top of page

Expedition Thailand 2025

High above the vibrant city of Chiang Mai, deep into the Doi Inthanon mountains where three separate rainforest ecosystems converge, we venture into one of Thailand’s most biodiverse regions. We’ll be document species in an area rich in culture while we trek through the jungles, hop aboard makeshift bamboo rafts, stop by Karen villages, and even sift through elephant dung for dung beetles! (oh yeah, and we’ll greet the gentle giants who provided it).
This expedition is more of a celebration of entomophagy and Thai culture rather than specialized research projects, where we learn first-hand why insects are the sustainable food source our planet needs. Using some of the insects we find, along with the freshest herbs and spices (we grind ourselves) from an on-site sustainably integrated farm, we’ll craft dishes bursting with flavors you’ve never imagined.

Duration: 8 Days / 8 nights
Dates: November 2nd, 2025 – November 10th, 2025
Country: Thailand
Closest Airport: Chiang Mai International Airport
Expedition Language: English
Accommodation type: Family and private bungalows.
Minimum Age: 18
Minimum participation: 6
Maximum participation: 13

ITINERARY

Wat_Chedi_Luang,_Night,_Chiang_Mai,_Thailand.jpg

November 2nd, 2025

Welcome to Chiang Mai!

You're welcome to explore the town if your flight arrives early. We'll settle into our hotel and meet for dinner to review our itinerary, goals and get to know each other better ahead of our cultural exploration tomorrow.

November 3rd, 2025

Kicking things off with food!

While Chiang Mai is one of the largest cities in Thailand, the walled old town we’ll be exploring has a much more laid-back vibe. With our local guide, “Spicy Joe”, we’ll tour around the open air markets for a taste of traditional Thai cuisine before spending the night at our beautiful Bed and Breakfast across from a stunning temple complex.

image.png
PrivateSlider4.jpg

November 4th, 2025

Into the Mountains

After breakfast, we’ll hop aboard our transports (may be seats in the back of a pickup truck) for a several hour journey to Spicy Villa in the Doi Inthanon mountain range. On our way we’ll stop at a small village for a visit to the local market to pickup all the provisions we’ll need for our stay in the jungle bungalows. We’ll have a fantastic lunch in the open air dining deck overlooking the jungle and rice paddies which have been beautifully integrated with the surrounding ecosystems where we’ll go through staff introductions and what to expect during our stay.
Afterwards, we’ll have an opportunity to relax and/or setup some of our pitfall traps near our own waterfall/swimming hole.

November 5th, 2025

Elephant Dung Beetles

After breakfast, we’ll set up any insect traps we didn’t complete the day before and spend some time exploring and getting acquainted with our surroundings, including the paddy fields and waterfall where we’ll have a jungle-style lunch, possibly with some fresh-caught insects.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit a nearby elephant camp to record and collect dung beetles, hopefully finding one of the largest in the genus Heliocopris or Catharsius, while shaking trunks with the Asian Forest Elephants who provided the dung.

 

Dung beetles are a fantastic delicacy in Thailand, so this evening we’ll take some of our collected beetles into the kitchen and spend an evening cooking with the day’s catch. We’ll end the night as we always will, with a UV or Mercury Vapor light to attract nocturnal insects to the comfort of our bungalows.

Bathing.jpg

November 6th, 2025

Aquatic Exploration

After breakfast, we’ll check out some new insect communities along the river and record species to determine stream health before having a jungle-style lunch at the Saokaew waterfall. Then we’ll jump on our bamboo rafts to observe the river ecosystems in style.

When we’re finished, we’ll take a quick stop over to the hidden Wat Luang Khun Win temple, a seldom-visited site due to it’s remote jungle location, for a look at Thai craftsmanship and Buddhist culture.

Then it’s back to our bungalows for dinner and a nightly lighting.

November 7th, 2025

The Long Trek - Bioblitz!

Grab your hiking shoes, because today we’re trekking deep into the jungle to a secluded waterfall. Along the way we’ll learn about tracks and signs of insects while conducting an arthropod bioblitz. We’ll rest at a stunning site at the bottom of a waterfall where we’ll have another jungle-style lunch cooked in bamboo shoots and broadleaves. This is a long and slightly more strenuous day, so upon our return we can relax before dinner and our nightly lighting.

Highlight2.jpg
next-step-thailand-travel.jpg

November 8th, 2025

Khun Puay Karen Culture

After breakfast, we take a trip over to a nearby Karen village, the traditional hill tribes of northern Thailand where we learn about their way of life and the importance of working together with nature rather than against it. We’ll also learn some traditional weaving and join them for lunch!

When we return, we have the afternoon at our leisure, where we can continue to do some optional insect discovery or relax at the bungalows.

As always, following dinner we’ll have our light set up.

November 9th, 2025

Nocturnal Discovery

We’ll have the morning to spend at our leisure, because our activities will take place at night. In the evening we’ll all work together to create an incredible farewell dinner while learning northern Thai recipes you can take home with you.
After our dinner, we’ll go for a night-walk armed with UV flashlights to discover the magnificent arachnids of the region and witness some of their intricate web-building techniques.

We'll have a farewell dinner, with one last UV light sheeting.

16602028_1219165164828740_7321025711344773541_o.jpg

November 10th, 2025

Goodbye Spicy Villa :(

All things must come to an end. Unfortunately we must leave our sanctuary in the mountains today. Not without stopping at the Siam Insect Zoo though! This is a wonderful place to take a look at some species we may or may not have missed during our jungle trek. The gift shop is neat too, with hand-made insect hats, arts and crafts to bring home to the family.
We’ll have lunch at a nearby restaurant before returning to the hotel, where we say our goodbyes.

Important Disclaimers

We will be spending a majority of our time in dense and humid jungles in wildlife rich areas. We’ll be wading through rivers, climbing trees, and trekking through brush and mud.  You’ll get dirty… and that’s half the fun, however, please consider the disclaimers below.  And keep in mind, all activities are optional, so if you need a rest or don’t feel like participating one day, you’re more than welcome to relax on the property.

​

COMFORTABILITY: We do have limited electricity and wifi, but cell service may be spotty or non-existent at times. The bungalows are open air with mosquito nets and private bathrooms. They are beautifully hand-made cabins with cieling fants, but no A/C - so please bring whatever else you may need to ensure your comfort in this environment.

 

MEDICAL: Biting and painful stinging insects as well as venomous snakes and other predators are present. There has never been an incident or medical emergency, but please exercise caution and follow our safety instructions at all times.  We cannot control the wildlife, terrain or weather. If you have any allergies to hymenoptera venom (bees, ants, wasps) please reconsider participation or bring your doctor prescribed epinephrine. While we are Wilderness First Responder Certified, this really only means we’re certified to assess emergency situations and provide extremely basic emergency care… we are not medical doctors.

Our Expedition Includes:

  • All accommodation. 2 nights in a Chiang Mai hotel, 6 nights in open-air bungalows.

  • Pickup/dropoff to/from our hotel in Chiang Mai

  • All meals while at Spicy Villa (days 2-7). Dinner on night 1, and breakfast/lunch on the final day.

  • Use of entomological research and trapping equipment

  • English speaking local guides and Wilderness First Response certified expedition leaders.

​

Our Expedition DOES NOT include:

  • Flights

  • Alcoholic beverages

  • Gratuities

  • Toiletries

Suggested packing list:

​

  • Hiking Shoes (high-top preferable)

  • Moisture wicking clothing

  • Toiletries

  • Swimwear

  • Light jacket or hoodie, it can sometimes get cool at night.

  • Poncho or raincoat

  • Small backpack to carry water/lunch/camera on our treks (~20 L)

  • Something to protect electronic equipment from humidity

  • Sunscreen

  • Refillable water bottle/hydration bag (recommended size: 32 ounces/ 1 litre)

  • Prescription Medicine

Meet Your Expedition Leaders

bottom of page