Depart Chiang Mai by van and drive to Thaton via Chiang Dao. En route, visit Fang district, 150 kilometers, and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Depart Thaton by motorboat for a picturesque 3-hour journey down the Kok River. Visit a Karen village and hike uphill for 2 hours to a Lahu village where you'll have dinner and spend the night.

Start the day with a 2-hour hike visiting a waterfall along the route where you'll stop for lunch. In the afternoon, walk to a Karen and Lahu village. Next, continue on foot for another half hour to an Akha village, where you have dinner and stay overnight.

Take a short walk to a Shan village from where you will take a local truck back to the main road and continue by private van to Chiang Saen, the former capital of northern Thailand's ancient Lanna kingdom, located in the Golden Triangle. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant, then continue to Chiang Mai with a short break at natural hot springs along the way.