Union Hilltribe Villages
Union Hilltribe Villages
3
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3.0
94 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
18
Average
19
Poor
17
Terrible
21
Nicole S
Surfers Paradise, Australia444 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
I did a lot of research before deciding to stop here. On the one hand, its' commercialised and a tourist attraction and the people are on display, on the other this is there only way to support themselves until they are recognised as citizens so they can work in the community.
We hired a private driver for the day and it was just the two of us walking through the first 4 tribes. The first thing we heard was "100 baht, 100 baht" with stalls around (it's a display village of 5 tribes, the people don't live there) selling pretty much the same thing. We were asked to sit down and watch a dance (then donate) and for the most part, they were just going through the motions and didn't seem interested at all. It was all very uncomfortable and cringe worthy.
The last tribe was the longneck tribe. We found them the most friendly and came accross some other tourits on their way out. The whole thing took 40 minutes. 300 baht to enter (not sure how much of that the tribes actually see). I made an consious effort to be very respectful, always ask permission for a photo before taking one, and supported them buy purchasing items on the way around.
As I'm unlikely to get to Myanmar where they come from, this was a great way to understand other cultures. However, make up your own mind. I certainly wouldn't do it again. I think the way you decide to do it (if you do) matters.
We hired a private driver for the day and it was just the two of us walking through the first 4 tribes. The first thing we heard was "100 baht, 100 baht" with stalls around (it's a display village of 5 tribes, the people don't live there) selling pretty much the same thing. We were asked to sit down and watch a dance (then donate) and for the most part, they were just going through the motions and didn't seem interested at all. It was all very uncomfortable and cringe worthy.
The last tribe was the longneck tribe. We found them the most friendly and came accross some other tourits on their way out. The whole thing took 40 minutes. 300 baht to enter (not sure how much of that the tribes actually see). I made an consious effort to be very respectful, always ask permission for a photo before taking one, and supported them buy purchasing items on the way around.
As I'm unlikely to get to Myanmar where they come from, this was a great way to understand other cultures. However, make up your own mind. I certainly wouldn't do it again. I think the way you decide to do it (if you do) matters.
Written 15 August 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.
appetite4trvl
Chicago, IL1,940 contributions
Dec 2013 • Friends
It's clear from reading some of the reviews that this Chiang Rai attraction is extremely subjective and will be either a hit or a miss for everyone. I traveled as part of a group trip and opinions varied widely amongst people in my own group. Personally speaking, I enjoyed my visit although I can understand why some people have objections.
#1 Is the village contrived? ABSOLUTELY. The idea is that you get to see what homes, clothing and customs are like for several Asian tribes. I could be wrong but most (if not all) of the tribes are not native to Thailand. These are families who have moved to Chiang Rai and made the conscious decision to live together in a village, so obviously you're going to see something that is arranged for appearances' sake.
#2 Is the main objective to get tourists to spend money? ABSOLUTELY. As you walk through the village there is a donation box in the area where some members sing and dance for tourists. Most of the women in the village display textiles and jewelry for sale. Is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so at all.
#3 It could be because of the language barrier but I appreciated the fact that no one in the village attempted to force you to purchase something from them. I certainly felt bad about not buying something from each and every person. In the end I purchased a handmade scarf that I loved and small trinkets from anyone with whom I took a photo. If you are open to purchasing anything while you're there, keep in mind it is in extremely poor form to try and barter.
#4 If you have a soft spot and are emotionally sensitive it's probably best that you not visit the village. If you've read some of the other reviews you will note that there are people who equate the village to being nothing more than a "human zoo." I respectfully disagree with that characterization but that is purely my opinion. When traveling to a different country it all boils down to tourism. I grew up in the Caribbean where the main industry is tourism and people leave their homes early in the morning with hopes that tourists will spend their money. That money is necessary to pay bills, buy food and put clothes on their family's back. I don't view the people staying at the Union Hilltribe Villages any differently in their need for money so they can provide for their family. The vendors who set up tables at various night markets are hoping for the same tourist dollars.
#5 If you truly want to be of help to these families I'm sure they would want to encourage even more people to visit. Remember they need money to support their families just like everyone else in this world. For many of them it simply isn't practical to carry their products down to a night market, set up a display booth, sit around for several hours hoping to make a sale, then pack their unsold items and go back home, only to do it again the next night. Staying together in a village with their items for sale on display may not be the most politically correct thing to do but it's probably one of the better options they feel is available to them.
#1 Is the village contrived? ABSOLUTELY. The idea is that you get to see what homes, clothing and customs are like for several Asian tribes. I could be wrong but most (if not all) of the tribes are not native to Thailand. These are families who have moved to Chiang Rai and made the conscious decision to live together in a village, so obviously you're going to see something that is arranged for appearances' sake.
#2 Is the main objective to get tourists to spend money? ABSOLUTELY. As you walk through the village there is a donation box in the area where some members sing and dance for tourists. Most of the women in the village display textiles and jewelry for sale. Is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so at all.
#3 It could be because of the language barrier but I appreciated the fact that no one in the village attempted to force you to purchase something from them. I certainly felt bad about not buying something from each and every person. In the end I purchased a handmade scarf that I loved and small trinkets from anyone with whom I took a photo. If you are open to purchasing anything while you're there, keep in mind it is in extremely poor form to try and barter.
#4 If you have a soft spot and are emotionally sensitive it's probably best that you not visit the village. If you've read some of the other reviews you will note that there are people who equate the village to being nothing more than a "human zoo." I respectfully disagree with that characterization but that is purely my opinion. When traveling to a different country it all boils down to tourism. I grew up in the Caribbean where the main industry is tourism and people leave their homes early in the morning with hopes that tourists will spend their money. That money is necessary to pay bills, buy food and put clothes on their family's back. I don't view the people staying at the Union Hilltribe Villages any differently in their need for money so they can provide for their family. The vendors who set up tables at various night markets are hoping for the same tourist dollars.
#5 If you truly want to be of help to these families I'm sure they would want to encourage even more people to visit. Remember they need money to support their families just like everyone else in this world. For many of them it simply isn't practical to carry their products down to a night market, set up a display booth, sit around for several hours hoping to make a sale, then pack their unsold items and go back home, only to do it again the next night. Staying together in a village with their items for sale on display may not be the most politically correct thing to do but it's probably one of the better options they feel is available to them.
Written 7 February 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.
talbot983
Chiang Rai, Thailand59 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
Yes it is a FOR PROFIT place.There a few "typical" hill trib villages next to each other. When they see you comming it's show time untill you tip then the music and dance stop and you go on to the next "village" The only real natural thing that I came across was a human powered Ferris wheel (Powerer by me" the kids liked it because I am big and strong so I got a full load of 4. NO the typical hill tribes do NOT live like that (close together) They are in larger Villages More to the West. So save some money and just tuer West and follow the road till it ends or you get to a point where you can't turn around. You will then see what a real village is lile, kids running all over. same with the chickens. and the skinny cows.You will see old women with pipes smoking and red teeth from eating Bettle nuts.There are many diffrent villages in the area just turn west up to the hills and you will see the real ones. This one is a mini version of it's a small world minus the boats. Yes the gardens are real and yes they do keep the tips and profit from the goods sold. BUT is in not real lift.
Written 22 March 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.
Veerle V
Londerzeel, Belgium60 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
This was sad, really sad… It really felt like we were in a zoo. The only difference with a zoo, is that here the animals have been replaced by humans…
The entrance fee is 300 bath, not sure if any of the people we say will get any of that money. They were all dressed up in their tribe’s clothing. They just wanted to sell you stuff, people were very pushy and they didn’t seem happy to me.. Also, although there were women and children, we didn’t see any man, except for the on at the entrance, collecting the money..
The entrance fee is 300 bath, not sure if any of the people we say will get any of that money. They were all dressed up in their tribe’s clothing. They just wanted to sell you stuff, people were very pushy and they didn’t seem happy to me.. Also, although there were women and children, we didn’t see any man, except for the on at the entrance, collecting the money..
Written 27 November 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.
RodgerOndat
Chiang Rai, Thailand54 contributions
Dec 2011 • Family
I have not seen a worse tourist destination yet. What is even more heartbreaking is that there are many more of these human zoos which feature tribal people that have been removed from their villages (in Myanmar or Burma in the case of the Long Neck Karen) and transplanted anywhere the businessman who runs the place so chooses.
The Human Zoo management is not up front about where the people that populate this make-believe village come from. It is as if they are saying that the Long Neck Karen and the other exotic tribal people that are made to live here are from Thailand. More often than not, they come from Myanmar (Burma). I asked one of the Long Neck Karen women where their husbands were because I saw only women and children. It seems that their husbands did not come along and I was thinking that perhaps it was because men also ate food - but it was the women which tourists are attracted to. Hmmm.
The 200 to 500 Baht entrance fee was exorbitant. Nothing could be learned from the visit and the only thing worthwhile doing there was to take photos of the exotic people. How much of the 200 to 500 Baht went into the pockets of the women was anybody's guess. I heard they got a stipend of 1/2 a sack (around 20 kg.) of rice and a little bit of cash. It might be a better deal for the Long Neck Karen women to be here in Thailand - but they should be treated in a fair manner. NOT Exploited this way.
The Human Zoo management is not up front about where the people that populate this make-believe village come from. It is as if they are saying that the Long Neck Karen and the other exotic tribal people that are made to live here are from Thailand. More often than not, they come from Myanmar (Burma). I asked one of the Long Neck Karen women where their husbands were because I saw only women and children. It seems that their husbands did not come along and I was thinking that perhaps it was because men also ate food - but it was the women which tourists are attracted to. Hmmm.
The 200 to 500 Baht entrance fee was exorbitant. Nothing could be learned from the visit and the only thing worthwhile doing there was to take photos of the exotic people. How much of the 200 to 500 Baht went into the pockets of the women was anybody's guess. I heard they got a stipend of 1/2 a sack (around 20 kg.) of rice and a little bit of cash. It might be a better deal for the Long Neck Karen women to be here in Thailand - but they should be treated in a fair manner. NOT Exploited this way.
Written 3 May 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.
KLworker
Kuala Lumpur122 contributions
Nov 2012 • Family
What a false, acting experience this is. Just a routine that the people go through to get tourists to part with money. The expressions on the faces tell a good story. We were very disappointed with this 'attraction' and would advise others to think carefully before visiting. It would appear that there is a 'behind the scenes' life to the people here with motorbikes and cars, pickups coming and going so I don't think that life in the hilltribe is too bad. The singing and dancing was painful to watch/hear and the 'actors' appeared to be bored senseless having to go through the same routine the thousandth time over. Shalln't be returning here and can't recommend this.
Written 6 December 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.
G_J123321
Ocean Grove, Australia45 contributions
I am really not in the habit of telling people what to do but if you are fully informed adults then make your mind up on this place but don't make the same mistake we made and take impressionable teenagers or children. There is so much wrong about this place one would need to write a book to fully articulate. Very sad!!
Written 20 December 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.
Charlie-Ann M
5 contributions
We went here as part of a day tour, unfortunately we did not research the place before booking. We all felt dirty and ashamed to be in this human zoo. Our tour guide told us that 30 years ago the thai government forced 5 different tribes to live in the "village" all together purely for a tourist attraction. I guess now they have no where to go and if the tourists stop they wont have an income
Written 19 October 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.
jroihl
Cambridge, MA1,751 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
We arrived here late in the day with our driver. My husband paid the entrance and I didn't discover until after we left it had been 500 baht each. I have no idea how much if any went to the tribes.
I am 76 and was exhausted at the end of a very long day so I was not as observant as usual. I was beyond exhausted. The land is very rough, hilly , and uneven. We were the only visitors at the time and so things were probably less staged.
I immediately wondered what we had walked into. We were told there would be no men and I was too tired to digest the reason. There was a scale at the entry with one of the "necklaces" /coils worn by the "long neck Karen tipping the scale at 4.5 pounds. The explanation was that they had been worn to protect the women from animals that grabbed the skin. These women seemed unused to them and had napkins tucked in around the top to protect their necks.
The first village consisted of shacks blocked by a kiosk with a woman welling jewelry and woven items. One after the other end to end the same display and the same items. It was for tourists and I hd no way of knowing if buying would help the people
I agree it did not seem that they lived there. I only visited 2 villages as I was too physically exhausted. BTW every person was offered a bamboo walking stick at the beginning and the terrain warranted that.
When we turned to retrace our steps rather than continue the circuit as I couldn't go further, they were upset and tried to tell us we were going the wrong way but when I indicated I was hurting they smiled and nodded.
You definitely don't see the "life" of the village. The young girls wearing the heavy neck coils look really uncomfortable. The little girl weaving likewise seemed poised.
Our best moment was when a young mother let her baby crawl away playfully and we laughed along with her in a moment of genuine contact.
You will see some of this in the pictures i am posting.
I would suggest more research than we did before adding this to a trip to the Golden Triangle and other area sites.
I am 76 and was exhausted at the end of a very long day so I was not as observant as usual. I was beyond exhausted. The land is very rough, hilly , and uneven. We were the only visitors at the time and so things were probably less staged.
I immediately wondered what we had walked into. We were told there would be no men and I was too tired to digest the reason. There was a scale at the entry with one of the "necklaces" /coils worn by the "long neck Karen tipping the scale at 4.5 pounds. The explanation was that they had been worn to protect the women from animals that grabbed the skin. These women seemed unused to them and had napkins tucked in around the top to protect their necks.
The first village consisted of shacks blocked by a kiosk with a woman welling jewelry and woven items. One after the other end to end the same display and the same items. It was for tourists and I hd no way of knowing if buying would help the people
I agree it did not seem that they lived there. I only visited 2 villages as I was too physically exhausted. BTW every person was offered a bamboo walking stick at the beginning and the terrain warranted that.
When we turned to retrace our steps rather than continue the circuit as I couldn't go further, they were upset and tried to tell us we were going the wrong way but when I indicated I was hurting they smiled and nodded.
You definitely don't see the "life" of the village. The young girls wearing the heavy neck coils look really uncomfortable. The little girl weaving likewise seemed poised.
Our best moment was when a young mother let her baby crawl away playfully and we laughed along with her in a moment of genuine contact.
You will see some of this in the pictures i am posting.
I would suggest more research than we did before adding this to a trip to the Golden Triangle and other area sites.
Written 4 December 2013
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.
Chailit Gobert (Jeff)
Bangkok, Thailand210 contributions
Apr 2017 • Business
Friendliness is depend on which tribe you visiting, for exemple, Yao was very very friendly, they want to sell you goods but of course if you refuse they didn't insist.
But for Akha Tribe they are so annoying trying to sell you goods, and don't stop it until you get out of their place.
But for Akha Tribe they are so annoying trying to sell you goods, and don't stop it until you get out of their place.
Written 2 May 2017
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.
Bonjour, nous allons à Mae Sai en octobre, je prépare mon itinéraire, nous visitons la région en scooter combien de jours me conseiller vous sur place merci de votre réponse.
Written 19 July 2016
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