If you're a minority, this trip isn't really for you.

First off, let me say that this trip and its activities are pretty amazing! The itinerary is solid, packed full with awesome activities and excursions. My favorite days were definitely the visit to the elephant sanctuary as well as the ziplining (which was way more extensive and exhilarating than I expected!). The timing of most of the events were great, plenty of time to relax and explore without too much downtime. The guides did a decent job, aside from once not informing us of an itinerary change or having any strong first aid experience/advice (which a few of us on tour did need, especially when it comes to the trek to the hill tribe, which is certainly challenging and, while definitely not impossible, does come with the risks of injury.)

Those things being said, if you're a person of color, like myself, I wouldn't say this tour is really for you. Luckily I brought a friend who is also a person of color but otherwise, this tour, outside of its great excursions and breathtaking views, is really an exercise in tolerating a lot of white tourism: a lot of people wearing dreads, sporting pointless tribal jewelry or tattoos, or worse, tattoos from your religion that they don't even follow. As a Buddhist as well, it does get a bit frustrating watching people treat your religion more like a commodity and a fleeting trend rather than with the respect it deserves. Especially during the Pai chill day, where we visited a pool bar, was probably the worse offender. If you can find something else to do that day, I highly recommend it.

Even outside of being a minority, I was also hoping to experience more of the rich cultural history and Buddhist traditions that Thailand has to offer and I was left feeling a little empty, especially during the night spent with the hill tribe. We didn't really get to meet any of the people there or see and hear anything about their way of life; which really defeated the point. Many of the places we went to didn't come with a lot of historical information to go with it.

So if you wanted to come on this tour to learn a wealth of history and to have respect for and be around people who have a respect for an ancient culture and religion, this isn't the tour for you. And, while I did luck out with a few choice group members, it mostly likely won't include people who are looking for anything more than nights out clubbing and some choice Instagram pictures.