The Lisu Lodge, set at the outskirts of a Lisu hilltribe village, is based on a traditional Lisu house design. The lodge, made from wood, woven bamboo and thatch, features basic but comfortable rooms surrounding a central “family” area where you and the other guests eat, socialize, and are entertained in the evenings by local musicians and dancers. This lovely spot, set among fields and mountains, is the home base for a wealth of fun and healthy adventures.

All about people
Local villagers staff the lodge: a charming and friendly people who migrated to Thailand from the mountains of Burma about a century ago. The Lahu live a simple and traditional subsistence lifestyle that is swiftly being eroded by the encroachment of the modern world. The unobtrusive placement of the Lisu Lodge allows the villagers to earn much-needed income without becoming some sort of circus attraction. The management of the lodge strives to treat the local people with the respect and deference they deserve – and asks the guests to do the same.

Carried by giants
Jungles and wildlife surround the lodge area, and one of the best vantage points from which to take in the view is on the back of an elephant. It’s a bit daunting at first, as your sedan chair sways back and forth in time to the gentle giant’s ambling stride, but you soon get used it, (though it can get a little scary when they slide down muddy slopes). Not to worry though, these big sure-footed fellows know exactly what they’re doing.

River rapids
Hop aboard a rubber raft and head down river over rapids. It’s much safer than it looks and a real thrill. Qualified, friendly instructors brief visitors on the basics and then do the steering, leaving you to will your tired arms to paddle frantically through the white foam. As the river calms, water fights break out with the other boats.

Hilltop village
A jungle hike up a nearby mountain for an overnight stay at a Lahu Village is just the thing to work up a healthy appetite. The hand-cut road to the top is passable only by four-wheel drive, and not at all during the rainy season. The basic lodge facility is perched on a hilltop giving a spectacular view of forested hills that spread out before you. In the evening, villagers entertain guests with traditional songs and dances and insist everyone sing a song from their homeland.

The proof is in the eating
The food throughout your stay is rice accompanied by several other dishes laid out on a table and shared communally. The chilies have been toned down a bit, but are provided on the side for those who wish to blow their heads off. After all the exercise and fresh air of the daytime activities, you’ll swear it’s the best food you’ve ever tasted – and sleep better than you have in months.

Back to basics
That’s what the Lisu Lodge experience is all about–forsaking the stresses and trappings of modern society and getting back to the honest basics of exercise, eating, sleeping, telling stories and singing songs. For the villagers, this is daily reality, and far from being some inferior primitive people, there is much about life that these people know that our society, with its televisions, fast food and sedentary lifestyles, have all but forgotten.

See for yourself!
Here is your chance to experience hilltribe life.

Lisu Lodge Adventure: a one-day excursion program of fun activities from Chiang Mai.

Around Northern Thailand in 8 days: explore the ancient kingdoms of Thailand from Ayuthaya, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai. Also admire different ethnic cultures of hill tribe villagers of Lisu and Akha in their mountainous residence.