Chiang Mai Adventure

16 Jun 2019

Chiang Mai Adventure

TTAV

Validity: 01 Jan 2019 to 31 Dec 2019

Travel to Thailand and experience an intoxicating blend of ancient temples, steamy rainforest trails and raucous markets in Chiang Mai. This is a full-throttle short break that features the best Thailand’s northern region has to offer. Tackle the world-famous Mae Taeng River rapids on a rafting excursion, hike through local villages and temperate rainforests, cycle through the fruit orchards and temple ruins dotted around the countryside and climb the ancient staircase to the hilltop of Doi Suthep. Combine this with shopping expeditions through Chiang Mai’s famous Night Bazaar, encountering friendly faces around every corner and feasting on superb Thai cuisine. A perfect blend of energetic pursuits and enchanting sights , this trip is bound to leave you breathless!

In 2018 this trip was called Active Thailand.

Original

Short Breaks,Walking & Trekking

Bicycle,Minibus,Raft

3

Normal check out time is 12 noon. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel.

If you have a transfer to the Chiang Mai Airport your transfer driver will collect you from your Guesthouse 1.5hrs (90mins) before your flight time for domestic flights and 2.5hrs before your flight time for International flights. If your transfer has not arrived within 15minutes of the scheduled pickup time please call the Thailand 24hr emergency number +66 89 810 3722

The aim of our local guides is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. On this Short Break Adventure you will get to enjoy the variety of having someone different for each day and/or activity. They will be able to provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and, where possible, introduce you to our local friends. You can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects.

As a general rule most countries expect that your passport has a minimum of 6 months validity remaining. Please ensure the name on your passport matches the name on your booking and airline tickets. Your passport details are required to complete your booking. Your consultant will contact you when this is required.
Take a copy of the main passport pages and other important documents with you, and leave another copy at home with family or friends.

Visas are the responsibility of the individual traveller. Entry requirements can change at any time, so it's important that you check for the latest information. Please visit the relevant consular website of the country or countries you’re visiting for detailed and up-to-date visa information specific to your nationality. Your consultant will also be happy to point you in the right direction with acquiring visas. Visas can take several weeks to process, so familiarise yourself with any requirements as soon as you have booked your trip to allow for processing time.

THAILAND:
If entering by air most nationalities will be granted a 30 day stay on arrival. If entering by a land border, you will be granted a 15 day stay only (some exceptions are citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Japan who are eligible for 30 day visa at land borders). A visa extension can be obtained in Thailand at an immigration office for approx. 2000THB or alternatively you can apply for a Thailand visa in advance from your embassy or consulate that will allow a 30 day stay when entering at an overland border.

If planning to enter Thailand via a land border multiple times during your travels, we recommend you pre-obtain a 60 day multiple entry visa from you embassy or consulate before you travel rather than attempting to obtain a visa at the border on multiple occasions which may result in being denied re-entry into the country.

This Short Break Adventure is a ‘join in’ group departure, which means you are not accompanied by an Intrepid group leader – our local representative fills this role – and the configuration of any fellow travellers in the group might change during the trip.

This trip will run with a minimum of one person, so you may be joined by other travellers booked on the same date as you, or you may be on your own.

This is an active style trip so a good level of fitness and a passion for hiking, biking and rafting is of course recommended.

Your evenings will be free, and your local guide will be able to recommend some restaurants to dine at.

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your leader or local guide will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where and what to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility.

SPENDING MONEY:
When it comes to spending money on the trip, every traveller is a little different. You know your spending habits better than we do, so please budget a sensible amount for things like meals not included, drinks, shopping, optional activities and laundry. It's always better to bring a little more than you think you'll need. Also make sure you've read your trip details thoroughly so you know what's included in the trip price and what isn't. This should make budgeting a little easier. You'll find this info in the Inclusions section of your Essential Trip Information (that's this document).

We recommend USD60 for meals not included.

The official currency of Thailand is the Baht (THB). The most convenient and cheapest way to obtain local currency is via ATMs which are available in most towns and cities. Foreign currency notes that are old, torn or faded can be very difficult to exchange. Clean bills in small denominations are most useful. The use of credit cards is restricted, mainly to major hotels and more upmarket shops and shopping centres.

DEPARTURE TAX
All departure taxes should be included in your international flight ticket.

CONTINGENCY FUNDS:
We try to plan for every eventuality, but there are still some things beyond our control. Please make sure you have access to an extra US$500 for emergencies (e.g. severe weather, natural disasters, civil unrest) or other events that result in unavoidable changes to the itinerary (e.g. transport strikes or cancellations, airport closures). Sometimes these things necessitate last minute changes to enable our trips to continue to run, and as a result there may be some extra costs involved.

If you're happy with the services provided a tip - though not compulsory - is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it's of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across many Intrepid destinations. Although can be difficult to source we advise you to carry small notes of local currency each day to make tipping easier.

The following amounts are per person suggestions based on local considerations and feedback from our past travellers:

Restaurants: Local markets and basic restaurants - round your bill up to the nearest US$1. More up-market restaurants we suggest 10% to 15% of your bill.

Local guides: We suggest US$2-3 per day for local guides.

Drivers: You may have a range of drivers on your trip. Some may be with you for a short journey while others may be with you for several days. We would suggest a higher tip for those more involved with the group, however we suggest US$1-2 per day for drivers.

In total, we recommend you budget approx US$5-10 per day of your trip to cover tipping.

Illegal drugs will not be tolerated on our trips. Possessing or using drugs not only contravenes the laws of the land, but also puts the rest of the group at risk. Smoking marijuana and opium is a part of local culture in some parts of the world but is not acceptable for Intrepid travellers. Intrepid's philosophy of travel is one of respect towards everyone we encounter and in particular, the local people who make our destinations such special places. The exploitation of prostitutes is completely contrary to this philosophy. Our group leader or local representative has the right to expel any member of the group if drugs are found in their possession or if they use prostitutes.

Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure on their trip. We don’t tolerate any form of sexual harassment at Intrepid, either between passengers or involving our leaders or local operators. Sexual relationships (consensual or otherwise) between a leader and a passenger are unacceptable. If you ever feel another person is behaving inappropriately please inform us immediately by contacting the emergency contact number detailed in these trip notes.

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in your selected accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.

Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for your arrival, especially if you're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible, which means you won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, you can store your luggage and explore the new destination.

If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.

On this Short Break Adventure the fellow travellers that may join you during activities can come from all corners of the world and likely a range of age groups too. We ask you to be understanding of their various needs and preferences - patience with your fellow travellers is sometimes required for the benefit of everyone's travel experience. If you are requested to be at a place at a certain time, ensure that you don't keep others waiting. We have found time and time again that the very best adventures we operate are those where the dynamics between travellers works well - this takes just a little effort on your part. Due to privacy reasons we are unable to provide you with contact details and any personal information about your fellow travellers booked on your Short Break Adventure prior to departure.

As a single traveller on a Short Break Adventure you will always get your own accommodation. Unlike a group adventure we are unable to match single travellers up in order to share a twin room. Solo travellers will always need to pay the single room price for this Short Break.

Please note many of our Short Break Adventures operate with a minimum of 1 person, so there may be instances where you are the only person on the trip.

ITINERARY CHANGES:
Our itineraries are updated regularly throughout the year based on customer feedback and to reflect the current situation in each destination. The information included in this Essential Trip Information may therefore differ from when you first booked your trip. It is important that you print and review a final copy prior to travel so that you have the latest updates. Due to weather, local conditions, transport schedules, public holidays or other factors, further changes may be necessary to your itinerary once in country. The order and timing of included activities in each location may also vary seasonally to ensure our travellers have the best experience. Your tour leader will keep you up to date with any changes once on tour.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
A selection of optional activities that have been popular with past travellers are listed in the day-to-day itinerary. This isn't an exhaustive list and should be used as a guide only for some of what might be available. Prices are approximate, are for entrance only, and don’t include transport to and from the sites or local guides unless indicated. All activities are subject to availability. It may not be possible to do all the activities listed in the time available at each destination, so some pre-planning for what you are most interested in is advised. When it's recommended that travellers pre-book these activities, look for a note in the Special Information section of the day-to-day itinerary. For most, they can either be organised independently on the day, or let your leader know you are interested and they can assist.

Where activities are considered medium or high risk, we work with operators whose safety and credentials we have sighted and assessed. Although it is possible that you may find the same activity cheaper with another operator on the ground, we cannot vouch for the safety or quality of that operator. Medium and high risk activities not listed above have not been assessed by us and as such our staff and leaders are unable to assist you with organising these activities. Activities that contravene our Responsible Travel policies are also not listed. Please remember that the decision to partake in any activity not listed is at your own discretion and risk.

Hotel (3 nights)

Raming Lodge Hotel & Spa is situated in the old city area and in the heart of the city of Chiang Mai, closed to the night bazzar, the Saturday and Sunday market. All 84 rooms are decorated in unique Lanna style. Raming Lodge also offers guests with a wide range of services including Supaya Spa, Raming restaurant, Internet service, Tour information and swimming pool.

An arrival transfer is included on this trip. Please advise your flight arrival details at least 14 days prior to your departure. If you plan to arrive earlier, this arrival transfer can only be offered in conjunction with pre-tour accommodation booked through Intrepid.

Our local representative will be holding a sign with your name when you exit the airport terminal. If you have any problems and cannot locate our transfer operator on arrival please our Thailand 24hr emergency number +66 89 810 3722.

A taxi from the airport to your hotel in Chiang Mai costs about THB150-200. Buy a ticket at the taxi kiosk outside the baggage claim area in the airport.

Please note we sometimes need to use alternative accommodation when the Raming Lodge Hotel & Spa is fully booked. The alternative hotels we use in Chiang Mai are:

De Lanna Boutique Hotel
44 Intawarorot Road T.Sriphum Muang,
Chiang Mai 50200,
Phone: +66 53 326 278

De Charme Hotel
28 Sriphum ,Singrat Road ,Muang
Chiang Mai
Phone +66 53 416 799

Please check with your booking agent to confirm if you are staying at the Raming Lodge Hotel & Spa, De Lanna Boutique Hotel or De Charme Hotel

Raming Lodge Hotel & Spa is situated in the old city area and in the heart of the city of Chiang Mai, closed to the night bazzar, the Saturday and Sunday market. All 84 rooms are decorated in unique Lanna style. Raming Lodge also offers guests with a wide range of services including Supaya Spa, Raming restaurant, Internet service, Tour information and swimming pool.

1. Complimentary airport arrival and departure transfers are included with this trip. Please advise your flight details at time of booking.
2. This trip starts on day one at 7pm.
3. This trip is operated by one of our local partners in Thailand and therefore you may be joined by a mixture of Intrepid-booked passengers and other travellers during activities.

In 2018 this trip was called Active Thailand.