Visiting the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand: Long Neck Karen close to Chiang Rai Thailand

In this Thailand Travel Vlog it's our third day in Chiang Rai!
After driving so far yesterday, we decided to sleep in and stay close to home. After seeing so many tours say they stop by the 'Long Neck Karen Village', we decided to try to go on our own. The reviews were all over the place: some good, some bad, some said it looked like a zoo. We tried to google whether these villages were ethical or not and what we seemed to keep finding is that the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand are mostly all refugees that fled Myanmar due to the war/being prosecuted. As they aren't Thai citizens, they're not allowed to work legally. One of the ways that they can make money is by selling different crafts and items at these villages. If you go to visit a Long Neck Tribe or the other Hill Tribes, make sure you buy some souvenirs as opposed to walking around just taking pictures and videos without trying to support the tribes!
We chose to go to the closest village to Chiang Rai - about 25 minutes north of the clock tower. At first it seemed like a tourist trap where they were just trying to sell things, but it got better as you went through. It was also really interesting to see the different hill tribes outfits and characteristics.
After visiting the Hill Tribes, we stopped by a local restaurant for some Thai food! We then stopped by some local hot springs which were on the way back to Chiang Rai city.
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00:01 our plan for the day
00:21 driving to the Long Neck Karen village
00:53 the Hill Tribe Village entrance
01:33 the Hill Tribe Village parking lot
02:22 map of the different tribes
02:45 the Akha Tribe Village
03:12 different souvenirs
04:02 the Yao Tribe Village
05:21 the Kayaw Tribe Village
05:55 the Long Neck Karen Tribe Village
08:45 info about the Friends of the Hill Tribes Foundation
09:51 the different Northern Thai Hill Tribes
11:13 Leaving the Long Neck Karen Village
12:00 Thai food for lunch!
13:01 nice views driving to the hot springs
13:26 Pong Phra Bat Hot Springs
15:12 trying not to get sunburnt!

#chiangrai #thailand #longneck #hotsprings

[j-op]

I like that you have lived like the Thais..visiting places and stoping by some random restaurants and ordering our simple comfort food.

[rambodiehardwarrior]

Hi.. I really enjoy watching your VDO clips and I hope there's no rain to spoil your journey like the previous day. The weather is getting colder and colder these days since winter is approaching so pl. take care of your health and have a nice journey and a happy stay in our country.

[Tejasen]

I went to the long neck Karen village long before tourism stepped in as part of the first excursion survey (1989) to the village. It looks totally different now.

[bussabachaiyaseri]

Seawatde Ka Natale and Clare I like to watch you trip in Thailand your both look very good I like Natalee smile you look good

[PakM]

Winter season in Thailand or ‘so-called’ starts 29-Oct-22.

[janamckendree]

We were there in 2008, we paid $500. Bath .But it was more long neck tribes that you really can see more of them works but, when they take pictures with you, and they’re exspecting some tips from you.😂😂. I knew the Burmese Gov; wanted them to go back to Myanmar ASAP .!

[denisehoffman]

Oh wow!! That was really interesting, but also a little creepy. Oh we love the wooden carved whistle and the fridge magnets❤

[acousticglatv]

There're many new generation of karen has stopped their own culture to be city-citizen. It's gonna be good for their life in a long term.
So there're had less karen people in their old style. That's the reason why it's look like a fake things.

[Chakuraeeee]

Natalie and Carles omg!! You guys look so bright and lively. I'm happy and enjoying watching your videos.😁😁

[ectehnay]

Hello! I am so proud of you and your husband, you are going to visit the Karen people, but did you know that the Karen people have a few different people? Some Karen people have long necks, me I’m Karen too but my mom isn’t Karen long neck 🥰 There I think you will experience a lot. I'm glad for you.

[abapranger]

How long will you stay in Thailand? Hope you have a fun & nice trip.

[TheLadyinblack]

Hope they quit this dangerous custom soon. It's very deliberating for Karen women. Because this is their choice and freedom on their own bodies. We respect that.

But in modern world, long neck custom can be a difficulty for education and migration. I know they want to go back to myanmar but Karen kids need education. Thai people want to offer more opportunity but they just need to be more adapted.

[pippalovegood]

Was it easy to ride a scooter to the village from chiang rai?

[koranatsrisermwong]

Happy to see you guys enjoying your holiday in Thailand

[samomanawat]

I don’t get this touristy hill tribe village at all. For the long neck Karen it’s acceptable because they’re recently fled away from the conflicts in Myanmar and they have no citizenship. But for the Akha and the Yao(Mien) is like what the heck they’re doing there. Their migration to Thailand maybe recent but it was like more than 100 years ago. Shouldn’t they have the citizenship and everything already?

[Etogo]

ยินดีตอนรับประเภทไทย (อ่านภาษาไทยได้ไหม)

[nestorgrey]

The villages you visit are fake and neither is right nor wrong. Because it is like a center for various hill tribes in Thailand gathered in one place for people to travel and learn. The villages they actually live in are often in hard to reach and dangerous places. Most of them have no access to electricity and are difficult to travel. Because these tribes are immigrants from Burma and China. They were often on the tops of mountains and in the beginning were often in contact with thieves or transnational drug cartels. These tribes grew opium to sell to drug dealers in the Golden Triangle. After the reign of King Rama IX of Thailand took part in a project to improve the quality of life for the tribes, they turned to other economic crops and stopped growing opium. An example that people know in Thailand and are bringing to the global market by starting in Thailand to Japan is The coffee brand "Akha Ama" has a logo depicting an Akha tribal woman. The Akha hill tribe people get coffee beans from the king to plant and develop until they open a coffee shop. It started from Chiang Mai and then went to Japan.

[narachaimk]

I answer like a local Thailand (ChiangMai). I disagree with this hill tribe model village. Because it's like bringing a human to a show like animal zoo. Sometimes a businessman who is for profit It came to be in the form of a foundation.

[pvolaujfoomgany]

Greater than last time my wife's and I. We couldn't walked through.

[subinho]

Carles can eat Pad-Krapraw chicken all day all night LOL. Me too.