Mar 22, 2025
If you are a coffee lover, please join us! - This tour was the one I arrived at because I came all the way to Chiang Mai, so I looked for a tour that could take me to a coffee farm.
It was a great time for us.
Our guide Jack's care reassured us that we could enjoy ourselves at our own pace, unnerved from start to finish.
It was a guide in English, but he told me to re-hear if there were any points I didn't understand from the beginning, and I actually had no communication problems.
Every part of the tour conveyed not only our knowledge of coffee, but also the importance of balancing people and time with the lives of the farmers and people in the area we visit.
The real-life experience was also a 4wd ride across the farmland, touching coffee trees and fruits as we trekked. The tour location is also a good place to take your time and look for a very peaceful place.
Also, I have no physical problems at all.
Lunch is also very good and you don't have to rush it throughout.
I'm also looking forward to ground roasted coffee beans and drinking them later.
The transfer to the hotel was also very helpful.
If you are a coffee lover visiting Chiang Mai, this tour is especially recommended!
The process of making coffee could not be experienced in Japan, and it was a unique experience, and I was able to learn more about the appreciation and deep taste and value of having coffee.
Thank you very much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 19, 2025
Great way to spend a day - Wonderful time on this trek. Definitely something for people who want to get out of the city and see the countryside. The coffee we made and drank was lovely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 25, 2025
Unique and intimate coffee experience run by locals - Not your typical coffee tour (have been to another tour in Hawaii before)! It's run by Jack, his wife Sala, and his friend "Moonshine" who is a member of the Karen tribe and owns the farm (in the jungle!).
Jack is your guide for the tour and he is really passionate about sharing his love of coffee. He had a really infectious positive energy and was happy to tell us about the farm, the history of coffee in Thailand and worldwide, and make further recommendations for Chiang Mai, in addition to talking about the coffee itself.
Watching the roasting demonstration and participating in the roasting ourselves really helped me understand a lot of the different identifiers applied to coffee beans (roast, wash process, bean species, etc.). And you get to take home the beans you've roasted to your preferences :D
On our tour, we also stopped Moonshine's rice paddies and fed some of their cows, who were cleaning up the old dry grass shoots.
Definitely skip your morning coffee for this one :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 18, 2025
Absolutely Worth Going! Do it! - This isn’t just for coffee lovers-if you want to get away from crowds and go for a walk in the forest, this is your tour. If you want to see and learn about local life, this is your tour! Want to support a local family and their friends, this is your tour. It was so peaceful and quiet up the mountain. The ride is long but so are the elephant sanctuaries-we passed a lot of them getting there. I initially thought it quite expensive, but again, so are the all day tours -and it is all day with a van, all the guides, a meal, the coffee etc. Jack, his wife Sala and Moonshine (his nickname he’s part of the Karen tribe) were all lovely. He will let you try his creation of ‘whiskey’. I liked that this tour is directly supporting their growing business. We asked a LOT of questions about life and history and they were happy to talk about anything and everything. We had a beautiful walk in the national forest -for those with mobility issues this would be difficult, but I have lung issues and it was not a problem at all. Jack will walk at your pace and stop to rest on the few uphill parts. We learned a lot about the Karen people -their farming, way of life and crops they grow. Moonshine stopped and showed us medicinal plants (I work in healthcare so this was interesting to me). Jack and Monshine show you how to pick the coffee fruit, how they are planting, you plant a plant with your name on it -I saw many others there. Lunch was a delightful vegetarian meal followed by the roasting and brewing of coffee. If you don’t like coffee, but you like to learn about science of this, you will enjoy it. We have been traveling for over a week already and I’ve lost count of the temples etc but this tour will be a highlight for us. Being able to stand in the peace and quiet of the forest and listen to the wind, birds and water was magical. Jack, Sala and Moonshine were lovely hosts and made our day magical. Unlike all the other places we went, I wanted to buy something and they don’t even have any merchandise to sell! We are so glad we took a chance on this lesser known tour since the feelings and knowledge will stick with us far longer other tours we did.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 15, 2025
Not just for coffee lovers - The whole day from start to finish was fantastic. Jack, Sala and Moonshine were our hosts. When we arrived at the village Moonshine immediately welcomed us with coffee and a selection of fruit all grown on the farm there. He also let us sample his homemade rice whiskey infused with plums. Everything was delicious and set the scene for the day. After being taken further up the mountain in a 4x4 then on foot, we not only learnt about coffee trees and how Moonshine and his family started their coffee plantation, we also learned about some of the plants and animals in the jungle. After gathering the coffee berries, planting a sapling and feeding Moonshine's cows, we heading back to the village to have lunch and then participate in the coffee roasting workshop. I could not recommend this day experience enough. Jack was a brilliant tour guide. A totally authentic day and an experience not to be missed. 🥰
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 15, 2025
Amazing culture and coffee experience - What an amazing experience to not only enjoy and make amazing coffee however this is not only what this tour is about .
It’s the culture the experience of the local community and learning about how this community lifestyle .
If you get the chance to meet Jack and his lovely wife Sala such an amazing guides. Thank you Mr Moonshine from Papa Mark for your time . Please take this trip you will not regret it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 15, 2025
Amazing local and small tour - This tour is so authentic and special, you will not regret booking it! It exceeded our expectations!
Review provided by Viator
Feb 14, 2025
Fantastic experience, a must do in Chiang Mai - Just back from having a fantastic day with Jack, Sala and Moonshine from the Chiang Mai Hill Tribe Coffee tour.
We had several exchanges by email which explained the day and were promptly picked up from our hotel by Thai husband and wife team Jack and Sala. Jack is an experienced tour guide who speaks English very well and can answer questions about anything in Chiang Mai.
This is not the usual tour where you are expected to be back by a certain time or to buy an expensive souvenir. This is a couple sharing a love of coffee and their expertise in the jungle with clean air and a real hilltribe community.
We were taken by Moonshine in a 4x4 to the coffee plantation and a 2km easy walk looking at nature and herbal remedies from plants. We then helped pick some coffee cherries and planted our own trees with our names attached. It felt really meaningful.
Back to base for a vegetarian lunch which could have fed 10 more people! Everything was fresh and delicious with a good variety.
The afternoon brought the roasting session and we roasted our own beans which was a great experience and we learnt a lot and left with our own beans to enjoy back in the UK.
This really is a unique tour, the plantation is not at as you would expect and the day just felt real with three very nice people guiding us. There was no souvenir shop as it is based in a beautiful national park village.
If you want to do something different, see real people in their environment and learn and taste lots of coffee, I would highly recomnend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 13, 2025
Amazing! Authentic and educational. A real hidden gem! - This tour vastly exceeded my expectations.
This is not a big commercial tour, but rather a small operation run by 3 fun and passionate people. The groups are kept very small and intimate (only one other person joined my wife and me), so you get to feel like a local for the day.
The farm/jungle hike is hands on; picking coffee berries, planting coffee bush saplings, feeding the cows, smelling and tasting the wild herbs and plants. It is a very visceral experience that makes you feel connected with nature.
The coffee workshop portion is very enlightening and educational as well. Jack is great at clearly and simply explaining the process and science behind processing and roasting coffee, then guides you through the roasting process yourself to make a unique and delicious souvenir.
As a side note, I would suggest this tour for anyone who enjoys nature and culture, not just coffee lovers. The coffee workshop portion is fun and educational, even if you don't drink the coffee, but the whole day doesn't really revolve around this part; it's more of a bonus. The focus is on the way of life of the local people and the natural, noninvasive way of farming and living.
The only shame is that I'm limited to 5 stars 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 13, 2025
Best experience for coffee and nature lovers in Chiang Mai - a special experience. We love coffee, so we decided to book a coffee tour with Jack and Sala. It was definitely a highlight of our trip!
Not only will you have the chance to visit a rural and peaceful village in Northern Thailand, but you’ll also see a unique coffee plantation where coffee is organically grown in the forest, along with other local plants that Jack and MunChai taught us about.
The tour itself was very relaxing—we had plenty of time to rest and explore. Jack is an amazing guide with a deep love for coffee and over 20 years of experience. He taught us so much about coffee and the local area. Since February is the coffee harvest season, we even got to pick some ourselves! Lunch was also very good and not spicy at all. :)
Important note: If you easily get motion sickness, I recommend taking an anti-motion sickness pill, as the road to the plantation is quite curvy, and the 4x4 ride was a bit bumpy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor