Northern Thailand is home to the majority of Thailand's half-million-plus tribal peoples, many of whom emigrated from Laos, southwestern China, Burma, and Tibet. Because of the ethnic, cultural, and language ties to these neighbors, the hilltribes have retained their traditional costumes, religion, art, and way of life. Opportunities to experience these distinctive ethnic enclaves and to enjoy the region's scenic beauty make the rural north one of the country's most popular destinations.
Hilltribe people have traditionally practiced slash-and-burn agriculture: burning forests to clear land, planting poppies as a cash crop, then setting up new bamboo and thatch villages whenever their farmland's soil became depleted. This unsustainable model is slowly changing and the efforts of Thai humanitarian groups have gone a long way to that effect and visitors can visit these changes and, by practicing cultural awareness and encouraging only positive models of sustainable tourism, have a positive effect on this unique region.
Adventurous self-drive trips, by car or motorbike, are a great way to get around and hilltribe tours and trekking are also very popular activities and bring visitors into the most intimate contact with the hospitable indigenous groups of the north. Many use Chiang Mai as a hub for forays into the surrounding hills. Visitors may also connect with hilltribe cultural traditions of the north by way of local cottage industry and the fine handicrafts sold in Chiang Mai's sprawling markets: some of the best shopping in the country.
Thailand's second city after Bangkok, Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna Kingdom from the 13th to 18th centuries, when the region was a distinct entity but a powerful ally of the central Sukhothai Kingdom. In and around the city there is a colorful legacy of old city walls, ornate temples and museums preserving the Lanna culture. Beginning with an exploration of this ancient Lanna capital, the following chapter provides details of the major destinations in the far north and the last chapter takes us east to Isan, Thailand's most rugged, rural area.
