Trek Around the Akha Loop

Step into pristine wilderness as you follow a mountain circuit east of Long Town on this moderate three-day guided trek that spends two nights at two different Akha villages, teaches you how to catch fish, and follow the NamFa River. You’ll get an early start at the Long Tourism Office for a full day of trekking over a mountain to Ban Cha Khuen Mai. The steep trail climbs through dense forest until reaching the ridge of Cogon Grass Mountain and its view of endless green peaks. The path then heads downhill to the Akha village for dinner and an overnight stay. A more relaxing second day begins with a tour of Ban Cha Khuen Mai to absorb the Akha’s daily regime, and examine their thatched-roof structures. A late-morning departure crosses upland, tiered rice paddies and goes through old forest, stopping after a river crossing to try catching fish for preparing your lunch.Continue to Ban Mong La, an Akha village on the Nam Fa River, for a homestay. A local woman will treat you to a massage, and you’ll eat an Akha dinner and sample some powerful rice whisky before sleeping in a villager’s house.The final day finds you in the forest following the Nam Fa River, crossing back and forth on occasion, and sometimes on a bamboo raft. A moderate hike to a ridge brings you to a vista of the valley and distant mountains, before walking to the main road and the tuk tuk ride to Long Town.