great local cuisine, challenging but rewarding hiking - what's not to love? And to top it all off, Mit, our guide, was top notch and made the journey informative and entertaining. The trip itself was roughly 40km and 3000m over 3 days, with 2 overnight stays in remote villages. Food, transport, lodging, and water all included in the initial fee (beer is extra 😉). The first day or two was pretty cloudy, but regardless of the views, our group made the most of it and had a blast. On the last day, though, the weather was perfect and we were blessed with some truly stunning scenery. Chiang Dao beckoned us onward in the distance as we completed a grueling descent down a valley of mandarin tree orchards then followed by an ass-kicker of a climb up the opposing mountain. Mit helped motivate us the whole way, and even procured some local wildlife to show us 🐍. Once we reached the pick-up point at the end, we were all beat but enjoyed some well-deserved drinks as we basked in the shadow of Chiang Dao and took in our accomplishment. Do this trip! You won’t be sorry. And thank you so...