Expedition Thailand

This expedition is a collaborative project between the Global Entomology Coalition, Next Step Thailand and Spicy Villa.

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 virtually untouched by entomological research 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 also a celebration of entomophagy 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.

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$2,903 Per Person

Duration: 8 Days / 8 nights
Dates: November 3rd, 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

DAY 1 – Chiang Mai Markets – Guided Foodie Tour

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.

Day 2 – Arrival at Spicy Villa

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.

Day 3 – 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.

Day 4 – Aquatic Insects

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.

Day 5 – The Long Trek – Tracks & Signs of Insects

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.

Day 6 – 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.

Day 7 – 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.

Day 8 – Siam Insect Zoo – Back to Chiang Mai

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.

Meet Your Expedition Leaders

Samart “Spicy Joe” Srisoda

Leader of Culture & Recreation

Samart is a former monk and charismatic tour leader with a passion for environmental, social, and cultural responsibility and conservation. He’ll be our local guide as an expert in Thai culture, cuisine, and good times.

Jace Porter

Leader of Research & Education

Jace is a Wilderness First Response certified entomologist, conservationist and naturalist. He’s the founder of the Global Entomology Coalition and Educator with the New England Insectarium. The only thing he loves more than insects and spiders, is talking about insects and spiders.

(fun fact: the hat he’s wearing in this photo was purchased at the Siam Insect Zoo that we’ll visit on the final day).

Cara Porter

Leader of Logistics & Coordination

Cara is a super fun, energetic, and passionate outdoorswoman and a legendary hiker. When she’s not co-leading our expeditions, she’s grooming dogs and caring for all sorts of wildlife. She’s a lover of all things nature and a champion for the “ugly” animals.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS – PLEASE READ

We will be spending a majority of our time in dense, hot and humid jungles in wildlife rich areas. We’ll be wading through rivers, trekking through brush and mud, sifting through elephant dung.  You’ll get dirty… and that’s half the fun! However, please 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. Our bungalows do not have air conditioning, but it does get cool at night so it’s usually a very comfortable sleeping temperature. Each bungalow does have mosquito nets above the beds, but these are open-air bungalows, so please bring anything you think you’ll need to be more comfortable in these environments.

Biting and painful stinging insects as well as venomous snakes and other predators are present. There has never been an incident or medical emergency on our expeditions, but please exercise caution and follow our safety instructions at all times.  We cannot control the wildlife, terrain or weather.

Allergy Warning: Part of this trip includes Entomophagy – eating of insects. If you have an allergy to shellfish, this allergy also applies to insects. Also, if you have any allergies to hymenoptera venom (bees, ants, wasps) please reconsider participation or let us know of your allergy. If you have any allergies that require epinephrine, please do not forget to bring that as we may be hours from the nearest medical facility.

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.

What’s Included?

What’s NOT Included?

Suggested Packing List:

GALLERY