Chiang Mai Discovery - 14 days
Immersive Adventures That Change How You See the World.
Experience a two-week exploration of spectacular Northern Thailand, where culture, nature and the vibrancy of Chiang Mai come together.
This is a journey of discovery, reflection, and connection, offering a deeper perspective on Thailand’s culture, nature, and sustainable future.
Explore Chiang Mai’s iconic temples, wander vibrant night markets and marvel at the peaks and waterfalls of the National Parks. Share meals in a hill tribe village, learn about mindfulness from Buddhist Monks, take part in traditional cooking and crafts, and see how communities preserve heritage while embracing sustainable ways of living.
Along the way, you’ll explore the ethical enterprises and grassroots organisations pioneering change, from eco-innovations to social initiatives that put people and planet first.
Discover insights, skills and experience that you can take back into your studies or future career. Every experience connects you to real stories and real people.
- Ultimate North Thailand: Thai Culture, Conservation, Nature, Buddhism & Sustainability.
- Timeframe: 14 days
- Team Size: 14-20+ local Thai mentors and guides.
- Accommodation Style: Hotel + Eco-Lodge + Traditional Village
- Visit: Chiang Mai, Hill Tribe, National Parks
- Impact: Supporting Thai communities through our CARES approach.
- Includes: Accommodation, breakfasts, most evening meals, excursions, experiential activities, domestic travel, 24/7 support.
- Programme Fee: £1895 for 14 days
- Funding: Turing Scheme grants available… see our Funding Guide.
Join a Discovery Session 💻
Think Pacific Discovery 
Monday’s 4pm [GMT – London] / 12pm [EST – New York] (Register Here)
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Experience the beating heart of Chiang Mai. The Old City, night markets, incredible temples and vibrant streets. Enjoy street food, learn to cook Thai dishes, try Muay Thai boxing, and immerse yourself in a modern city with living traditions.
Build confidence and teamwork. Trek mountain trails, bamboo raft along rivers, and climb the famous Sticky Waterfalls. Explore Doi Inthanon National Park, take in breathtaking views, forest trails, and royal pagodas.
Enjoy experiential site visits with social enterprises, eco-farms, fair trade coffee, cultural preservation or regenerative tourism businesses, all excited to share their stories, vision and impact.
Stay overnight in a Northern hill tribe community, guided by experts. Share meals with local families, learn about local history and see how community values shape daily life.
This trip is designed to challenge your perspectives and help you learn deeply. Every part of the itinerary is built for hands-on learning through experience. Grow through direct encounters with people, places, and ideas.
Learn about ecology, conservation and the organisations advocating sustainable practices. Explore animal welfare practices and the innovative approaches to shape a green future.
Open to all students. Whether you study business, sustainability, social sciences, or are simply curious about how culture and enterprise can create change, this adventure blends learning with unforgettable experiences.
- Experience – Explore Thai culture from street food to art to buddhism to hill tribe communities.
- Connection – Build friendships with Thai entrepreneurs, communities, and your teammates.
- Adventure – Trek mountains, raft rivers, and explore Chiang Mai’s stunning landscapes.
- Perspectives– See sustainability in action, from fair-trade producers to community-led tourism.
- Skills – Strengthen adaptability, teamwork, creativity, and cultural intelligence.
- Memories – Share unque adventures, cultural insights with a small team of likeminded students.
- Global Citizenship – Link Thailand’s models of sustainability and innovation to global issues like climate justice and social equity
Come with curiosity and an open mind, and leave inspired by Thai culture and innovation.
Get real insights you won’t find in a classroom, from village stays and cultural workshops to eco-projects, NGOs, and social businesses. By experiencing, listening, joining in, and reflecting, you’ll learn how Northern Thai traditions spark lessons in resilience, innovation and sustainability that stick with you long after your programme.
Site visits include:
- Eco-Tourism Projects – Community-led homestays and trekking initiatives that create income while protecting natural landscapes.
- Chiang Mai Temples – Learning from Buddhist monks about meditation, ethics, and wellbeing.
- Lanna Artisans – Women’s cooperatives preserving culture through traditional art and handicrafts.
- Social Impact Centre – A hub for cultural exchange, innovation, and dialogue on social and environmental challenges.
- Hill Tribe Cooperatives – Community enterprises sustaining livelihoods through weaving, silverwork, and woodcarving.
- SuperBee – A social enterprise producing sustainable alternatives to plastic while creating rural jobs.
- Elephant Nature Park – An award-winning sanctuary protecting elephants and advocating globally for animal welfare.
Through these visits, you’ll see firsthand how Thai entrepreneurs and communities are using business as a force for good.
Guided by our Think GLOBAL Learning Framework, this immersion turns cultural encounters and site visits into opportunities for reflection, growth, and connection.
- Gather – Arrive in Chiang Mai, join your team, and begin with openness and curiosity.
- Learn – Engage in daily experiences from trekking and cooking to visiting ethical enterprises.
- Observe – Look deeper through temple visits, homestays, and dialogues with local changemakers.
- Build – Form meaningful connections with host families, entrepreneurs, and peers.
- Apply – Reflect in groups and connect lessons from Thailand to global challenges.
- Lead – Take new perspectives into your studies, career, and personal life.
This framework ensures your journey is immersive, reflective, and transformative — building skills and awareness that last well beyond your expedition.
This programme is designed to meet learning outcomes of the UK Government Turing Scheme, which promotes global travel and international mobility to advance core priorities of academic alignment, employability, intercultural awareness, and personal development.
This immersive Chiang Mai travel experience achieves the following aims:
1. Intercultural Awareness & Global Citizenship
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Develop intercultural competence and cross-cultural communication skills by engaging with Thai communities, NGOs, and social enterprises.
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Gain a nuanced understanding of Northern Thai culture, Buddhism, and community values, enhancing awareness of global perspectives.
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Recognise the role of indigenous knowledge and traditions in shaping sustainable development and community wellbeing.
Turing Alignment: Builds global citizenship, cultural intelligence, and international collaboration skills.
2. Personal Growth & Self-Reflection
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Strengthen resilience, adaptability, and initiative by navigating new cultural contexts and team challenges.
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Build confidence through homestays, community projects, and workshops with local leaders and changemakers.
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Cultivate empathy and self-awareness through structured reflection, linking personal values to Thai approaches to community and sustainability.
Turing Alignment: Develops independence, self-confidence, and resilience in international environments.
3. Employability & Transferable Skills
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Enhance teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving through experiential projects and collaboration with grassroots organisations.
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Apply critical thinking and adaptability in response to real-world challenges presented by conservationists and entrepreneurs.
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Demonstrate professional skills in communication, cultural intelligence, and collaboration in a global context.
Turing Alignment: Strengthens employability through global skills and practical experience.
4. Academic & Career Alignment
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Connect academic studies in sustainability, business, anthropology, sociology, and international development with applied field experiences.
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Gain practical insights into global challenges such as biodiversity loss, conservation ethics, sustainable enterprise, and fair trade.
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Build career readiness by demonstrating initiative, global awareness, and applied understanding of ethical and sustainable practice.
Turing Alignment: Reinforces academic learning and supports career pathways in relevant disciplines.
5. Connection to Environment & Sustainability
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Learn from Thai conservation initiatives and eco-enterprises that integrate biodiversity protection, reforestation, and sustainable agriculture.
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Understand how Buddhist principles and community values embed environmental and social harmony into daily life and livelihoods.
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Reflect on lessons from Northern Thailand for contributing to global sustainability and responsible citizenship.
Turing Alignment: Deepens understanding of global sustainability challenges and solutions.
6. Reflection & Lifelong Impact
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Engage in structured reflection, peer-to-peer dialogue, and final presentations to consolidate learning outcomes.
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Translate international experiences into tangible academic insights, personal growth, and employability skills.
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Build lasting international networks with Thai peers, organisations, and changemakers.
Turing Alignment: Encourages lifelong global engagement, reflection, and continued international collaboration.
Every Think Pacific programme benefits both students and the communities, culture, and environment they engage with. Guided by regenerative principles, our journeys empower communities, promote local priorities, and celebrate culture with respect. Co-created with local leaders and organisations, they support long-term empowerment while investing in local jobs, small businesses, and the protection of traditions, making travel truly purposeful
Transformative small-group expeditions that make a positive impact locally. We achieve our mission by:
- Respecting local cultures and traditional leadership
- Collaborating with communities to achieve local goals
- Supporting jobs, enterprises, and community-based economies
- Aligning with national priorities and development plans
- Protecting ecosystems and the natural environment
- Inspiring conscious, curious, and responsible travellers
- Regenerating through travel that goes beyond sustainability
- Prioritising people and purpose over profit
- Listening to community voices to shape meaningful experiences
- Empowering local people through partnership
You’re not just going on an adventure, you’re part of something bigger. You’ll connect deeply with people, learn from new cultures, and know that your journey is creating positive and lasting local benefits.
How the Chiang Mai Immersion Benefits Northern Thailand
At Think Pacific, we believe travel should uplift both students and the communities, enterprises, and environments we partner with. In Northern Thailand, this immersion is built around values of conservation, community, and cultural respect. Every stay, activity, and partnership is designed to leave a positive footprint and strengthen local initiatives.
Here’s how the program creates long-term value in Chiang Mai and beyond:
1. Generating Local Economic Opportunities
Homestays, village visits, and family-run experiences channel income directly into local households. By staying, eating, and learning with communities, students support rural livelihoods, create jobs, and contribute to financial resilience in areas often overlooked by mass tourism.
2. Supporting Social Enterprises & Ethical Businesses
Through visits to enterprises like SuperBee, fair-trade coffee collectives, and women’s cooperatives, students help raise awareness of grassroots innovation. By engaging directly, they strengthen these organisations’ visibility and support business models that combine economic opportunity with sustainability.
3. Strengthening Community & Cultural Preservation
By engaging with hill tribe villages and local artisans, the program helps sustain traditional crafts, knowledge, and cultural heritage. Partnerships ensure income remains within communities while encouraging younger generations to value and carry forward their traditions.
4. Advancing Conservation & Environmental Protection
Visits to conservation projects, sanctuaries, and eco-lodges highlight the importance of protecting elephants, forests, and biodiversity. Student engagement brings visibility, funding, and international collaboration to these initiatives, reinforcing conservation as a driver of community wellbeing.
5. Promoting Responsible & Ethical Tourism
Unlike mass tourism, this program operates at a small scale with community-first principles. Students are prepared with cultural training, enabling them to arrive as respectful learners, not consumers. This approach reduces environmental impact while ensuring host communities shape the experience.
6. Co-Creating With Local Leaders
The immersion is designed in partnership with Thai NGOs, educators, and entrepreneurs. Local ownership ensures that opportunities are relevant, ethical, and sustainable, giving communities a direct voice in shaping the program.
7. Building Global Connections & Awareness
The presence of international students fosters dialogue, understanding, and knowledge exchange. Local leaders gain fresh perspectives, while students develop a deep appreciation for Thai approaches to sustainability, spirituality, and community.
Conclusion: Travel With Shared Value
The Chiang Mai Immersion is more than a cultural experience — it’s a platform for communities, enterprises, and conservation projects to thrive. By embedding respect, reciprocity, and local leadership at its core, the program ensures that Northern Thailand benefits directly while inspiring students to carry lessons of sustainability and compassion into their futures.
This is purposeful travel, leaving a legacy of opportunity, conservation, and cultural pride across Northern Thailand.
Travel Dates
4th June – 1st July 2026 (21 Days)
2nd July – 29th July 2026 (21 Days)
30th July – 26th August 2026 (21 Days)
19th September – 16th October 2026 (21 Days)
We pride ourselves on delivering safe, structured, and fully supported travel experiences. Our focus is on creating high-quality, meaningful journeys that offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to connect with culture, community, and the environment in a respectful and responsible way. Importantly, every program is designed to ensure local grassroots organisations gain direct financial benefit from your participation.
| Currency | £GBP | $AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Fee | 195 | 345 |
| 1-Month Programme Fee | 1950 | 3900 |
Welcome to the FAQ section. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to support you every step of the way!
Think Pacific works in partnership with many universities across the world to support student mobility and employability. There are scholarships and grants available for students from individual university departments and/or governments in several countries.
Students can apply for scholarships and bursaries to join our projects in Fiji. To find out if there’s funding available at your university or in your areas, please email info@thinkpacific.com.
Our philosophy is to provide a high quality and exceptionally well structured international project. Our expeditions are packed full of adventure and cultural insight, whilst having safety and support at their core. We also ensure that through our charity, the communities you support receive long-term financial and physical assistance year-round. Think Pacific is not the cheapest volunteer organisation around, but this is for all the right reasons.
All our expeditions include:
- Airport welcome by Think Pacific leaders or hotel meet and greet if you arrive early).
- All in-country project-related travel.
- All project accommodation.
- Briefing and orientation at a resort.
- Local expert Thai mentors and guides
- All breakfasts, 15 x evening meals, 5 x lunches.
- Guided activities and experiential field visits
- Think Pacific Leaders living with you 24/7.
- Comprehensive pre-departure information & personal project planning.
What’s Not Included?
- International flights – £800- 1000
- Personal travel insurance £60-£100
- Spending money for extra food and snacks, Fijian clothes and items of a personal nature (we advise bringing £200 – £300 spending money).
- Visa – Tourist visa – free for nationalities of many countries including UK, Europe, Australia & USA. Please note it is your responsibility to check and confirm visa requirements.
Apply for university funding to cover flights and insurance.
- Access to the Pre-departure Portal.
This portal provides the step-by-step process to prepare, including fundraising information, flight information, kit list, visa, cultural preparation. Student can watch videos with our team in Fiji and download document.
- Contact our team.
You can contact our team anytime between office hours, either give us a call on 0113 335 9919 or email; info@thinkpacific.com.
- Online community/network.
You can communicate with fellow volunteers, alumni and our team through our online community, hosted on the Might Network app. Within 3 months of you departing to Fiji, you shall be entered into a private group with your volunteer team.
- Live Pre Departure webinars
Our team host live sessions in the months leading up to your project. These are a great way for you to ask questions and delve deeper into planning for your project. They also add to the excitement!
- Global Skills Programme
We have created an online course to give you the set you up for success before departure! Complete short-courses in: Culture, Sustainable Travel & Global Leadership.