Next Step Thailand Ecotourism

Next Step Thailand Ecotourism

Next Step Thailand Ecotourism
5
Cultural ToursEco ToursHiking & Camping ToursPrivate ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
About
Next Step Thailand was founded by Samart (Joe), a native of Chiang Mai who has 10 years experience in Thailand's tourism industry. With licensed, English-speaking local staff we provide a wide range of adventure and cultural enrichment to meet your travel needs. At Next Step Thailand, all activities and tours support the local communities by visiting only locally owned businesses (such as elephant villages or hilltribes), ensuring that your investment benefits the local people. We also donate 15% of all profits to support community projects, such as Share the Dream Project, which brings educational programs to hilltribe villages. Next Step Thailand supports the three strands of sustainability - social, economic and environmental. By supporting fair-trade practices in the community and paying our staff fairly, we have built a friendly, reliable and knowledgeable team who will go the extra mile to make your visit special. We also aim to be as environmentally responsible as possible.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles239 reviews
Excellent
224
Very good
12
Average
0
Poor
2
Terrible
1

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

Dorottya Albert
20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Couples
We took the 2 days Doi Inthanon tour and the 1 day Chae Sorn tour with a little modification: we visited a temple in Lampang instead of the hot springs.

Our guide, Mr. Bun was always in a good mood, he was very positive but also took care of us, gave us private time when we needed it and last but not least he was a great cook!
The first night at the Karen village was amazing, our hosts were very hospitable and the evening spent with them, Mr Bun and Mr. Mot (our driver) was memorable. We sat on the floor of the balcony, we ate authentic food, we had some good laugh, we even tasted local whiskey. That evening was one of the best memory from our 2 weeks long Northern Thailand trip!
Next day, we took a small walk in the village, we drank local coffee, we also had time to visit a little handicraft shop with truly beautiful textiles. Afterwards, we started our 3-4 hours long trek following a truly unbeaten path (since our local Karen guide had to use his machete) finishing next to Watchiratan-waterfall. It was such a rewarding view!

Next day, we took the trip to Lampang, then Chaesorn National Park: even though we planned a little bit too much, we managed to fit everything into one day. The National Park was really green, Mr. Bun also taught us a lot about the jungle, we saw coffee plantations, we tasted coffee fruit, we saw a cinnamon tree, even took home a small piece of the trunk. At the end, we had a little time to look around Ban Mae Kampong and buy some fresh coffee.

During the whole trip, for every single route we got a local guide from a hilltribe and they were always compensated fairly. If You are really looking for a truly fair-trade business, this is definitely one of them!
Written 2 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your Doi Inthanon and Chae Sorn tours with Mr. Bun and Mr. Mot. It's wonderful to hear that Mr. Bun was able to provide you with such a positive and memorable experience, and that you were able to immerse yourself in the local culture and traditions. We appreciate your kind words about our commitment to fair-trade practices and our efforts to support the local hilltribe communities by providing fair compensation to our local guides. We believe that responsible and sustainable tourism is essential for the long-term preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the region, and we're happy to hear that you share our commitment to this cause. Thank you again for choosing to travel with us, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back to Northern Thailand in the future!
Written 7 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Karissa
Wisconsin27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Couples
My husband and I could not recommend this company more. We completed the 5 day Karen lover cultural experience. The itinerary was a true representation of the experience we had. Our main guide Lu was great and spoke English to help us in the local tribes. Our local guide Jamo was also very kind and helpful. They were both so good at making each day exactly what was best for us. For example, he invited us to help cook meals and explained the culture, animals, and plants very well. Also, the food was amazing and hikes and adventures were great. They were very accommodating to make the hikes to our skill level and desires. It definitely accomplished our goal of cultural emersion and adventure!
Written 20 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ga-L
17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
We spent 3 days with Jack (English guide) and Jamal (Karen guide) it was 3 days forever engraved in our minds and hearts.
a first day of visiting the countryside by bike, we stocked up on groceries at a local market. then we went up to the village of Jamal, who welcomed us into his home. A real immersion!
We were able to visit the village school and meet the teacher and the students…great!
we had wonderful, very moving encounters
then we went for a trek, Jack and Jamal were taking care of us.
then we arrived at the Spicy villa again great meetings of the cooking classes.
Also meet the elephants, alone with them.
then again a trek and a raft descent with our guides.
3 extra days, certainly the most memorable for us and our children (14 and 20 years old) of our stay in Thailand
Thanks again Jack, Jamal and his family
Gaëlle & Nico
Google
Written 11 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonathon H
Andover, UK123 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022
If you are looking for a trip whilst in Northern Thailand, I would highly recommend using these guys. Spicy Joe is the best guide with expert local knowledge and connections in the area. Joe knew how to make the trip exciting and spontaneous, showing us Norther Thailand off the tourist trail. I plan to go back in April.
Written 30 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your rate and reviews. Other off beaten trails are waiting for you to explore. You're always welcome back.
Written 3 November 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jason W
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
This was a really great tour and our guide, Te, was amazing! He drove us to doi inthanon and took us to the summit. We did an easy nature walk there through the cloud forest, then drove down to the pagodas which were stunning. I definitely wouldn’t skip those! Then we saw the farmers market and the Royal agricultural project which was a welcome bonus - I didn’t realize that was part of the trip.

Around this point I was worried that our day of hiking was going to end without much hiking, but I was very mistaken. First, we did a nature trail for about 90 minutes that took us past some waterfalls to a Karen village. We had lunch their which was really special. The food was so fresh; about as farm to table as you can get :) Then our guide took us to another trail which was much harder. There was an easy trail and an “old” trail which was really just jungle. But we took the hard way and we made it to the waterfall at the end in one piece! That hike took more like 2-2.5 hours and Te said we were on the faster side. So all in all, we got some trekking in and then some, since we really got to see all that the park had to offer.

Te was also super informative about the Karen people and was in general really fun to talk to. He seemed to be having as much fun as we were! Highly recommend this as a day trip out of chiang Mai.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diana K
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2020 • Solo
I did two days motorbike tour of the Don Inthanon National Park. Samart organizers everything down to every hour. We drove through many local villages and experienced their true hospitality. Samart was very knowledgeable of the local community, Thai culture, and food.

I felt very safe and welcomed by their team. Thank you so much for everything that made this trip so memorable.

I highly recommend this trip if you are looking for a chill nature experience while getting to know most authentic people of northern Thailand.
Written 10 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KatyF363
Alton20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020
Two friends and I did a two-day tour which included seeing elephants, bamboo rafting and jungle trekking. We enjoyed every minute of it. Samart was a great guide and extremely knowledgeable, we loved the beautiful views from our accommodation at Spicy Villa, and the food was fantastic – every meal was a feast, even when served up by a waterfall in the jungle. The chance to feed and bathe with the elephants was particularly special and the staff seem to have a good connection with them, managing them with voice commands only. Thanks for a great weekend!
Written 22 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CornishCouple2
5 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2015 • Couples
It is really disappointing having to write this review, we booked our tour based on all the other rave reviews, but our experience no way matched the others. We had some highs and lows- as I'll explain.

Communication with the office 9\10
We had good email communication throughout and the office managed to change the dates of our trip due to a date mix up with accommodation.

8am pick up 5\10
+Punctual and were ready for us.
- brief introduction, no discussion of the itinary quickly packed into the back of the pick up.

Transportation to Chiang Dao 5\10
+ modern and in good condition
- our guide sat in the air con front with the driver so no chance to converse,discuss or get to know him. As there was just two of us a car could have been a better option.

Stop at local market 1\10
+ we saw a stall selling snake and maggots
- we had all our supplies so sat around waiting for our guide. If you've not been to a Thai market then it is an experience. The stop was for the guide to buy the supplies for the trek. This would have been a great opportunity to discuss what we would like to eat. Why is it assumed bread and egg\jam for breakfast is what is wanted? We chose a trip into indigenous territory to experience and eat authentic dishes.

Explore Chiang Dao caves 3\10
+ great rock formations in the underground temple
- rushed and sold as caves, we only had time to walk through one cave. Time to explore the whole cave system would have been more enjoyable than waiting at the market.

Lunch break 6\10
Takeaway fried rice (tasty) from the market, eaten at a lovely spot over looking a rice field.

Jungle trek to local Karen village 1\10
Our biggest disappointment!
+ our guide showed us some fun things to do with certain plants. Blow bubbles and make loud bangs.
- We were not informed before leaving that a bridge was down and we had to walk along a road to get to the village. It was not the jungle trek we had expected to experience.
Our guide a popular one on the other reviews was distant and seemed very tired. It took a lot of effort to engage him. He had a lot of bread, jam, eggs and spread to carry!

Cooking with the villagers 0\10
+
- this just didn't happen! One more part of the tour we were really looking forward too.

Dinner 5\10
+ tasty and big portions
- not interesting, didn't feel it was authentic or what the local villagers would eat. Was more the sort of food you could get in any Thai food stall. It seems these tours cater for Western pallets. The guides and families always seem to eat a different meal to the clients.

Homestay in Karen Village 0\10
+ ?
- We could have stayed in a wooden dorm room anywhere in the world. We were not introduced to the family, they didn't interact and our guide spent the evening with them catching up. We were hoping to get really involved. We were also informed we'd have a private room. We did, the whole dorm to ourselves! Wish there had been others on our tour to interact with.

Day 1 a total waste of a day - if we had the choice we'd have got a taxi back to Chiang Mai that evening.

Day 2

Shocking nights sleep. However it is nice and cool in the evening as at this time of year.

Breakfast 0\10
+
- toasted bread, eggs, jam and spread. How is that authentic? Give me sticky rice, this is Thailand not Benidorm!

Expore the village 2\10
+ we saw the buildings of the village
- saw no locals or whom we saw all pretty much wear Western clothing these days. A visit to the school great, I'm a teacher, always interesting to see how its done elsewhere or would have been if our guide had known it had specific visiting hours! Me thinks its been a while since our guide's been this way!

Jungle trek 9\10
+ This is the trekking we wanted through the jungle, heavy rain showers, just what we expected\wanted. We saw a beautiful snake.
- so little wildlife to be seen.

Jungle style cooking class 0\10
+
- Wasn't even mentioned or discussed. Found out later we didn't do it because it had been raining! It would have been nice to have that info at the time!

Point of note: in Vietnam, and we are finding in Thailand, there is a massive urge for tourists not to fuel the elephant trips. Many elephant sanctuarys fall short in there care for these creatures. That's why we swapped it out for cooking.

Lunch break 1\10

+ it kept us alive and gave us energy for the next part of the trek.
- When did super nooddles become authentic Thai cuisine? Gutted especially as the couple next to us had a lovely fresh rice noodle dish. It seemed we were given the cheapest food our guide could find.

Trek to Lahu village. 9\10
As above

Dinner 7\10
+ more authentic, our guide had opened up during the trek and realised what we were after. Although he did leave us on the road side at the end of the trek to buy fresh provisions. He also prepared a couple of wild mushroom dishes that he foraged for us enroute.

- we ate alone no family, no guide

Lahu village homestay 2\10
+ more comfortable nights sleep
- during the time our guide was searching for supplies he was also trying to find us a room for the night. This had not been prearranged. again left to our own devices not really a homestay, another night bunking down in an oversized dorm room. Wife reminded me it was filthy!

Day 2 awesome trekking just what we wanted, tarnished by the additional parts of the day.

Day 3

Breakfast 8\10
+heeding our suggestion's we were served local cuisine no toast or jam in sight. If only we had this throughout.
- none!!! I'm not so miserable!!!

Construct bamboo rafts 9\10
+ loved it. This is where our guide came into his own. I'm a sailor so this was fascinating. Such simple yet effective methods. The majority of the raft had been built so it was just finishing off a few bits.
- none again!!!

Bamboo rafting down stream 10\10
+ So much fun, our guide was confident and knew what he was doing. A few small rapids and a scenic voyage through the valley.
- nope can't think of any.

Lunch 7\10
This time cooked and served at a local restaurant.
+simple yet tasty pad Thai
- again the locals ate a different dish of raw beef and offal. Are European taste buds that crappy?

Whitewater rafting Mae Teang River 8\10
+ safe, exciting, good equipment and guide knowledge. There are scouts at different intervals along the river with throw lines etc in case you become de-boated.
- again no prior warning to the next session so no time to change into our swimmers etc, never been rafting in hiking gear before!

At the end of the rafting our guide asked us to complete the review\feedback form in front of him. I guess he's used to positive comments. We found this situation hard to be honest about the tour and not hurt his feelings as a lot of our concerns were out of his control.

Overall, with hindsight, 3\10
+Due to the second day trek, bamboo and whitewater rafting.
- lack of authenticity, ambience and interactions along the way.

This tour has ruined our trust in tour operators. In future we'll do these activities as day trips from accommodation of our choosing.

The office did contact us after our feedback, heeded our concerns and repatriated us a small amount.

I hope your experience is like that of the other reviews and no ours...
Written 4 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First we would like to thank our guests for taking the time to write a thorough review of their experience, and also express regret that their experience did not match their expectations. Satisfaction of our guests is of utmost importance for our company, and we always try our best to organize a memorable experiences for our guests. After the tour in question we organized a meeting with the guide to go over the points our guests made and find ways to improve our service in the future. I would like to stress that good communication with a guide is paramount on a private tour, and that all our guides have a great deal of experiences, and will always do their best to listen to their guests and adjust aspects of the tour to their guests' wishes. The guide in question has over twenty years of experience as a tour leader and has never had a complaint like this. In the meeting we heard the guide's side of the story, and would like to address the points made in the review. At pick up our guides will go over the itinerary with their guests and see if the guests have any questions. Our guide assures us that he presented the itinerary when he picked up the guests. On the way to the market, driver made a short stop to check the car, at which point the guide asked his guests about their wishes regarding food on the tour, and was assured that guests had no special wishes. The guide did sit in the front of the car to give his guests some privacy during the ride. However after reading this review, we have asked all our guides to sit in the car with their guests unless their guests express that they would prefer to be alone. We have also asked all guides to invite their guests on our future tours to go shopping in the market with them. The reviewer's suggestion to do this is great, and it will give our guests a chance to be involved in meal planning if they wish to be. Itinerary for the reviewed tour clearly states that 45 minutes are spent exploring Chiang Dao caves. We cannot spend more time at this location if we are to reach the village where we spend the night before dark. We had no way of knowing that our guide won't be able to cross the river with his guests. Had we known this in advance, our guests would have been notified and the trekking route would have been changed. However this year we had drought in Thailand, and it only started raining shortly before the reviewed tour took place. Once heavy rains come, rivers rise rapidly. In these circumstances, the guide took a road on the other side of the river as there was nothing else to do. We have already changed the trekking route for all our future tours. When guide and guests reached the village where they would stay overnight, guests took a shower and retired to their room. Their guide took this as a sign that they would like to rest after the trek and did not wish to disturb them by asking them to help prepare the dinner. After the dinner was ready, he called the guests, who came and ate, but retired to their room afterward. Their guide did not want to bother them, and left them to rest. Since the guide was assured that guests had no special wishes regarding the food and since the guests retired to their room, he prepared dinner on his own, and hoped the guests would like the dishes. He also prepared a western breakfast for them in the morning. Afterward the guests told him they would like more authentic food and he listened to them. The guide is an expert for Chiang Dao and Mae Taeng areas and he led another tour to this area only a short while before the reviewed tour. However he was not informed about the changes regarding school visits during the previous tour as he visited the school early (new visiting hours are before 8 AM and in the afternoon) and was within the visiting hours. We are now aware of new school rules regarding visitors and will follow them on all future tours. Visits to elephant camps are optional on most of our tours (with the exception of Two-day elephant experience) and if the guests wish to skip the visit, they can do so. We have offered to do a jungle cooking class instead for this tour, however the cooking class was not possible in the open due to the rain. The class needn’t be canceled as it could still be organized under a roof by the elephant camp or in a nearby village, and we have talked with the guide to see why he chose to skip the class. Again he was not under the impression that his guests were looking forward to this class, and because of the rain and need to look for a new location for the class, he made a call to cancel it. As the cooking class was in the itinerary, and should have been carried out regardless of the weather, we asked our guests how much they would like us to refund for it, and promptly refunded the stated amount. We have also made sure that our guides carry out all points of the itinerary in the future. Mama noodles (instant noodles) are a staple food in Thailand, sold on food stalls and in restaurants. Guide stir fried them with vegetables as they are usually prepared. Village home-stays are authentic and there are hardly any frills for the visitors. As on the previous night, guests retired to their room before and after dinner, and their guide did not wish to disturb them. We have met with all our guides and instructed them to introduce home stay families with guests in the future. We would like to point out once again to our future guests that communicating your wishes about all aspects of the tour is paramount to the tour's success, as every traveler has different wishes regarding food, interaction with locals, and all other aspects of the tour. Your private guide is there to listen to your wishes and prepare best possible experience for you. On the other hand it is also a guide's responsibility to make sure he knows his guests' wishes, and we have discussed this with all our guides who will now try even harder to establish a good communication with their guests, and to follow their wishes.
Written 9 August 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Bec G
Melbourne, Australia31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We travelled to Chiang Mai with our 4 children (16,12,10,6 years) via overnight sleeper train from Bangkok, this was a crazy fun adventure. We then spent 3 days with Samart which was incredible, we were jam packed with activities from cycling, swimming in waterfalls, hiking, elephant riding, bamboo rafting, cooking a Thai dinner, home stay with local family, offerings to the monks, the list is endless. Most importantly I had time to relax in the hammock on my bungalow verandah and take in the incredible views. It truly is an experience of a lifetime. Samart's beautiful bungalows nestled in the side of a hill overlooking the valley were fantastic. I was a bit apprehensive prior to arriving thinking we would be really roughing it but it was a pleasant surprise still covering the basic creature comforts. I couldn't recommend Samart's tours highly enough. Feel free to ask me any questions if you are planning to travel there with a you family.
Written 6 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MiguelGSG
Alcobendas, Spain92 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Couples
Our Hiking experience was not that as Extraordinary as we thought. The guide was ok and the trail was acceptable, but nothing out of this world as advertised in online page.
We strongly believe it was overpriced. 140 USD for to persons in Thailand should buy you more, even-though the views and the experience were fun we were deceived by the description we saw in the webpage.
Written 4 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This trip is one day hiking. hiker supposes to walk about 4-5 hours to see waterfall, paddy fields and hilltribe Karen village, on the website information is very clear meantioned about private trip or price depends on how many people and maximum is 4. this couple booked for 2 and already mentioned the price for 2 people is 70 USD each so 140 USD for a couple. this is expension for 1 day hiking for 2 people Transportation 60 USD, Lunch Guide is 50 USD, Insurance is 4 USD , Lunch is 10 USD total is 124 USD and the office made 26 USD the office has to pay tax, internet bill, staff, phone bills so do you still think 26 USD is overprice? This couple stayed in 5 stars hotel in chiang mai and tried to bargen for 5 baht cheaper at the local market for a bunch of banana do you thinkis ok? right? what can you do 5 baht in your country? they asked me to be honest to them that the trail wouldnt be muddy on their hiking trail which they did on wet season!!! please please people think about this!! i dont mind if you want to comment or complain but please be fare to us thanks samart srisoda Manager
Written 15 November 2012
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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