Chiang Dao is in the North Eastern part of Chiang Mai Province, in Northern Thailand. The district which is close to the Burmese border, and almost 100 kilometres north of Chiang Mai city encompasses some of the country's most spectacular scenery. Within the province is Doi Chiang Dao, Thailand's third highest mountain at 2,175 metres. Its towering limestone peak dominates the landscape. On its eastern side, an extensive labyrinth of caves delves deep into the mountainside. Many of the passages are navigable and open into large caverns, full of ancient rock formations and crystaline stalagtities.

To its west are rolling hills that have become home to many of the area's diverse tribes. Still living in a world that appears lost in time, the hill-tribes of Northern Thailand include people whose migratory pattern has brought them from Tibet, Yunnan, Burma and Laos. They have brought with them their unique cultures and colourful costumes, language and traditions. Usually living high in the hills away from the hectic Thai lowlands, tribes that inhabit Chiang Dao district include Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Karen, Palaung. The way we visit these friendly people is by trekking along forest paths or by mountain bikes which can take us swiftly to areas cars cannot travel.

To the South of the mountain runs the Mae Taeng River, which starts its journey in Burma before spiraling down into the Ping river, which in turn feeds the Chao Phraya.

On its way it crashes through the forest providing some wonderful white water that we can ride in our rafts. All activities are under the professional supervision of The Wild Planet Co. Ltd.

Full equipment is provided for each student and accompanying Patana staff members for all activities. This will include helmets and life jackets for rafting sections and mountain bikes and helmets for biking sections. No student or staff member requires any previous experience as full instruction will be given before any activity commences. Wild Planet guides are trained in first aid and a full medical kit is present during all activities.

Depart Bangkok by overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mal.

Arrive Chiang Mai Station 09.05. You will be met by Wild Planet representatives at the station and led into a/c 40 seat coaches for immediate transfer to Chiang Dao region. Transfer time approx 1 hour 30 minutes.

10.30 Arrive at Chiang Dao elephant camp, disembark and walk through to rafting & elephant trekking area.

Our first stop will be the elephant camp where we split into two groups, one of which will take a short elephant ride while the others go bamboo rafting down the Ping River and then the reverse. Each raft takes about 10 people, the elephants take 2-3 on each seat. Each activity takes around 40 minutes so everyone should be back by 12.30. At this time we will all gather in the camp restaurant and eat a packed lunch. We can take our time and leave at 2.00 pm. After lunch we will pick up our litter and make our way back to the coaches.

13.00 Bamboo rafting. Raft down stream through the jungle (life-jackets provided) return transfer by coach to camp.

14.00 Coach departs Elephant Camp.

14.30 Coach arrives Chiang Dao Caves

It will take about 15-20 minutes to get to the caves. When we arrive we will go as one group to the entrance and enter the main cavern. From here guides with lanterns will take groups of 4-5 through the labyrinth to another cavern. We then walk back through wide open tunnels which are electrically illuminated. We should be back on the coach by 4.30 for the short drive to the resort

tour through the cave complex (approx. 2 hours)

16.30 Coach departs caves.

17.00 Coach arrives Chiang Dao Hill resort.

Room allocation and time to wash and shower.

18.30 Buffet Dinner in Restaurant followed by briefings on each activity by organisers.

20.00 Evening activities.

22.00 Lights out.

NOTE: The above timings are dependant on the arrival time of the train.

06.00 Morning call

06.30 Breakfast

07.30 Coach departs for River Rafting on the Mae Taeng

River rafting can be the most fun, exhilarating, relaxing and enchanting experience all at the same time. There is nothing quite like paddling down a jungle river in Thailand and the good news is anyone can do it as long as they are properly supervised. The Mae Taeng is not Thailand's longest river but it is certainly one of its most exciting. We will run two big drops and some long sections of rapids. Each boat will take -10 kids and have an experienced river guide at the helm and we will give an extensive safety briefing before departing. Everyone will be required to wear a helmet and life jacket in order to participate. After the briefing we will launch each boat one by one. The ride takes around 30-40 minutes and we pick the kids up at the other end in our trucks and bring them and the rafts back to the camp. Once everyone is back we have a pack lunch and then go down again staying in the same groups. It is over an hours drive to our river camp and the coaches can not make it all the way so we need to wait for the pick up trucks to arrive after dropping the hikers and bikers off. So we leave at 7.30 sharp, arriving at 8.30. Briefings will be from 9.00-9.30 and then we will start rafting straight away. We will leave the river at 3.30 pm, arriving back in the resort at 4.30 pm.

18.30 Buffet Dinner in Restaurant followed by

briefings on each activity by organisers.

20.00 Evening activities

22.00 Lights out.

06.00 Morning call

06.30 Breakfast

08.00 Songtaews depart for start of Mountain Bike Riding in The Hills Of Chiang Dao

The areas for our mountain bike tours have been carefully selected by the Wild Planet research team. Northern Thailand is an area of immense natural beauty and home to a number of interesting sites. The scenery is constantly changing and this bike ride will take us to parts few tourists will venture to. The trails are mostly off road and of moderate difficulty, meaning that the trip is suitable for first time riders. We have a fully equipped support vehicle always close at hand so anyone feeling tired can hitch a lift at anytime. However we do design the route so that over 60% is flat or down hill and the bikes are 21 speed front suspension mountain bikes (mostly American designed Diamond Backs) which are well equipped for off roading. Our guides are all experienced riders with first aid qualifications fluent in English, Thai, and French and with excellent local Knowledge. Our route starts 17km south of the resort and follows country backroads and wide dirt tracks to a Lisu village before finishing in an Akha village where we meet the trekkers to change activities. The total route is approximately 25km and should take 2.5 hours. The afternoon group will follow the same route in reverse and will be met by Songtaews for the return transfer at

Lunch

Trekking Through Hill Tribe villages

The people that inhabit the hills of Northern Thailand have long been a curiosity for visitors to the kingdom. Living a life apart from the lowland Thais, these migratory people seem trapped in a time warp stretching back to the middle ages. Still practicing traditional forms of agriculture and clinging to their tribal traditions in the face of the intruding 20th Century. Most have made long treks from Tibet, Burma, Yunnan, Laos and Vietnam to settle in the relative calm of Thailand, bringing with them different language costumes and cultures. Our treks are designed to visit these fascinating peoples without disturbing their way of life; we take small groups and have absolute respect for the local people. Our guides are fluent in a number of hill tribe languages and knowledgeable in their customs and taboos.

For morning groups we will walk for 2.5 - 3 hours following a trail passing through Palaung, then Lisu and ending at an Akha tribal village. We will take a pack lunch in the Akha village before taking the afternoon biking activity. Afternoon groups start at the Akha village and end at the trail head after the Lisu village. Groups will be picked up separately by Songtaew at 17.00.

18.30 Buffet Dinner in Restaurant followed by

briefings on each activity by organisers.

20.00 Evening activities

22.00 Lights out.

08.30 Morning call

09.00 Breakfast

Within the grounds of the resort a course is laid out consisting of a number of liChallengeif stations. The students are split into teams and each team starts at an alternative station, navigating between the stations until the Challenge is finished.

Basic map reading and navigational skills are used to move between stations and each station poses a challenge for the team either mental or physical. A time limit is also in effect at each station to ensure the teams flow around the challenge smoothly.

12.00 Finish Challenge" check out of resort

13.00 Coaches depart for Chiang Mai. Transfer to mall for free time

16.40 Train departs for Bangkok.

Arrive early morning Bangkok by overnight sleeper train from Chiang Mai.