Lahu village · short walk to Huai Mae Sai Waterfall · Chiang Rai
Bamboo bungalows with Mr. Tep, by the stream. Local jungle trips by car or on foot. Chiang Rai, three hours north of Chiang Mai.
From 900 THB a night · pickup from Chiang Rai
#chiangrai#lahu#homestay#jungle#waterfall
A simple bamboo house
A Lahu bamboo house by the stream. The sound of the water changes with how much is flowing. In the rains it runs loud. If that is the sound you want, you can have a deep reset here.
Fruit and vegetables from the plot, when they are ready that week. Meals are cooked in the house.
A proper bed, a full mosquito net, and a private bathroom with a hot shower. The outside beds have nets too. You can sleep on every balcony. The balcony is quiet enough for remote work.
The forest and the water are right here, and so are the mosquitoes. There is a local herbal balm and spray in the cottage. A red LED lamp, easy on the eyes, is on the balcony and in the living room. Wi-Fi is free. A SIM card gets 5G here, and the connection is good.
Private bamboo cottage, balcony toward the stream, bed with a net, hot shower.
A private room if you are traveling alone.
A larger house with mountain and stream views, for a family or a small group.
A hammock in the garden if you are walking through and watching the budget. A mosquito net still applies.
Heart of the village
Mr. Tep was born in this Lahu and Akha village and still lives here. Jungle days are with him: he drives, or he walks.
He runs the house with his wife. She cooks and looks after the house. You eat with them. The day follows the field and the stream.
From field to table
A short walk from the bungalows is our own rice field. His wife cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You eat what the hosts eat. Meals are 150 THB per person.
Go out in the afternoon, while the light is low. The terraces are the same rice that comes back to the table.
Potatoes, the Japanese ones and others, and the herbs. What is ready that week is cooked.
Durian, plum, passion fruit, mango, and bananas are in the ground. More trees and shrubs are still being planted.
Eggs in the morning. Rice, curries, mountain vegetables, and Lahu herbal dishes later. Local meat if you want it, and a fish from the stream some days. In the rains, mushrooms too.
In mango season: sticky rice, mango, coconut milk — breakfast or dessert, packed for the fall if you like. Other weeks: passion fruit, plum, banana. Durian is ours, two kinds; in the kitchen or with him, not in the room.
Write ahead. Then all three meals can be a vegan plate. Herbs, spices, and good tofu are in the kitchen.
Screw-cap drinking water is free. Nuts and dried fruit for the tired hours. Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero are in the house.
Coffee and tea on the terrace.
On the terrace, with the forest behind it. At breakfast or after lunch, it carries the day.
Teas to choose from, organic teas among them, for anyone who would rather not have coffee.
The jungle around the house
Huai Mae Sai is the big fall here: two levels, about fifteen minutes on foot, or he drives. Morning is quieter. The upper pool is gentler, three minutes above the first. Other days: viewpoints, a hill-tribe village, or a walk in the forest.
The biggest fall here. Two levels. Sit with it the whole day if you want; morning, afternoon, and evening each have a different light.
Tell him on WhatsApp what you want. Trip price is set with him.
Same-day stops in the jungle nearby: waterfalls, viewpoints, a village in the hills. You agree the route with him.
One day in the forest, or up to five. He goes with you. A single day ends at the house.
Add a temple or a drive. Name the stops and how long you stay, then send it. Rice in bamboo packs for the trail.
A sunny walk in the forest. Mr. Tep filmed it.
For mushroom people
May to October the rains bring mushrooms. In Europe the forests are quiet then, or already picked out. Same in other temperate regions. Mr. Tep walks the jungle and brings back at least five kinds. Rice with mushrooms is on the table. The stream runs loud.
He said at least five. They go into the kitchen the same day. The names, and a photograph of each, still wait for someone who can tell them apart.
A guest who can walk with him, photograph what is out, and teach which ones are still gathered here would close that gap. Write on WhatsApp if that is you.
Huai Mae Sai carries more water. Paths turn to mud. Walks stay shorter, between showers. If you like that sound, this is the season to sit with it.
Collected from public listings
Notes taken from Booking.com, Google, and Agoda. The scores above are live listings, not a private guestbook.
Booking.com
“Amazing, super warm and welcoming owners. A treat to spend time in their home and in the nature around it. Very tasty meals. Super authentic atmosphere.”
Anna, Poland · scored 10
Booking.com
“The best getaway I could have hoped for after traveling from city to city. Mr. Tep and his family were incredibly warm. I would 100% bring my family here again.”
Alex · family stay
Agoda
“A cabin by the river. This is not a hotel. Come only if you want a real stay off the tourist path. The river, the cottage, and the host with his dogs and cats were enough.”
Roser, Spain · scored 9.2
No. Ban Huai Mae Sai, Mae Yao, Chiang Rai. Chiang Mai is about three hours south. The airport is Mae Fah Luang (CEI), about 25 minutes by car.
Message Mr. Tep on WhatsApp at +66 86 910 0162 before you land. He picks up from the city and from CEI. A grab or a city taxi is a poor bet this far into the village.
Guide prices: riverside bungalow from 900 THB, room for one from 550 THB, family house from 2,000 THB. Write dates and he will say what is free.
His wife cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You eat what the hosts eat. 150 THB per person. Write ahead for vegan, and 2–3 days ahead for a bigger group.
Yes. About 15 minutes on foot, or he drives. Two levels. Morning is quieter. The upper pool is gentler, three minutes above the first.
There is free Wi-Fi on the terrace. A SIM card gets 5G here, and the connection is good.
From 12:00, check-out by 11:00. If your bus is late, say so on WhatsApp.
It is a living village beside a stream, not a soundproof resort. Some nights you may hear music from the village or a nearby church. The family has cats and dogs.
Yes, in the morning or at midday, within reason. Not at the moment you think of it.
Dates, how many people, pickup or not, meat or vegan. That is enough.
Yes. Name the stops and how long you stay, then send it. A temple can be added.