Heads up, this is going to be a long one, but so worth the time reading:
My husband and I met San three years ago
on our honeymoon at an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. He told us about his dream to one day create an experience where he can take others to share what his life was like growing up in the jungles of Thailand. Being from the United States, hearing that someone grew up in the jungle is only something you could imagine from watching movies like Tarzan and George in the Jungle.
We kept in touch with San and we finally were able to visit him again after all these years to experience the business he manifested though we didn’t know a ton of detail. We had lots of trust and little knowledge or expectations of what we were about to experience… and oh boy, San took us on an adventure of a lifetime that we never knew we needed.
San made sure we were well fed (started with a trip to the market to get food for the journey) and we drove about 20 or so minutes to see a beautiful waterfall, then afterwards an hour north of Chiang Mai where we got started on a six+ mile hike through the jungle. He would share stories along the way of what it was like when he was a child and even pointed out certain trees him and his friends would swing on and other adventures he had as a kid growing up in the wild.
During the hike, he was so encouraging and kept telling us “just a bit further” though we should’ve known that wasn’t exactly true lol. The views were absolutely breathtaking (elevation helped with that a bit as well 😅) and by the time we made it to his village, we were blown away at the home he built with his own two hands and with the help of some other friends/villagers. The meal he and his mother cooked for us was absolutely delicious. He even gave us shots of Thai whisky upon arrival to help us “warm up” for the shower, which we didn’t fully understand what he meant until we actually felt how cold the water was lol. It’s exactly what we needed after the long trek.
After dinner, we enjoyed a bonfire and truly got to take in the majesty of mamma earth and were rocked to sleep by the beautiful sounds of nature and no distractions of the outside world and it’s honestly the best sleep we’ve ever had (San has three enclosed separate rooms he built for guests with mattress pads and bug nets and door locks for protection).
The next morning, he and his family made our group breakfast to prepare us for the 45 minute hike down to the river where we got to go to another village to do bamboo rafting which they make by hand. San also surprised us with two elephants from a nearby village and I couldn’t have been more surprised or excited (talk about full circle)! After that, we had almost a two hour ride down the river which was so much fun and a bit fast at parts, but we were in safe hands with San and his friend and had no issues or injuries (just some wet clothes)😝
Once we were done, we were welcomed by another village where we were fed amazing food and were able to get souvenirs to commemorate the trip, but honestly this is something where we’ll never be able to forget the amazing experience that San gave us through Abuja Trekking.
Overall, it was a two day trip that we wished could’ve been longer. The love, passion and knowledge he shared with us about the jungle and its importance for conservation was almost as beautiful as the scenery. They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but I still can’t seem to find the right one outside of ABUJA.
Khap Kun Mah Ka (Thank you very much) San. We are forever grateful for this amazing experience and will highly recommend anyone to do this should they come to Thailand. 10/10 don’t miss this. You’ll not just thank me, and San, but you’ll thank yourself for going out of your comfort zone (because there’s no growth in a comfort zone).
Amanda C.
Tue, 29 Nov 2022
Heads up, this is going to be a long one, but so worth the time reading:
My husband and I met San three years ago
on our honeymoon at an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. He told us about his dream to one day create an experience where he can take others to share what his life was like growing up in the jungles of Thailand. Being from the United States, hearing that someone grew up in the jungle is only something you could imagine from watching movies like Tarzan and George in the Jungle.
We kept in touch with San and we finally were able to visit him again after all these years to experience the business he manifested though we didn’t know a ton of detail. We had lots of trust and little knowledge or expectations of what we were about to experience… and oh boy, San took us on an adventure of a lifetime that we never knew we needed.
San made sure we were well fed (started with a trip to the market to get food for the journey) and we drove about 20 or so minutes to see a beautiful waterfall, then afterwards an hour north of Chiang Mai where we got started on a six+ mile hike through the jungle. He would share stories along the way of what it was like when he was a child and even pointed out certain trees him and his friends would swing on and other adventures he had as a kid growing up in the wild.
During the hike, he was so encouraging and kept telling us “just a bit further” though we should’ve known that wasn’t exactly true lol. The views were absolutely breathtaking (elevation helped with that a bit as well 😅) and by the time we made it to his village, we were blown away at the home he built with his own two hands and with the help of some other friends/villagers. The meal he and his mother cooked for us was absolutely delicious. He even gave us shots of Thai whisky upon arrival to help us “warm up” for the shower, which we didn’t fully understand what he meant until we actually felt how cold the water was lol. It’s exactly what we needed after the long trek.
After dinner, we enjoyed a bonfire and truly got to take in the majesty of mamma earth and were rocked to sleep by the beautiful sounds of nature and no distractions of the outside world and it’s honestly the best sleep we’ve ever had (San has three enclosed separate rooms he built for guests with mattress pads and bug nets and door locks for protection).
The next morning, he and his family made our group breakfast to prepare us for the 45 minute hike down to the river where we got to go to another village to do bamboo rafting which they make by hand. San also surprised us with two elephants from a nearby village and I couldn’t have been more surprised or excited (talk about full circle)! After that, we had almost a two hour ride down the river which was so much fun and a bit fast at parts, but we were in safe hands with San and his friend and had no issues or injuries (just some wet clothes)😝
Once we were done, we were welcomed by another village where we were fed amazing food and were able to get souvenirs to commemorate the trip, but honestly this is something where we’ll never be able to forget the amazing experience that San gave us through Abuja Trekking.
Overall, it was a two day trip that we wished could’ve been longer. The love, passion and knowledge he shared with us about the jungle and its importance for conservation was almost as beautiful as the scenery. They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but I still can’t seem to find the right one outside of ABUJA.
Khap Kun Mah Ka (Thank you very much) San. We are forever grateful for this amazing experience and will highly recommend anyone to do this should they come to Thailand. 10/10 don’t miss this. You’ll not just thank me, and San, but you’ll thank yourself for going out of your comfort zone (because there’s no growth in a comfort zone).
