As a resident of Chiang Mai, it’s very common to see advertisements for tourist attractions all over the city. The more popular sites are the temples, elephant parks, and the markets. However, we believe that if you really want to learn about Thailand, there’s hardly a better way than to visit the hill tribes’ villages. All the previously mentioned tourist attractions are so famous that one can easily read about them online. These Thai hill tribes have yet to gain social media exposure; visiting their homes will give you insight on their lifestyle and cultures .
If you are interested in visiting but are unsure about where to go, we would be happy to direct you to some villages. Our fair trade store, Thai Tribal Crafts, is closely tied to many near Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai; they supply us with beautiful and well made crafts, such as bags and clothes. These villages are genuinely the hill tribes’ homes, and it is with their permission that we are suggesting them to tourists. You can easily get a private tour and see how they live their lives. However, they are rather far from Chiang Mai, the closest one being an hour and a half away. We would be glad to help find a home stay for you if needed.
However, if you do not have the time to visit, then our store is a great substitute. We sell hill tribe crafts at reasonable prices that do not exploit the indigenous producers. You will be able to walk away from our store with more knowledge of Thailand and beautiful handmade crafts. Our store also holds weaving classes, taught by natives. You can learn how to weave authentic gifts for your friends and families. If you want to learn more about our weaving classes, click here.
In all, you can set yourself apart from the rest of the tourists by learning about the Thai hill tribes. You will also have fascinating and unheard of stories to tell your friends and families when you go back to your own country.
